Scientists in the UK applied on Monday for permission to create part-cow, part-human embryos for research aimed at treating diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
The procedure would involve inserting human DNA into cows’ eggs that have had their own genetic material removed. The embryos created from this process would then be almost entirely “humanâ€, with the only cow DNA being outside the cells’ nuclei.
If they manage to pull off the feat, the human-bovine embryos would not be allowed to develop for more than a few days, the researchers say.
The hybrid embryos would be used to produce embryonic stem cells, which have huge potential for treating disease. At present, embryonic stem cells have to be obtained from unwanted early stage human embryos left over from in-vitro fertilisation treatments. Using cow eggs would potentially give researchers a far greater supply of stem cell material.
Blurred lines
But the proposal has been questioned by some ethics campaigners, who claim it could blur the line between animals and humans.
The application for a three-year licence was submitted to the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority by the North East England Stem Cell Institute – a biotech research body run by the universities of Durham and Newcastle.
Lyle Armstrong at Newcastle University, who is leading the team, says the work is necessary "to take this area of stem cell research to the next stageâ€.
But Calum MacKellar of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics told the BBC: "In this kind of procedure, you are mixing at a very intimate level animal eggs and human chromosomes and you may begin to undermine the whole distinction between animals and humans."
A decision on whether to grant permission for the work is expected within the next few months.
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