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Scientists are a step closer to creating human-animal chimera embryos after the Government performed a U-turn over banning the controversial research.
The use of hybrid embryos - which combine human DNA with animal eggs - should now be accepted, according to a draft fertility Bill published yesterday.
It replaces initial proposals put forward in December to ban the creation of chimeras, bringing a backlash from scientists.
They claimed a ban would jeopardise life-saving stem cell research that offers hope for new treatments to combat incurable conditions such as Alzheimer's and motor neurone disease.
Opponents last night said the "terrifying" prospect of human-animal hybrids would trigger revulsion and widespread ethical concern.
Although ministers have accepted, in principle, the creation of chimeras - human embryos that have been physically mixed with one or more animal cells - there is another hurdle to cross.
Details of the Human Tissue and Embryos Bill will be examined by a Parliamentary scrutiny committee before it is finalised in the autumn.
However, the committee is chaired by Phil Willis, head of the Commons Science and Technology Committee...