Researchers Get Britain’s OK on Embryo Cells

Britain’s scientists got the green light Wednesday to pioneer the cloning of human embryos for research and set up the world’s first embryo cell bank.

An influential House of Lords committee ruled that embryo cloning should be allowed to proceed under strict conditions.

Committee Chairman Richard Harries said embryo cells could be crucial to finding a cure for diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

“We conclude that for this to be fully realized, no avenue of research should be blocked off at this stage,” Harries told a news conference.

Last year Britain became the first country to explicitly allow the creation of embryos as a source of stem cells--primitive master cells that turn into other cell types.

But Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government had to rush through revised legislation to close a legal loophole allowing cloning for reproductive purposes. Research was in effect put on hold until Wednesday’s announcement.