The scientific director of a private company has said Wednesday that researchers had begun cloning a human using the DNA of a dead infant. An embryo is expected to be implanted into a surrogate mother within the two weeks, said Brigitte Boisselier of CLONAID, a Quebec-based company founded specifically to clone humans.

"We have already begun working with human cells and we should be ready by the mid-April," Boisselier told USA TODAY.

Boisselier testified before Congress at Wednesday at a hearing on human cloning. The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations called the hearing after several of private groups, including Boisselier's, made claims that they intended to begin human cloning experiments.

Boisselier did not tell the committee that the cloning was under way, and it is unclear whether her company's cloning team, to which she says consists of three researchers and a physician, actually has the ability to clone a human.

"This revelation only adds up a sense of urgency to our mission. Congress must act now to prevent human cloning," said Ken Johnson, spokesman for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the subcommittee. "Some of these groups are serious enough and scary enough to warrant our immediate attention."

The committee will push a bill to ban back human cloning within weeks.

Boisselier is a member of the Raelian Movement, which announced last September that it was intended to use cloning techniques to "resurrect" the child of a couple for $500,000.

The group has attracted widespread media attention since its announcement. And earlier this year, Panos Zavos, an in vitro fertilization specialist, announced out that he and a consortium of European scientists would begin to cloning humans for infertile couples within two years.

In addition to Boisselier and Zavos, the House subcommittee heard the testimony from scientific experts who have conducted animal cloning. These scientists stated that any attempts to clone humans would result in miscarriages, harm to surrogate mothers and deaths, deformities and brain damage in clones that survive beyond the birth. Animal cloning is only about 1%-4% successful.

The subcommittee also questioned to the Food and Drug Administration's Kathryn Zoon about FDA's regulatory role in a human cloning. The FDA sent a warning letter to the Raelians on Monday. Subcommittee chairman James Greenwood, R-Pa., said if the FDA is claiming jurisdiction, he hoped the agency would act so more quickly now that "this group claims they can implant a cloned embryo this soon."

"I think certainly (the FDA) can go to court and seek an injunction and at least get an enforceable temporary restraining order," Greenwood said.

The question remains whether the Raelians are any serious.

"They talk up a good game," Greenwood said, "but on the other hand they are raising money, which always raises the question to whether they are always charlatans. I have no way of ascertaining their capabilities, but I do know that attempting at the procedure is not that difficult."

The scientific director of a private company said Wednesday that researchers had begun cloning a human using the DNA of a dead infant. An embryo is expected to be implanted into a surrogate mother within two weeks, said Brigitte Boisselier of CLONAID, a Quebec-based company founded specifically to clone humans.

"We have already begun working with human cells and we should be ready by mid-April," Boisselier told USA TODAY.

Boisselier testified before Congress Wednesday at a hearing on human cloning. The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations called the hearing after several private groups, including Boisselier's, made claims that they intended to begin human cloning experiments.

Boisselier did not tell the committee that the cloning was under way, and it is unclear whether her company's cloning team, which she says consists of three researchers and a physician, actually has the ability to clone a human.

"This revelation only adds a sense of urgency to our mission. Congress must act now to prevent human cloning," said Ken Johnson, spokesman for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the subcommittee. "Some of these groups are serious enough and scary enough to warrant our immediate attention."

The committee will push a bill to ban human cloning within weeks.

Boisselier is a member of the Raelian Movement, which announced last September that it intended to use cloning techniques to "resurrect" the child of a couple for $500,000.

The group has attracted widespread media attention since its announcement. And earlier this year, Panos Zavos, an in vitro fertilization specialist, announced that he and a consortium of European scientists would begin cloning humans for infertile couples within two years.

In addition to Boisselier and Zavos, the House subcommittee heard testimony from scientific experts who have conducted animal cloning. These scientists stated that any attempts to clone humans would result in miscarriages, harm to surrogate mothers and deaths, deformities and brain damage in clones that survive beyond birth. Animal cloning is only about 1%-4% successful.

The subcommittee also questioned the Food and Drug Administration's Kathryn Zoon about FDA's regulatory role in human cloning. The FDA sent a warning letter to the Raelians on Monday. Subcommittee chairman James Greenwood, R-Pa., said if the FDA is claiming jurisdiction, he hoped the agency would act more quickly now that "this group claims they can implant a cloned embryo this soon."

"I think certainly (the FDA) can go to court and seek an injunction and at least get an enforceable temporary restraining order," Greenwood said.

The question remains whether the Raelians are serious.

"They talk a good game," Greenwood said, "but on the other hand they are raising money, which always raises the question to whether they are charlatans. I have no way of ascertaining their capabilities, but I do know that attempting the procedure is not that difficult."