SINGAPOREANS are divided over the idea of allowing scientists to mix the genetic material of animals and humans, according the latest findings of an ongoing public consultation.

The country's bioethics watchdog received responses from hundreds of researchers, academics and members of the public on the topic, which has been the subject of heated debates in other nations.

Currently, Singapore's laws do not ban or allow the research, seen by opponents as the first step on the slippery slope to creating animal-human hybrids.

Proponents, though, say it could lead to cures for diseases like Alzheimer's.

The Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) plans to use the information from the survey to make recommendations to Parliament, which is looking to fill in the legal vacuum.

If approved, Singapore would become one of the first few countries to allow the research.

'It's important that we take a clear stand on this, so that both the public and research community can be on the same page,' said BAC chairman Professor Lee Eng Hin.

He was speaking at a scientific conference on Thursday at the Biopolis, where some 100 researchers and academics gathered to discuss the ethical implications of human-animal research.

Many medical advances have come from research on animals equipped with human cells, say experts. But the next step - mixing human DNA with animals eggs - has long been taboo.

While commonly opposed by religious groups who call tinkering with the species divide unnatural, some say the work holds the key to beating diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer.

Read the full report in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.