Blog 7-Mrs Pamela-Hu Yiyao(Scarlett)-Chimera (Science and Technology)

In 6th November, the research team from Newcastle University and King's College London apply to the HFEA, for wishing to human and animal cells mixed together to create embryos for medical research. HEFA finally passed this application and the United Kingdom even put it into law.

The scientists who advocate this program point out that, after the success of mixing the embryonic cells, they will observe them for 6 days and extracted stem cells from them. Immediately after that, they will destroy these embryonic cells completedly, and never allow them to survive for more than 14 days.

It is reported that, the stem cells extracted from embryos have not fully developed. They are able to breed a variety of human tissues for the treatment of leukemia, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, organ failure and other illnesses. Because these tissues has the genetic characteristics of the cell provider, the patient after transplantation will not have allograft rejection. Because of that, this technology has high medical value.

Alwhough it may cure so many disease, there are manny people against it. They think it is unethical behaviour and may mix the boundaries of human and other animals. Baldwin, a British scientist, warned that "it is not a scientific advance, but a prelude to human self-destruction."

However, actually, these embryos cannot exist for more than 14 days and they cannot finally develop to be a new creature. In my opinion, this kind of experiment has high medical value and may benefit human beings. But, we must supervise and regulate this experiment strictly to prevent these embryos exist for 14 days. After all, within 14 days, these embryos are just a group of cells, and organ differentiation and nerve cell system have not appeared yet. So, they cannot be considered as a person or an animal within 14 days.