Scientist Creates First Human-Sheep Chimera
Scientist Creates First Human-Sheep Chimera
How does that strike you? I started thinking of multi headed creatures with unnatural strength when I read the word chimaera. Essentially it just means a creature with mixed genes. Oxford dictionary gives this description.
It's interesting research and since the organs are just half humans for now it'll take some more time to perfect the organ production. It's a big leap because organ donors are in short supply and this also addresses compatibility problems since it your own stem cells are used.
Cross-species disease is a danger but I think between that and getting a human donated organ and living on anti-rejection drugs it's almost the same risk. Oh, one thing, the blood and other sheep components that essentially makes the creature a sheep would still be there.... Maybe there would be some transition period after a transfer before the organ is fully accepted... We'll just have to see how the research progresses I guess.
I for one think this is good progress. Growing human foetuses for research purposes is illegal in many countries and stem cell research is allowed to a certain extent in some. So technically this circumvents the abhorrence that many feel in regard to human foetus research.
How does that strike you? I started thinking of multi headed creatures with unnatural strength when I read the word chimaera. Essentially it just means a creature with mixed genes. Oxford dictionary gives this description.
chimera
/kimeer
/ (also chimaera)
• noun 1 Greek Mythology a fire-breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail. 2 something hoped for but illusory or impossible to achieve. 3 Biology an organism containing a mixture of genetically different tissues.
— ORIGIN Greek khimaira ‘she-goat or chimera’.
It's interesting research and since the organs are just half humans for now it'll take some more time to perfect the organ production. It's a big leap because organ donors are in short supply and this also addresses compatibility problems since it your own stem cells are used.
Cross-species disease is a danger but I think between that and getting a human donated organ and living on anti-rejection drugs it's almost the same risk. Oh, one thing, the blood and other sheep components that essentially makes the creature a sheep would still be there.... Maybe there would be some transition period after a transfer before the organ is fully accepted... We'll just have to see how the research progresses I guess.
I for one think this is good progress. Growing human foetuses for research purposes is illegal in many countries and stem cell research is allowed to a certain extent in some. So technically this circumvents the abhorrence that many feel in regard to human foetus research.
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