Scientists have successfully created the first human-ape embryo, paving the way for the use of animals for human organ transplants. This experiment was conducted in China to avoid legal problems.
Researchers at the Salk Institute in the US and the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM) in Spain genetically modified monkey embryos to disable specific genes used in the creation of organs.
Then a group of scientists injected human stem cells into the monkey embryo. If left, the embryo would grow into a monkey with human cells, writes KOHA Ditore. However, in accordance with ethical standards, the scientists stopped the process long before the embryo could develop the central nervous system. However, the team was forced to travel to China to carry out the procedure because it was against Spanish law.
Estrella Nunez, who collaborated on the project, told "El Pais" that "the results are very promising", stressing that the experiment was necessary as a first step towards the development of human organs in animals that can be used in transplantation.
The team of scientists led by Juan Carlos Izpisuaomo conducted a similar experiment in 2017 using human and pig cells. However, at that time they failed to keep human cells in pig embryos.
In recent years, China has become a "paradise" for gene experiments. A Chinese researcher announced in November 2018 that he and his team had modified the CCR5 gene of two twins in an attempt to make them immune to HIV. In a recent experiment, Chinese and American researchers teamed up to modify the genes of 11 monkeys, giving them the ability to develop human brains.
