Breakthrough in Human-Animal Chimeras

[Jolly_Penguin]

I found this interesting.

https://www.theguardian.com/science...sts-grow-sheep-embryos-containing-human-cells

Why do we have rules against allowing chimeric embryos to develop beyond 28 days? What is the basis of the ethical restriction? Is there good reason or is it irrational fears like famously had when he said "we must stop human animal hybrids",conjuring up visions of mermaids and minotaurs?

The team are currently allowed to let the chimeric embryos develop for 28 days, 21 of which are in the sheep. While that might be sufficient to see the development of the missing organ when human cells are eventually combined with the genetically modified embryo, Dr Hiro Nakauchi of Stanford University, who is part of the team, said a longer experiment, perhaps up to 70 days, would be more convincing, although that would require additional permission from institutional review boards.

 

[bilby]

I found this interesting.

https://www.theguardian.com/science...sts-grow-sheep-embryos-containing-human-cells

Why do we have rules against allowing chimeric embryos to develop beyond 28 days? What is the basis of the ethical restriction? Is there good reason or is it irrational fears like famously had when he said "we must stop human animal hybrids",conjuring up visions of mermaids and minotaurs?

The team are currently allowed to let the chimeric embryos develop for 28 days, 21 of which are in the sheep. While that might be sufficient to see the development of the missing organ when human cells are eventually combined with the genetically modified embryo, Dr Hiro Nakauchi of Stanford University, who is part of the team, said a longer experiment, perhaps up to 70 days, would be more convincing, although that would require additional permission from institutional review boards.

A large fraction of what passes for medical and scientific ethics turns out, on close examination, to be Roman Catholic dogma. It's a legacy of the Church's domination of western philosophy prior to the enlightenment.