THE controversial cloning of human organs is to be given the go-ahead by the government.

British scientists will be the first in the world to be allowed to develop the technology which will enable them to "grow" organs in other animals.

The first human parts - cloned from a patient's stem cells - could be used for heart, lung, liver or kidney transplants within the next SIX YEARS.

Stem cells are the ones containing a genetic imprint which tells other cells what body part they should become.

If successful, artificially created replacement organs could always be available and end the heart-rending search for a human donor.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn and Home Secretary Jack Straw are set to draw up changes in the law which will make the medical miracle possible.

Experiments on human stem cells are only allowed for 14 days at the moment.

Under the new proposals there will be no time limit, and scientists will be allowed to graft the cells into embryonic animal cells where they can developed.

When the animal grows, any organ genetically altered will contain a full human DNA pattern and be suitable for transplant.

Strict The government will make sure there are strict clauses in the law to ensure the full cloning of idential humans remains outlawed.

But the dramatic change is still expected to cause a moral uproar among pro-life campaigners and religious groups.

They will argue it is morally wrong for scientists to "play God".

But ministers decided they must act after reading a secret report from the government's chief medical officer, Liam Donaldson, last week.

He said the massive medical advances possible after a change in the law far outweigh any moral obejections.

Leaders

He urged the government to make a bold step and turn British scientists into world leaders in the field.

In the report, Mr Donaldson pointed out the technology will end the heart-breaking ordeal many people face when suffering a serious illness - the knowledge they will die unless a donor organ is found.

Last night, a senior Health Department insider told the News of the World : "The important thing is people don't get stuck on the word 'cloning' with its strange connotations and recognise this is incredibly important."

But replacement organs could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Using a different form of cloning, a scientist in America produced a human ear on the back of a mouse.

But experts say they will soon be able to develop cloned brain cells for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.

The treated cells would replace damaged ones, giving a patient a chance of longer life.

White blood cells could also be developed to aid leukaemia sufferers.

Dolly the sheep led the way

THE incredible technology set to help humans is similar to that used to create cloned animals like Dolly the Sheep.

In that process, carried out at the Roslin Institute in Scotland, cells from a ewe embryo were fertilised in a laboratory then grafted into the womb of Dolly's mother.

Those cells eventually grew into a foetus, and in time Dolly the Sheep was born... identical in every way to the donor ewe.

Earlier this year, the same group of scientists cloned FIVE piglets.

The team was led by Professor Ian Wilmut.

He said: "We were the people who had the lucky breakthrough.

"It would be a great shame if we miss the opportunity to go on to develop new therapies."

There will also be a massive profit from any cloning project.

Analysts estimate that the first company to produce cloned human tissue will establish a market which will be worth £3.8 BILLION within a decade.

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/1634980