Obesity 'leading driver' of breast cancer

It said NECESSARY Were Such studies for medical research, new ethical issues emerge But That Could and call for a national body of experts.

It said "category three" experiments on monkey brains, RESULTING in "human-like" Behaviour Should be banned.

The Government said it Would Consider the recommendations.

the National Institute for Medical Research, said: "Everyone laughs at opposable thumbs and meerkats Cats talking with, But If We Were Actually Doing That in the labs I do not think people Would be so happy."

Cancer drugs
Have Into Introducing human animals furthered medical research material.

Putting human breast Tumour Cells into mice allowed to test cancer Have Researchers drugs on human tissue.

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Experiments on animals lead to possible human characteristics are something That the Academy of Medical Sciences Have Spent Nearly two years considering "

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Stroke damaged mice to show some recovery When Were Their brains injected with human neural stem cells, Which Have Led to human clinical trials.

Mice with down's syndrome Have Had a whole human genome Their chromosome added to help to learn more about Researchers the condition.

Professor Christopher Shaw from King's College London and one of the report's authors, said Animals with human material were "hugely important. Is [the field] going to shrink and go away? No. I'm confident Will it lead to new Treatments."

The academy report said it WAS Anticipating "a major Increase in the use of These techniques".

Concerns raised howeve That it Would Fall Through gaps in the cases Some regulation.

The authors said That, for example, an embryo experiments on human material predominantly controlled by Contained Which Would Be the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the embryo Would not progress Beyond 14 days. Which are animal Embryos For Mostly, But Some material Contained human, They Said There Was "no regulation at all".

Animal research is Regulated by the Home Office's Animal Procedures Committee.

Professor Martin Bobrow, chair of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: "Our report Recommends That the Home Office puts in place a national expert body, Within the Existing stringent regulation of animal research system, to Provide specific advice on sensitive types of 'animals Containing human material 'research. "

The academy recommended research on three animals for human Classifications Containing material.

Most Would Be "category one" and Have No More Than Any Other restrictions on study animals.

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But two experiments allowed Category Could Be "would require strong scientific justification." The report Suggested Adding genes Would this include non-human primates to significant changes file and file to an animal to make it "more human-like."

Category three experiments Would not be allowed, Such as mixed embryo Develop Letting Any past breeding or 14 days Animals with human sperm or egg cells Influenced and non-human primates to create Modifying human-like awareness or Behaviour.

Professor Bobrow keen to stress That WAS "nobody Have Done Any of These Things," But the Academy of Medical Sciences said it wanted in place guidelines Rather Than Waiting Until the horse bolted HAD.