In preparation for the revision of the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, the Academy undertook a working group study into research on embryos combining human and non-human material (inter-species embryos).
The working group report was launched in June 2007 and included a recommendation to develop general guidance as to how different entities along the human/animal spectrum are treated for the purposes of law and regulation.
It committed to further public discussion of these issues over the coming years. As a follow up to this report, the Academy undertook further work on the issues of animals containing human material, which included a significant component of public engagement.
Professor Martin Bobrow CBE FRS FMedSci (Chair)
Emeritus Professor of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge
Professor Allan Bradley FRS FMedSci
Director, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge
Professor Peter Braude FMedSci
Head, Department of Women's Health, King's College London
Sir Martin Evans FRS FMedSci
Professor of Mammalian Genetics, University of Cardiff
Dr Peter Goodfellow FRS FMedSci
Professor John Harris FMedSci
Sir David Alliance Professor of Bioethics, University of Manchester
Professor Peter Lipton FMedSci
Hans Rausing Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge
Professor Lipton sadly passed away since publication of the report.
Dr Robin Lovell-Badge FRS FMedSci
Head of Division of Developmental Genetics, MRC National Institute of Medical Research
Dr Anne McLaren DBE FRS FMedSci
Senior Research Associate, Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Cambridge
Dr McLaren sadly passed away since publication of the report.
Professor Martin Raff FRS FMedSci
Emeritus Professor, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Cambridge
Professor Austin Smith FRS
Director, Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research, Cambridge
Professor Doug Turnbull FMedSci
Professor of Neurology, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Sir Greg Winter FRS FMedSci
Head of Division, Protein & Nucleic Acid Chemistry Department, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Cambridge
Sir Richard Gardner FRS
Royal Society Research Professor, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford
Professor Veronica van Heyningen FRS FMedSci
Group Leader and Section Head, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh
Baroness Onora O'Neill PBA HonFRS FMedSci
President, The British Academy
Inter-species embryos
