Animal-human hybrid embryos get go-ahead

Government plans to ban the creation of human-animal hybrids in the laboratory have been dealt a serious blow after the regulatory body on embryos backed the research.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has told MPs that it does not believe the innovative research, which could help patients with Alzheimer's disease, should be outlawed. MPs are calling on the Government to reverse its decision to ban the creation of hybrid embryos, which scientists believe could further research into incurable conditions such as motor neurone disease.

The authority believes thatresearch should be permitted as long as the embryos created in the laboratory are destroyed by the age of two weeks and are notused in human fertility treatments.