NO EMBRYOS were harmed in making these stem cells – that was the message of a press release issued by Nature on 21 August, and reported in Â鶹´«Ã½ (26 August, p 10) and elsewhere. Bob Lanza and his colleagues at Advanced Cell Technology had derived human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) “while leaving the embryo intact”, Nature explained. That could answer those who object to the destruction of human embryos for ESC research.
However, when scientists read the paper in detail they found that whereas in pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) a single cell is taken without harming the embryo, Lanza’s team…
