Panayiotis Zavos
Encyclopedia
Panayiotis Michael Zavos is a Greek Cypriot biologist
from Cyprus
. He is also an American citizen who currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky
.
in Emporia, Kansas
. He earned his Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology, Biochemistry and Statistics in 1978 from the University of Minnesota
in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. He received many awards among those the Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Graduate Teaching Award from Emporia State University and the Student Leadership Award from the University of Minnesota. He was recently awarded the Paul Harris Fellow Awardhttp://bnsunrise.rotary6490.org/paul_harris_fellowship.htm, given to "an individual who contributes $1,000 or in whose name that amount is contributed."
Dr. Zavos has a long career as a reproductive specialist and he has devoted more than 25 years to academia and research. He claims himself to be the chief scientist in the development of several new and innovative technologies in the animal and human reproductive areas with worldwide implications. He has authored or coauthored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, along with a number of solicited reviews, book chapters and popular press releases. He has presented more than 300 abstracts and other presentations at a large number of national, international and professional scientific meetings all over the world. Dr. Zavos' studies and findings have been reported in the local, national and international press. He served as an ad hoc reviewer for the NIH and other scientific groups.
Dr. Zavos is currently serving as a Member of the International Advisory Committee of the Middle East Fertility Society, and is a past Board Member of the China Academy of Science. He was awarded the first ever Honorary Professorship by the Chinese Academy of Science awarded to an American Professor by Chinese Scientists. He is also currently on the Board of Scientific and Policy Advisors for the American Council on Science and Health
. He has given plenary lectures nationally and internationally at a large number of Scientific Societies meetings, has been and continues to be a visiting scientist for a number of international collaborations and exchanges.
Dr. Zavos has numerous scientific collaborations nationally and internationally and his publications have appeared in fifteen languages. He is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the American Society of Andrology (ASA), the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), the Middle East Fertility Society (MEFS), the Japanese Fertility Society, the International Society of Cryobiology Sigma XI
, Gamma Sigma Delta and a number of other Scientific and Professional Societies. He has served on a large number of committees for the International Society of Cryobiology, ASRM, MEFS, ESHRE and others.
Dr. Zavos also claims himself, and many others throughout the World, to be strong authority in the areas of male reproductive medicine, gamete
physiology, male infertility
, Andrology
and other forms of ART (Assisted reproductive technology
) procedures including the development of in-vitro round spermatid
manipulations (ROSI procedures).
Dr. Zavos is also founder of ZDL Inc. The company serves for the people having fertility problems. Its main areas are gender selection, semen shipping, semen evaluation, home semen analysis, and others.
and stem cell
research. His publications have appeared in many peer-reviewed journals.
In 2002, Spyros Simitis, the brother of Costas Simitis
, characterised Zavos's claims as "scientific barbarism". He expressed his opinion that if human cloning were to become reality, it would mean the "end of human freedom and evolution". He also referred to the possible use of cloning
by government
s for controlling and shaping society
according to the government's will.
Arthur Caplan
, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania
, also testified before Congress; he said, "I think he is the most dangerous of the current fringe proponents of cloning, because he knows more, stretches the facts, and seems to be wallowing in a mix of publicity and fund-raising that rests on a foundation of hype."
injunction is "thou shall not kill" rather than "though shall not clone", and that the Bible does not explain or specify how humans should reproduce. He argues that any form of assisted reproduction (such as in vitro fertilization
, or "IVF") is equally unnatural, but such methods are widely and successfully used today. According to Zavos, cloning can help a small percentage of childless couples to have biological children of their own "if they have exhausted all other means of assisted reproduction". Thus, cloning would further his belief that "all humans should have the right to have a child, the gift of life". He adds that all people have the right not to be cloned if cloning is against their ethics
.
News reports
Other links
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
from Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. He is also an American citizen who currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
Biography
Dr. Panayiotis Zavos received his B.S. in Biology-Chemistry in 1970, his M.S. in Biology-Physiology in 1972 and Education Specialist in Science (Ed.S.) in 1976 from Emporia State UniversityEmporia State University
Emporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
in Emporia, Kansas
Emporia, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike...
. He earned his Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology, Biochemistry and Statistics in 1978 from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. He received many awards among those the Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Graduate Teaching Award from Emporia State University and the Student Leadership Award from the University of Minnesota. He was recently awarded the Paul Harris Fellow Awardhttp://bnsunrise.rotary6490.org/paul_harris_fellowship.htm, given to "an individual who contributes $1,000 or in whose name that amount is contributed."
Dr. Zavos has a long career as a reproductive specialist and he has devoted more than 25 years to academia and research. He claims himself to be the chief scientist in the development of several new and innovative technologies in the animal and human reproductive areas with worldwide implications. He has authored or coauthored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, along with a number of solicited reviews, book chapters and popular press releases. He has presented more than 300 abstracts and other presentations at a large number of national, international and professional scientific meetings all over the world. Dr. Zavos' studies and findings have been reported in the local, national and international press. He served as an ad hoc reviewer for the NIH and other scientific groups.
Dr. Zavos is currently serving as a Member of the International Advisory Committee of the Middle East Fertility Society, and is a past Board Member of the China Academy of Science. He was awarded the first ever Honorary Professorship by the Chinese Academy of Science awarded to an American Professor by Chinese Scientists. He is also currently on the Board of Scientific and Policy Advisors for the American Council on Science and Health
American Council on Science and Health
The American Council on Science and Health is a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 by Dr. Elizabeth Whelan that produces peer-reviewed reports on issues related to food, nutrition, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle, the environment and health...
. He has given plenary lectures nationally and internationally at a large number of Scientific Societies meetings, has been and continues to be a visiting scientist for a number of international collaborations and exchanges.
Dr. Zavos has numerous scientific collaborations nationally and internationally and his publications have appeared in fifteen languages. He is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the American Society of Andrology (ASA), the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), the Middle East Fertility Society (MEFS), the Japanese Fertility Society, the International Society of Cryobiology Sigma XI
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
, Gamma Sigma Delta and a number of other Scientific and Professional Societies. He has served on a large number of committees for the International Society of Cryobiology, ASRM, MEFS, ESHRE and others.
Dr. Zavos also claims himself, and many others throughout the World, to be strong authority in the areas of male reproductive medicine, gamete
Gamete
A gamete is a cell that fuses with another cell during fertilization in organisms that reproduce sexually...
physiology, male infertility
Male infertility
Male infertility refers to the inability of a male to achieve a pregnancy in a fertile female. In humans it accounts for 40-50% of infertility. Male infertility is commonly due to deficiencies in the semen, and semen quality is used as a surrogate measure of male fecundity.-Pre-testicular...
, Andrology
Andrology
Andrology is the medical specialty that deals with male health, particularly relating to the problems of the male reproductive system and urological problems that are unique to men. It is the counterpart to gynaecology, which deals with medical issues which are specific to the female reproductive...
and other forms of ART (Assisted reproductive technology
Assisted reproductive technology
Assisted reproductive technology is a general term referring to methods used to achieve pregnancy by artificial or partially artificial means. It is reproductive technology used primarily in infertility treatments. Some forms of ART are also used in fertile couples for genetic reasons...
) procedures including the development of in-vitro round spermatid
Spermatid
The spermatid is the haploid male gametid that results from division of secondary spermatocytes. As a result of meiosis, each spermatid contains only half of the genetic material present in the original primary spermatocyte....
manipulations (ROSI procedures).
Dr. Zavos is also founder of ZDL Inc. The company serves for the people having fertility problems. Its main areas are gender selection, semen shipping, semen evaluation, home semen analysis, and others.
Cloning
Panayiotis Michael Zavos is frequently considered as one who made contributions to the areas of human cloningHuman cloning
Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. It does not usually refer to monozygotic multiple births nor the reproduction of human cells or tissue. The ethics of cloning is an extremely controversial issue...
and stem cell
Stem cell
This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
research. His publications have appeared in many peer-reviewed journals.
- 2001 -Professor Zavos, Severino AntinoriSeverino AntinoriSeverino Antinori is an Italian gynecologist and embryologist. He has publicly taken controversial positions over in vitro fertilisation and human cloning....
, and Dr. Avi Ben-AbrahamAvi Ben-AbrahamDr Avi Ben-Abraham is an American scientist who was involved in research work in the fields of low temperature medicine, cryogenics, and human and stem cell cloning.Dr...
announce they are fully prepared to perform therapeutic human cloningHuman cloningHuman cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. It does not usually refer to monozygotic multiple births nor the reproduction of human cells or tissue. The ethics of cloning is an extremely controversial issue...
.
- 2002 -Zavos declared the year 2002 as "the year of human clones".
- 2003 - On 20 May 2003, he announced the creation of a clonedCloningCloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
human embryo.
- 2004 -On 17 January 2004, from LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he announced http://www.zavos.org/library/UAAN_A_150346.pdf the creation and transfer of a cloned embryoEmbryoAn embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
, according to news reports. During the announcement, Zavos presented the first evidence of the creation and transfer of a human cloned embryo for reproductive purposes. Even though no pregnancy was established, human reproduction via SCNTSomatic cell nuclear transferIn genetics and developmental biology, somatic-cell nuclear transfer is a laboratory technique for creating a clonal embryo, using an ovum with a donor nucleus . It can be used in embryonic stem cell research, or, potentially, in regenerative medicine where it is sometimes referred to as...
is possible and applicable in the future for patients with severe male or female infertilityInfertilityInfertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term...
that have no other alternative options for procreating their own offspring.
- On 04 February 2004, it emerged that the attempt had not worked and the woman did not become pregnant. A spokeswoman for the doctor said: "Prof Zavos and his team are dedicated and will continue their efforts in producing more cloned human embryos for reproductive purposes".
- 2009 -In April 2009, he claimed to have cloned 14 human embryos and transferred 11 of those to wombs.
Criticism
In his first two announcements, he provided no satisfactory evidence. Other scientists doubt(ed) his claimed accomplishments.In 2002, Spyros Simitis, the brother of Costas Simitis
Costas Simitis
Konstantinos Simitis , usually referred to as Costas Simitis or Kostas Simitis, was Prime Minister of Greece and leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement from 1996 to 2004.- Biography :...
, characterised Zavos's claims as "scientific barbarism". He expressed his opinion that if human cloning were to become reality, it would mean the "end of human freedom and evolution". He also referred to the possible use of cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
by government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
s for controlling and shaping society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
according to the government's will.
Arthur Caplan
Arthur Caplan
Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D., is Emmanuel and Robert Hart Professor of Bioethics and director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to Penn in 1994, Caplan taught at the University of Minnesota, the University of Pittsburgh, and Columbia University. He was the...
, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, also testified before Congress; he said, "I think he is the most dangerous of the current fringe proponents of cloning, because he knows more, stretches the facts, and seems to be wallowing in a mix of publicity and fund-raising that rests on a foundation of hype."
Position on cloning ethics
Zavos claims that the BiblicalBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
injunction is "thou shall not kill" rather than "though shall not clone", and that the Bible does not explain or specify how humans should reproduce. He argues that any form of assisted reproduction (such as in vitro fertilization
In vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation is a process by which egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the body: in vitro. IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed...
, or "IVF") is equally unnatural, but such methods are widely and successfully used today. According to Zavos, cloning can help a small percentage of childless couples to have biological children of their own "if they have exhausted all other means of assisted reproduction". Thus, cloning would further his belief that "all humans should have the right to have a child, the gift of life". He adds that all people have the right not to be cloned if cloning is against their ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
.
External links
News reports
- News article from January 17 2004
- News article from May 20 2003
- News article from January 17 2004
- Zavos declares 2002 "the year of human clones"
Other links
- http://www.zdlinc.com/
- http://www.aia-zavos.com/
- http://www.kcrm-ivf.com/ [Removed due to his recent divorce]