Dolly the sheep has arthritis

The professor who led the team which created Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned 哺乳動物, today called for more 研究 after it 現れるd the animal had developed a form of arthritis.

Professor Ian Wilmut said the 現在の method of cloning was "inefficient" and more work needed to be carried out across the world so 改良s could be made.

専門家s at the Roslin 学校／設ける, Edinburgh, where Dolly was created, became worried several weeks ago when the sheep started to become lame in her left hind 脚.

実験（する）s by veterinary 外科医s at Edinburgh University 確認するd she had arthritis in the hip and 膝 of that 脚. Arthritis in sheep is やめる ありふれた, but it 普通は occurs in the 肘 共同の.

Professor Wilmut said the 発見 of Dolly's 条件 was a 失望, but said it was その上の proof that more 研究 was needed into cloning techniques.

Speaking in the pen were Dolly lives, he said: "This 供給するs one more piece of 証拠 that the 現在の cloning 手続きs are rather inefficient.

"We know from our previous 研究 that only a small 割合 of embryos that 再生する develop to become live offspring.

"It appears from Dolly's 条件 that one of the other 結果s from this will 証明する that some of the animals will be more 攻撃を受けやすい to some 病気s.

"We will never know in the 事例／患者 of Dolly whether this 条件 is because she is cloned or whether it is an unfortunate 事故 that she developed arthritis.

"What's very important is that not only we at the 学校／設ける, but others who produce cloned animals, should 監視する their health throughout their entire life （期間が）わたる."

Professor Wilmut said Dolly, whose five-and-a-half-years-old, was 存在 首尾よく 扱う／治療するd with anti-inflammatory 麻薬s and could live until she is 10.

The sheep today appeared 警報 and happily played with three of her six offspring inside her pen.

Professor Wilmut said he did not think Dolly's co ndition was "a major 後退" for cloning 研究 and said the work should continue.

Cloning "had enormous 約束" and could lead to the 創造 of 組織／臓器s and 独房s which could be used in the 治療 of humans.

However he 強調する／ストレスd that 警告を与える was needed and

that the results of cloning 研究 throughout the world should be closely 監視するd.

Professor Wilmut said: "It's （疑いを）晴らす that the 現在の technique is very inefficient but the 可能性のある 利益s have to be put into the balance."

The professor 譲歩するd that cloned animal 組織／臓器s which might in the 未来 be 移植（する）d into humans could lead to the premature ageing of the 患者 but 追加するd: "The 代案／選択肢 for the 患者 might be that they die and that might be considered worse."

And although he 繰り返し言うd his belief that cloning 研究 should continue at pace, he again 強調する／ストレスd that the results of the work must be held up to the closest scrutiny.

He said: "The only way we can discover this is by collectively producing a very large number of clones and looking to see if the incidence of arthritis and other 条件s is encased in clones as 際立った from animals produced by normal methods."

A group of 24 cloned calves is 存在 監視するd in the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs. In a 最近の 出版（物）, these clones were 報告（する）／憶測d to be 完全に healthy.

The anti-abortion and プロの／賛成の-life charity Life, called for an 即座の 停止（させる） to all cloning 研究 伴う／関わるing human 独房s.

Nick Harris, Life's 上級の 研究員, said: "We already knew about Dolly's 異常な telomeres, which means crudely that she is ageing 未熟に, so we are not surprised to hear of more defects resulting from the cloning 手続き, but this （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） has a large 耐えるing on those irresponsible scientists who wish to clone humans.

"This 審議 has 中止するd to be a theoretical 演習. Cloning a human is no longer science fiction, it is science fact. We must put a stop to all cloning programmes 伴う／関わるing human tissue."

治療力のある cloning - the duplication of human embryos for 研究 目的（とする）d at developing new 茎・取り除く 独房 治療s - is 許すd under UK 法律制定.

Cloning of babies is now banned by the Human Reproductive Cloning 行為／法令／行動する which became 法律 last month.