A Japanese researcher says the government has approved experiments that aim to grow human organs in animals.

Scientist Hiromitsu Nakauchi recently confirmed the approval to Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Nakauchi leads a research team at the Institute of Medical Science of the University of Tokyo. He also heads a stem cell research center at Stanford University in California.

Nakauchi's research centers on creating animal embryos that contain human cells. His team sought approval to grow human cells in animal embryos and then implant them into the uterus of animals.

The goal of the research is to use animals to grow full-grown organs that could be used in human medical treatments. If successful, such organs could fill a great need for humans who need organ replacement operations.

However, such experiments have been criticized by some scientists who have expressed concerns over ethics. Until this year, the Japanese government had banned the experimental growth of animal embryos with human cells for longer than 14 days. Officials were concerned that further research could lead to the birth of creatures with a mix of animal and human genes.

This is a Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006 file photo of a laboratory mouse as it looks over the gloved hand of a technician at the Jackson Laboratory, in Bar Harbor, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

But the journal Nature reported Japan's science ministry lifted that ban in March. It said the ministry had closely examined the issue and sought expert scientific guidance. That decision permits Nakauchi's team to grow full organs. Nakauchi will start with an experiment to grow human pancreas organs in animals such as mice and rats, the Asahi Shimbun reports.

"Finally, we are in a position to start serious studies in this field after 10 years of preparation," Nakauchi told the newspaper. He said the approval in Japan will permit his team to bring forward the research "based upon the know-how we have gained up to this point."

But he added: "We don't expect to create human organs immediately."

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