Scientists attempting to harvest human organs in pigs create human-pig embryo

Jun 6, 2016 by Jill

by Kevin Rawlinson, Guardian:

Researchers in California have been trying to grow human organs inside pigs in attempt to tackle donor shortage.

Scientists trying to grow human organs inside pigs in an attempt to tackle a shortage of donors have successfully created part-human, part-pig embryos, it has been reported.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis combined human stem cells and pig DNA and allowed the embryos to mature for 28 days, before terminating the experiment and analysing the tissue.

They believe that the animals, which would have a human internal organ, may look and behave like any other pig and could be a ready source of organs for life-saving transplants.

It was reported earlier this year that scientists had begun attempts to create the embryos but there has been opposition from authorities. In September last year, the US National Institutes of Health said it would not back research into so-called chimeras until it knew more about the implications.

It cited fears that the presence of human cells could affect the animal’s brain and behaviour, potentially making it more human. Prof Pablo Ross, the reproductive biologist leading the research, sought to calm those fears, saying that there was a “very low potential for a human brain to grow”.

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