Chemicals Turn Monkey Egg Into Embryo

Using a technique that may provide an alternative to therapeutic cloning, researchers created a monkey embryo asexually--without the use of sperm--to make stem cells that could then be turned into heart, brain and other specialized tissue.

A research team led by Dr. Michael West of Advanced Cell Technology reported in the Feb. 1 Science that they used chemicals to cause a monkey egg to turn into an embryo, a process called parthenogenesis. The scientists extracted stem cells from the embryo and made specialized cells.

“These were fully developed cells that could have been used medically,” said West.

West said that although the new study used only monkey eggs, it demonstrates that it may be possible to make human embryonic stem cells through parthenogenesis.

Other experts, however, said such a technique would have a medical application limited only to women of reproductive age and would not benefit males because embryos produced by parthenogenesis can only be female.

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Compiled by Times staff writer Thomas H. Maugh II