Leading cloning experts challenge Clonaid to p...( PITTSBURGH Jan. 6 In reaction to the ...)

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 6 In reaction to the recent claim by Clonaid that it had produced the first human clone, three international cloning experts emphasized that current cloning techniques have been shown to seriously compromise the health of cloned offspring. Randall Prather, distinguished professor of reproductive biotechnology at the University of Missouri-Columbia; Ian Wilmut, an embryologist at the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh, Scotland; and Gerald Schatten, professor and vice-chair of obstetrics, gynecology & reproductive sciences and cell biology-physiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; said that it was highly likely that cloned children would suffer similar problems with their health and this alone should deter scientists from cloning human beings.

"All of the reports from cloning experiments describe a high incidence of late abortion or the birth of dead animals," Prather said. "When live cloned offspring have been produced, many have been subject to abnormalities that were apparent only after birth. These abnormalities include premature death at many different ages, respiratory failure, absence of an immune response and inadequate kidney function. These problems are believed to be a consequence of inappropriate gene expression resulting from incomplete 'reprogramming' of the adult cell used in cloning. There is absolutely no reason to expect the situation to be different in humans. Furthermore, human brain development is far more complex than in animals and the neuropsychiatric consequences for cloned children might be devastating. Until there is compelling and scientifically validated evidence that the situation is different in human embryos it is grossly irresponsible to attempt to clone children."

Wilmut, Schatten and Prather also strongly support independent tests by a respected authority, such as the National Academy of Sciences, to confirm that the DNA of Eve, the baby Clonaid claims is the first human clone, i
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Contact: Michele Baum
412-647-3555
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
6-Jan-2003

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