Scientists grow human-monkey embryos for the first time
The creation of hybrid embryos has triggered a debate within the scientific community
SPAIN:
Scientists have successfully grown monkey embryos containing human cells for the first time, according to a paper published in the journal Cell on Thursday.
According to lead researcher, Juan Carlos Izpisua told Spain’s El Mundo the goal is not to create a living hybrid animal. The embryos were never implanted into monkeys, nor do the scientists intend to do so.
Instead, the paper suggests that this type of human-animal hybrid, or chimera, may “constitute a promising strategy for various regenerative medicine applications, including the generation of organs and tissues for transplantation.”
Lab-grown embryos mix human and monkey cells for the first time
Apr. 15, 2021 , 11:00 AM
By slipping human stem cells into the embryos of other animals, we might someday grow new organs for people with faltering hearts or kidneys. In a step toward that goal, researchers have created the first embryos with a mixture of human and monkey cells. These chimeras could help scientists hone techniques for growing human tissue in species better suited for transplants, such as pigs. The paper is a landmark in the stem cell and interspecies chimera fields,” says stem cell biologist Alejandro De Los Angeles of Yale University. The findings hint at mechanisms by which cells of one species can adjust to survive in the embryo of another, adds Daniel Garry, a stem cell biologist at the University of Minnesota (UM), Twin Cities.