Judge Linda Dobbs called the application "totally without merit." The Christian Legal Centre and another group challenged the creation of cytoplasmic hybrid embryos, in which a human cell's nucleus is inserted into an animal egg from which most of the DNA has been removed. The procedure lets scientists create embryos for research without using human eggs.
The groups said the technique was not authorised under Britain's 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act. The judge said Tuesday the law predated hybrid embryo technology but ruled regulators had considered expert scientific advice when allowing the procedure. – (Sapa, December 2008)
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