Cloning doctor seeks UK human experiment

A controversial Italian doctor who has said he intends to clone humans, is to ask for permission to carry out the experiment in the UK, it emerged today.

Professor Severino Antinori is to approach the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) for permission to provide cloning as a treatment for men who are unable to have their own genetically-related children.

Prof Antinori also hit out at the Royal Society of Edinburgh for refusing to allow him to take part in a debate on cloning tomorrow.

The Rome-based gynaecologist first came to world attention after injecting sperm into the female egg to help men with very low sperm counts procreate.

He then became the first to help post-menopausal women conceive, prompting the Vatican to denounce his actions.

In a letter to the Sunday Herald newspaper today, Mr Antinori and his American collaborator, Dr Panos Zavos, called for a full debate on cloning.

‘‘Since our announcement in January that we intend to use reproductive cloning as a means to help infertile couples, we have received nothing but opposition from those in the animal cloning field,’’ it says.

They warned that infertility was reaching epidemic proportions throughout the developing world and argued that reproductive cloning could play a real part in treatment.

Prof Antinori told the paper he wanted to submit an application to force the HFEA, the body which regulates fertility treatment in the UK, to explain why it would not give permission for human cloning.

If the UK bid was turned down, Prof Antinori said human cloning would be carried out elsewhere, either in Asia or in a secret Mediterranean country.

He claimed his team had already cloned nine monkeys. He said the primates were successfully cloned earlier this year, but refused to give any details of the unpublished research.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s Academy of Science, is hosting a debate on human reproductive cloning tomorrow.

In a letter, the two scientists wrote: ‘‘Of particular interest is that no one from the International Consortium for Human Therapeutic Cloning has been invited to participate in what should be a healthy exchange of ideas between scientists.

‘‘The meeting, which is described as a ‘debate’, appears to have only one side represented: the animal cloners. How can this be described as a debate? It is a monologue.’’