Hwang Woo-suk, a South Korean researcher credited with the world's first successful cloning of a human embryo for the extraction of stem cells, has stressed the need for therapeutic cloning to discover remedies for degenerative diseases.

In a news conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York, the Seoul National University professor reiterated his opposition to cloning for the purpose of human reproduction.

However, he said that the move by some U.N. members to pass a resolution on banning cloning research would represent a huge step backwards in the fields of science and medicine, arguing that therapeutic cloning is aimed at helping those in medical need.
The bill, signed by 56 countries, seeks a ban on all cloning research activities and declares that human dignity must be protected under any circumstances.

Therapeutic cloning, or growing stem cells using cloned embryonic cells, is believed to hold the key to potential remedies for a number of degenerative disorders, as the cells are known to be able to transform into more than 210 types of organ cells.

Scientists say this kind of cloning offers the potential for regeneration or replacement of damaged organs or tissues in the human body. Stem cells are nascent cells that can be coaxed by chemical signals in the body into becoming different kinds of tissue.