In the US, chimeras may appear
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Semi-human semi-animals can appear in the near future in America - the US Ministry of Health seriously intends to abolish the ban on carrying out such experiments, which took effect in September last year. The abolition of the moratorium will allow scientists to experiment with human stem cells and embryos of animals.
In the United States, national health institutions are responsible for medical development, it was they who initiated the rejection of the moratorium and the US government is considering the proposal. Most likely, in the US they will be allowed to grow so-called chimeras - creatures, in the body of which there are genetically dissimilar cells, but still some restrictions may remain. It is assumed that studies with animal embryos and human stem cells will take place only at a certain stage of development, in addition, experiments, which may result in the appearance of animals capable of procreation, remain prohibited.
To monitor research centers, the US government intends to create an ad hoc committee.
Before the 2015 ban will be changed, the proposal of the national health institutions should be discussed by the public (this is given a 30-day period), so there is no need to draw any conclusions before the fall.
It should be noted that studies on the introduction of human cells into the body of animals have been conducted for a long time, the most striking example is the cultivation of malignant tumors in the body of rodents, whose purpose is to study and develop new ways of treating oncological diseases.
The appearance of the chimera can give a new round of medicine, on such organisms you can test new drugs or use for organ transplant to those who need it.
Scientists, by the way, have long been interested in the possibility of creating chimeras, because such organisms could be useful in a wide variety of studies and, despite the existing ban, specialists from different countries conduct research in this area, for example, only in the USA in 2015 20 embryos of animals with human cells (sheep, pigs).
The benefits to science and medicine from the creation of chimeric organisms are obvious, but the ethical side of the issue arises, which, in principle, necessitated the introduction of a moratorium on the conduct of such experiments, however, the ban only touched on studies funded by the US government, experiments on money private sponsors are not prohibited by law.
Like any other proposal, the refusal of a moratorium on experiments with human and animal cells caused heated discussion and there were already first critical comments on this matter. Some experts suggested that the emergence of pigs with human brains sooner or later lead to the fact that semi-animal semi-people will start to ask questions and inquire why they are conducted experiments, because they are almost human. Also, the creation of a human body with the brains of an animal will make it possible to say that such an organism is not a human being and can be used as a donor for organ transplantation without thinking about morality.
But, according to one of the employees of the New York Medical College, all assumptions can be considered extremes, but just 15 years ago the creation of a chimeric organism was also considered impossible.
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