The first human chimeric monkey embryos were created

This is a symbolic step that has just been taken in terms of embryo research. Some will speak of the danger of “encroaching” or “blurring the boundaries” between the human species and other animal species. Others will shed light on the scientific and biomedical advances this work has opened up. Two teams, one French and the other a Chinese American, have succeeded in creating imaginary monkey man embryos. More precisely, they introduced human cells into monkey embryos, which were then implanted in the laboratory for three days (for the French team) or ten to nineteen days (for the Chinese-American team). However, levels of human cells contained in monkey embryos remained very low in the first study, published January 12 in the journal. Stem Cell Reports. And modest in the second study, Published April 15 in the journal cell.

This work raises a series of questions, in particular about the benefits and risks anticipated from this work, which are consistent with the current revision of France’s bioethics code. Article 17 of the bill aims to regulate phantom embryos. Here’s one point of contention: If the National Assembly wants to allow human cells to be added in an animal embryo, the Senate is vehemently opposing them. After two parliamentary shuttles, in February the Joint Commission failed to reach a compromise. The text should return to the General Assembly in June for final reading.

« This research does not aim to do anything and everything. We are well aware of their biomedical but also ethical issues Says Pierre Savatier of the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Lyon, which coordinated the French study. If the famous Article 17 were kept, it would allow the addition of human cells in an embryo or animal organism. on the other side, ” We all agree to ban the reverse model, which consists of injecting animal cells into a human embryo »The researcher insists.

Treating organ deficiency

Illusion: The word can frighten. It evokes an adorable creature with the body of a lion, a goat’s head, and a snake’s tail. But for researchers, the illusion is “A human-made biological entity, in which two types of cells are intentionally mixed and carry different genomes.”, Pierre Savatire identifies. In fact, animal-human chimeras have been at the heart of biomedical research for decades – unaffected by them. For example, researchers are injecting human cancer cells into mice to study cancer biology and the effectiveness of new therapies.

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