London Fertility Centre commends the decision by the Human Fertilisation and
Embryology Authority to hold public consultation into the regulation of hybrid and
chimera embryos since it is aware that members of the general public may not agree
with this area of research, considering it as science stepping into science fiction.
However, the use of such embryos may have scientific and later clinical benefits that
far outweigh these initial concerns.

London Fertility Centre considers that there would not be any need to entertain the
idea of chimera and hybrid embryos if HFEA initiatives were promoted to give
realistic financial compensation for more egg and sperm donors to come forward and
donate their gametes specifically for research projects, including the isolation of stem
cell lines.

This is especially so now that the HFEA have given permission for one centre to
allow women to donate half of their eggs to research at the same time as benefiting
from IVF from the remaining half of the eggs that are not given away thereby
receiving an indirect financial benefit.

London Fertility Centre predicts that in general there would be fewer concerns if
research was to be undertaken on human embryos from donors who have given
informed consent to their specific use rather than research being undertaken on
embryos created in part with animal eggs.

London Fertility Centre (LFC) is one of the most comprehensive and long standing
providers of assisted conception treatments in the UK. LFC offers a broad scope of
services for both male and female factor infertility as well as a caring approach.

LFC has an impressive track record in comprehensive fertility treatments and
pioneered many of the new developments now used routinely in assisted conception
worldwide.

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