Korean scientist clones human embryos

Korean researchers succeeded for the first time in the world to reproduce human embryos at the stage of germinal disk.

Professor Hwang Woo-Suk of Seoul National University, who succeeded in reproduction of cattle embryos in 1998 for the first time in the world, announced Aug. 9 at a presentation that he had succeeded in cultivating human embryos to the stage of germinal disk by using a somatic body of a Korean man in an experiment for reproduction.

He said that the technology was patented in 15 countries, including the United States, on June 30. The stage of germinal disk is in a state of reaching to 200-300 cells after 4-5 days of cell division from fertilization.

Embryos are the early-stage of fetal development up to about two months of pregnancy. The reproduction of human embryos means that the cultivation of human cells for the early embryonic stage is as achievable as the cloned sheep Dolly.

In the case of humans, the stem cell of the embryos at the stage of germinal disk can grow each organ of the body, so it is considered an epoch-making development for the treatment of incurable diseases or organ transplants.