Scientist claims '700 people want to join cloning programme'

A scientist aiming to be the first to clone a human claims up to 700 people have applied to take part in his programme.

Professor Panos Zavos has told American politicians investigating human cloning he has 700 people willing to donate DNA or eggs to help clone a human.

He believes it will only be two years before the first human clone is successfully created.

Cloning is not banned in the United States and Prof Zavos' claims come as he gives evidence to a committee of the House of Representatives in Washington which is considering whether there should be a legal bar on the procedure.

"The genie is out of the bottle and the world needs to address this issue," said Professor Zavos. The Greek-Cypriot born American professor of physiology is working on the project to clone a baby in a Mediterranean island which he refused to name, saying: "That would compromise our work."

He says the technology to clone a human being already exists but agreed with the politicians questioning him that there are problems with cloning which have resulted in high levels of deformity among cloned animals.

"This consortium will not step on dead bodies and deformed babies to get this accomplished," he said.

"Producing developmentally abnormal children is clearly not ethically acceptable."

The professor said his consortium's goal was to produce "a technology that can give an infertile and childless couple the right to have a child and complete its life-cycle".

Speaking after the hearing, the scientist said the 700 applicants will be narrowed down to 10 couples who would be the first to attempt cloning, the New York Post newspaper reported.

The hearing also heard from the leader of a cult which claims to be in the process of creating the first human clone.

The Raelians, led by a man known only as Rael, believe cloning is the path to eternal life.

Rael told the Congressmen said: "We Raelians believe science should be our religion as science saves life where religion and superstition kill. Cloning gives the un-reborn the right to have a second chance at life."