Reports in the British media that grant applications to create hybrid human – animal embryos for research were turned down on moral grounds, have been rejected by the funding bodies and scientists involved.
The story broke in the Independent newspaper on Monday, which claimed Stephen Minger, a leading stem cell scientist at King’s College London, said that the grant applications may have been blocked by scientists on the funding committees who are morally opposed to the creation of cloned hybrid embryos.
But when Nature spoke to Minger he said the Independent misinterpreted his comments, adding he did not have any evidence that moral objections led to his proposal being rejected.
“I was not saying that religious or moral opposition to the proposal led to its rejection,” he said.
He said the comments he received from the Medical Research Council (MRC) regarding its decision on his application were very critical of his proposed science plan, which sought to create hybrid embryos and stem cell lines to investigate diseases including Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. The MRC did not suggest Minger reapply and he says he has no immediate plans to rewrite the proposal and apply for funding elsewhere.
Minger holds one of three licences to create hybrid embryos issued in Britain so far, after the technique was legalised in the country a year ago.
Another licence holder, Lyle Armstrong of Newcastle University’s Centre for Life, told the Independent his proposal was also rejected.
The third licence holder, Justin St John of Warwick University, said he is in the process of preparing his funding application.
MPs are planning to write to the funding councils to seek assurances that moral concerns did not play a part in the funding decisions.
Phil Willis, the chairman of the Commons Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee, told the Independent that he was “staggered” that two world-class laboratories had been turned down for funding.
In a statement, Leszek Borysiewicz, chief executive of the Medical Research Council, strongly denied that moral objections led to the funding applications being rejected, and said suggestions that funding for stem cell research in the UK is under threat are “erroneous and misleading”.
Around one in five applications to the MRC win funding and only proposals of an “internationally competitive standard” are successful, he said.
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Assuming religious objections really are responsible for denial of funding, then perhaps Richard Dawkins should be approached to help raise the funds for creating “hybrid” embryos. He already has a proposal of his own to create hybrids and has recently shown his generosity in contributing 5,500 quid of his own money to plaster a religious slogan on the side of some buses . As pointed out by Professor Chris Shaw of King’s College London, this research should have very important outcomes for patients and preventing it is a real affront to them. Surely that’s more important than whatever view the average commuter in London has of religion.
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Whew. That’s a relief. We sure wouldn’t want morality to play any part in government funding of scientific research.