Britain, which four years ago became the world's first country to license cloning to create stem cells, is aiming to join South Korea on the leading edge of the research, which many scientists believe may lead to treatments for many diseases.
The Newcastle researchers were granted a licence in August by Britain's Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority. Ian Wilmut, creator of Dolly the sheep, was later granted a licence earlier this year to clone embryos as part of his research into motor neuron disease.
The Newcastle researchers hope eventually to create insulin-producing cells that could be transplanted into diabetics.
Two of the team, Alison Murdoch and Dr. Miodrag Stojkovic, said they were "delighted" by the Koreans' progress.
"They have shown conclusively that these techniques can be successful in humans," they said. "The promise of new treatments based on stem cell technology is moving nearer to becoming a realistic possibility."
The researchers are not using cloning to make babies. Instead, scientists create test-tube embryos to supply stem cells, the building blocks which give rise to every tissue in the body and which are a genetic match for a particular patient, preventing rejection by the immune system.
If scientists could harness the regenerative power of those stem cells, they might be able to repair damage from spinal cord injuries, diabetes, Parkinson's and other diseases. — AP
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