Headless human clones will be used to grow organs and tissues for transplant surgery in 10 years' time, a leading authority on the ethics of human cloning predicted yesterday. Dr Patrick Dixon, author of The Genetic Revolution, which predicted Dolly, the first adult sheep clone, made the prediction after reports that scientists had created the embryo of a frog without a head.
The headless frog embryos have not been allowed to live longer than a week but scientists believe the technique could be adapted to grow human organs such as hearts, kidneys, livers and pancreases in an embryonic sac living in an artificial womb.
Dr Jonathan Slack, professor of developmental biology at Bath University and a leading embryologist, told The Sunday Times he could now create these embryos relatively easily by manipulating certain genes.
Using the technique, he has been able to suppress not only development of a tadpole's head but also its trunk and tail. He said the breakthrough could be applied to human embryos because the same genes perform similar functions in both frogs and humans.
Dr Dixon said: "I predict that there will be great pressure to combine cloning technology with the creation of partial foetuses - missing heads, arms or legs - as organ factories for tomorrow's people.
"These will be developed on an experimental level somewhere in the world in countries where there is little or no gene legislation within the next five to 10 years because of the overwhelming demand.
"Whatever can be done will be done somewhere at some time by someone. The demand is there, the technology is almost there as well."
Dr Dixon is calling urgently for a global bio-technology summit to look at genetics for the millennium. International inconsistencies on various aspects of genetic engineering, including human cloning, urgently needed ironing out, he said.
Dr Dixon has proposed the creation of a gene charter covering every aspect of gene technology.
He said: "The headless frog embryo is another example of the way the technology is racing far ahead of public understanding. We must get the thinking in place which looks over the horizon beyond today's headlines to what tomorrow will bring.