HT Correspondent
Varanasi, December 18
NOTED DNA scientist and director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (Hyderabad), Padmashree Prof Lalji Singh said that human cloning was useful in various applications.
He was delivering the keynote address on ‘bioethical issues of genomic research and cloning’ during a daylong workshop on Bioethics at the Mechanical Engineering Department of Institute of Technology in Banaras Hindu University here on Monday. Malviya Centre for Ethics and Human Values had organised the workshop.
Prof Lalji Singh said human cloning could be used for producing stem cells for treatment of damage in brain and also producing a reservoir of spare parts. “Besides, human cloning was also useful in disorders of blood cells, bone cells, cartilage cells, liver cells and skin cells etc,” he said.
He said human cloning could help in understanding the process of ageing. He also discussed in detail about various applications of cloning of animals. “Animals on the verge of extinction could be multiplied by cloning,” he added.
“Therapeutic cloning presents new scientific prospects. This includes studying development of anomalies and determining which treatment would be the most appropriate,” he said. He also talked about using transgenic animals for production of pharmaceuticals and Xeno-transplant (growing pig with human genes for organ transplant).
Talking about ethics in biology, Prof Singh raised various questions such as — should we tell the patient and/or his/her family members about genetic predisposition to diseases, health insurance for those who are at genetic risk, employability of those who are genetically predisposed (at risk) to certain diseases.
He said ethics were required in biology but it was still under consideration as to what should be actual face of such ethics. Emeritus Professor at Zoology Department of BHU, Padma shree Prof MS Kanungo presided over the lecture.
Coordinator of Malviya Centre for Ethics and Human Values and director of IT-BHU Prof SN Upadhyay delivered the welcome address whereas Prof AN Tripathi spoke about the concept of the centre. Prof RS Dubey established the theme of the workshop.