'Mindless' regulations behind move

Last Modified: 08 Sep 2008
Source: PA News

A leading fertility expert blamed "mindless" regulations for his decision to move a research project that could help transplant patients to the US.

Labour peer Lord Winston said he faced "unbelievable" problems from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs over research which could help transplant patients.

Lord Winston wants to carry out experiments on genetically modified pigs with the aim of the research being to produce "transgenic" pigs with humanised organs which could be transplanted into humans.

This was one of a number of applications his work could have, he said. But he had to wait two years for an animal licence and when a pig escaped and mated with a sow it was destroyed and researchers were not allowed to carry out a post-mortem.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme of the difficulties he faced.

"It's unbelievable," he said.

"It took us two years to get an animal licence to do six pigs, which is a painless experiment.

"When the animals were successfully treated to produce sperm which were carrying the genes that we were interested in we were not allowed to make them because Defra refused the licence to make them and didn't tell us beforehand.

"Then when one of the animals escaped on Home Office premises and mated by accident the sow was killed under instructions from Defra and we are not allowed to do a post-mortem on the piglets to find out whether those piglets are transgenic.

"That to my mind is a shocking waste of research resources."

These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.