Asian stem cell centres “mind-boggling”
UK scientists returning from a visit to Asia report that a staggering level of technology and commitment is being put into stem cell research in Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Singapore. “I came back blown away by the whole thing,” said Stephen Minger, of King’s College London, one of Britain’s leading stem cell researchers. “It was mind-boggling to everybody.” In Seoul, he found that the labs of Hwang Woo-suk, the first scientist to clone human embryos, were better equipped than his own and that Hwang’s team was cloning nearly a thousand animal embryos a day. In China there was a similar level of quality and commitment.
In terms of ideas and concepts, they’re not out ahead; they’re in the pack with the rest of us. But you do get the sense that it is moving more quickly toward the clinic, and in the right way, without cutting corners on ethics, either,” said Dr Minger. (This does not quite square with reports that some Western researchers are moving to China precisely because it has looser ethical standards.)
- Prescribe morning-after pills to young teenagers, say US pediatric group - November 30, 2012
- Bahrain sentences protest docs to prison - November 28, 2012
- Terry Pratchett assisted suicide documentary wins International Emmy - November 27, 2012
More Stories
The mouse with two dads, no mum
Using stem cell technology, scientists in Japan have succeeded in breeding mice with two fathers and no mother. Katsuhiko Hayashi,...
Belgian euthanasia chief explains 10% rise
Why are more people resorting to euthanasia in Belgium? The number of cases of euthanasia in Belgium rose by 9.85%...
Romanian doctors harvested pacemakers from dead patients – and reused them
An occasional reminder that doctors are not exempt from participating in dark and dodgy get-rich-quick schemes might not go astray....
Making Victorian euthanasia easier
The first legal euthanasia in the Australian state of Victoria took place on July 15, 2019. Almost four years later,...
Should bioethicists hold a conference in Qatar?
FIFA’s choice of Qatar for the 2022 World Cup sparked huge ethical controversies. What about its abominable record on migrant...
Should slavery be invoked in debates about embryos?
A Virginia judge has referred to an 1849 statute about ownership of slaves in his deliberations about the fate of...