The Roslin Institute near Edinburgh, where scientists cloned Dolly the sheep, has been given the first UK research licence of its kind permitting a technique that creates embryonic stem cells from human eggs.
Scientists there have been given the go-ahead to artificially stimulate donated human eggs from IVF treatment in a process known as parthenogenesis. The licence will allow the creation of stem cells for use in testing the effectiveness of new medicines and the study of congenital illnesses, such as Parkinson's disease and heart disease.
A better understanding of how to encourage eggs to mature outside the body may help those undergoing IVF treatment.
In the past, the Roslin Institute, which gave the world the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell, has expressed interest in developing human clones.
Although the licence granted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) today does in no way permit human cloning, it could pave the way for improved techniques, making the creation of a human clone possible.
Researchers would have to apply separately to be allowed to take the science further. A HFEA spokeswoman said it would be impossible to develop a human clone from the procedures involved in parthenogenesis. "Parthenogenesis is not cloning because you have only got half the DNA in the cells, which are not capable of developing into a clone," she said.
Suzi Leather, who chairs HFEA, said the licence for research using donated embryos would be stringently monitored. "After careful consideration of all the scientific, ethical and medical aspects of the project, the HFEA licence committee agreed to grant an initial one-year research licence to the Roslin Institute. It is important that any research involving human embryos is scrutinised and properly regulated." The authority was given the power to licence parthenogenesis after a ruling by the House of Lords in March clarified the law regarding the regulation of embryos created outside the body.