Scientists have created a human/pig hybrid.
Although terminating the embryo prior to birth, scientists remain optimistic about birthing a "chimera" one day so that they can go on to grow functional organs and tissues fit for human transplants. Because of their hybrid, they would also be subject to drug-testing.
Image: PA
Advert
In the paper, published in scientific journal Cell, the team described the initial struggles that come with growing the embryos successfully.
"It's like when you try to duplicate a key. The duplicate looks almost identical, but when you get home, it doesn't open the door. There is something we are not doing right," Professor Izpisua Belmonte said. "We thought growing human cells in an animal would be much more fruitful. We still have many things to learn about the early development of cells."
Human iPS cells being injected into a pig blastocyst. Image: Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte
Advert
"At this point, we wanted to know whether human cells can contribute at all to address the 'yes or no' question.
"Now that we know the answer is yes, our next challenge is to improve efficiency and guide the human cells into forming a particular organ in pigs."
The scientists had originally experimented with a rat/mouse chimera, revealing: "The rat cells have a functional copy of the missing mouse gene, so they can outcompete mouse cells in occupying the emptied developmental organ niches."
Source: Eureka Alert and Cell
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Science