London, England, May 20, 2008 / 15:26 pm
Despite criticism that the research techniques involved are unethical and overhyped, British lawmakers on Monday defeated a proposal to ban the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos for medical research.
The House of Commons is considering amendments to the Human Embryology and Fertilization Bill, which will affect regulations of embryonic research and artificial reproduction.
The proposed amendment to outlaw the creation of hybrid embryos was defeated by 336 to 176 votes, according to Agence France Presse.
Human-animal hybrid embryos are created by inserting the nucleus of a human cell into an animal egg. Some researchers speculate that they could be a possible source of embyronic stem cells, and possibly have potential for research and therapy for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.