Scientists make PIG HUMAN babies by splicing stem cells in amazing new trial
Animal and human mutants could help solve our organ donation crisis as experts hope research will be used to grow unlimited supply of lifesaving transplant organs
SCIENTISTS have successfully created the world’s first human-pig hybrids.
Experts hope the research will one day allow medics to grow an unlimited supply of lifesaving transplant organs.
The U.S. team added human cells to pig embryos and implanted them into sows, where they grew for a month.
But critics warn the breakthrough has “disturbing” ethical concerns.
Scientists from the California-based Salk Institute for Biological Studies injected human stem cells into pig embryos.
Stem cells are the body’s master cells with the potential to become any type of tissue or bone.
They found they survived and formed a hybrid human-pig embryo.
As part of the experiment, these were then implanted into a female pig and allowed to grow for between three to four weeks.
The human cells started developing into muscle and organs.
But they did not turn into brain cells, dispelling fears the hybrids could have some human consciousness.
The research, published in the journal Cell, took four years and 1,500 pig embryos were needed.
Lead scientist Professor Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, from the Salk Institute, said: “The ultimate goal is to grow functional and transplantable tissue or organs, but we are far away from that.
“This is an important first step.”
There are 6,500 people in the UK waiting for a transplant – including 150 children. Every year, around 500 Brits die while waiting for an organ.
Previous efforts to transplant pig organs – which are around the same size as humans – have failed.
Tissue from the animals cannot be used in operations due to infection fears.
Pigs have a virus in their DNA that is dangerous to humans, making transplantation impossible.
Brit scientists said the latest research was a significant step towards creating human organs from scratch inside other animals.
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Bruce Whitelaw, Professor of Animal Biotechnology at Edinburgh University, said: “This is an exciting publication.
"It clearly demonstrates that human stem cells introduced into the early pig embryo can form a human-pig chimera.
“This is the first scientific publication to achieve this result.”
But Philip Lymbery, from Compassion in World Farming, opposed the research.
He said: “Growing human organs in animals is not the solution, and could open up a whole new source of animal suffering.
“We should be focussing our efforts on getting more people to donate their organs.
“Genetically editing and cloning animals carries terrible consequences for their welfare.”
And Dr David King, Director of Human Genetics Alert, said: “I find these experiments disturbing.
"I am concerned that human organs or tissues produced in pigs might carry pig viruses into the human population.”
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