Human-Animal Chimeras Are Gestating on U.S. Research Farms

I apologize if this story has been posted and no hard feelings if mods need to take action. at least I got it off my chest!

I am not a fan of medical research involving human guinea pigs, as I have been one now for years.

Medicine needs to advance, absolutely....but when does it cross the line? IMO, research has done crossed a big line here:

A radical new approach to generating human organs is to grow them inside pigs or sheep.

Hit words: radical, human organ, inside sheep or pigs.

Braving a funding ban put in place by America’s top health agency, some U.S. research centers are moving ahead with attempts to grow human tissue inside pigs and sheep with the goal of creating hearts, livers, or other organs needed for transplants.

The effort to incubate organs in farm animals is ethically charged because it involves adding human cells to animal embryos in ways that could blur the line between species.

Bluring the line between species is , again in MY opinion, creating a new species and one with a specific task...to sacrifice it's vital organ for a human to live. What??

Last September, in a reversal of earlier policy, the National Institutes of Health announced it would NOTsupport studies involving such “human-animal chimeras” until it had reviewed the scientific and social implications more closely.

The agency, in a statement, said it was worried about the chance that animals’ “cognitive state” could be altered if they ended up with human brain cells.

The NIH action was triggered after it learned that scientists had begun such experiments with support from other funding sources, including from California’s state stem-cell agency. The human-animal mixtures are being created by injecting human stem cells into days-old animal embryos, then gestating these in female livestock. Because chimeras could provide a new supply of organs for needy patients and also lead to basic discoveries, researchers including Garry say they intend to press forward despite the NIH position. In November, he was one of 11 authors who published a letter criticizing the agency for creating “a threat to progress” that “casts a shadow of negativity” on their work.

The worry is that the animals might turn out to be a little too human for comfort, say ending up with human reproductive cells, patches of people hair, or just higher intelligence. “We are not near the island of Dr. Moreau, but science moves fast,” NIH ethicist David Resnik said during the agency’s November meeting. “The specter of an intelligent mouse stuck in a laboratory somewhere screaming ‘I want to get out’ would be very troubling to people.”

The chance of an animal gaining human consciousness is probably slim; their brains are just too different, and much smaller. Even so, as a precaution, researchers working with farm-animal chimeras haven’t yet permitted any to be born, but instead are collecting fetuses in order to gather preliminary information about how great the contribution of human cells is to the animals’ bodies.

We don’t want to grow them to stages we don’t need to, since that would be more controversial,” says Ross. “My view is that the contribution of human cells is going to be minimal, maybe 3 percent, maybe 5 percent. But what if they contributed to 100 percent of the brain? What if the embryo that develops is mostly human? It’s something that we don’t expect, but no one has done this experiment, so we can’t rule it out.”

There is much, much more to this horror story that simply cannot post more.

I am agast by this but not at all surprised. If money can be made, it WILL be made, by all means necessary and the sacrificing human or animal lives just "murk" the water, so they say.



Link

I would not participate in being a recipient of anything to do with this gross research. I would rather die.

You are more than welcome to die. But do you feel you are qualified to make that decision for other people who might want to live?

I think everybody gets to draw that line.


I do have to question the article though when it says things like:

"The chance of an animal gaining human consciousness is probably slim"

Because really? The chance of an animal gaining human consciousness from this research is precisely zero.

Wow.
Disgusting.
I honestly don't even know what else to say to this.

Let's instead turn back to whole health and healing our systems within. I understand that won't replace organs, but this seems like a very slippery slope.

Thanks for the info.

A genetic chimerism or chimera (also spelled chimaera (not to be confused with the cartilaginous fish called Chimaera) (from the creature Chimera in Greek mythology) is a single organism composed of cells from different zygotes.

en.wikipedia.org...(genetics)

These are not chimeras. This isn't even anything new. They were growing ears on the back of mice over 10 years ago.

Enough of the hyperbole already.

Scary stuff.
For instance, what if some researcher gives a cat human brain cells?
I say we would be finished as a species.

originally posted by: woodsmom
Let's instead turn back to whole health and healing our systems within.

Yeah, screw medical advances, let's go back to the times when half of children wouldn't live to see their tenth birthday.

originally posted by: GetHyped

A genetic chimerism or chimera (also spelled chimaera (not to be confused with the cartilaginous fish called Chimaera) (from the creature Chimera in Greek mythology) is a single organism composed of cells from different zygotes.

en.wikipedia.org...(genetics)

These are not chimeras. This isn't even anything new. They were growing ears on the back of mice over 10 years ago.

Enough of the hyperbole already.

It all depends on which dictionary definition you go with. According to one source, my co-worker is a chimera because he has a liver that came from a donor.

a. An organism, organ, or part consisting of two or more tissues of different genetic composition, produced as a result of organ transplant, grafting, or genetic engineering.

thefreedictionary.com

a reply to: GetHyped

Not screw medical advances, simply keep in mind where we are taking them.
We are mortal. We have excellent abilities in the medical community now that aren't well utilized. Too many doctors are so overly specialized that people aren't treated as whole anymore. They are broken down into parts and systems. Treat the whole entity and the symptoms naturally subside.

By all means I agree wih the life saving techniques we have available to us. Cancer treatments and prostheses have saved and improved countless lives. Those are only two examples that come to mind. Combining human genetics with animal genetics to grow a new creature is a completely different thing.

It's a slippery slope. Even if the technology isn't misused now, who's to say it won't be by somebody in the future. What happens if the creature is born with more human traits than expected? Do they still harvest from that creature, or does the creature get to live out it's natural life? There are so many avenues this could take. This is human DNA in a fairly uncontrolled experiment. They don't seem sure as to how these animals will come out. This isn't a valve inserted in a pig and then used in a heart surgery, this is a growing embyro with mixed human and animal genetics.

a reply to: NewzNose

I, personally would rather these tissues and organs were grown in artificial gestation tanks, from the stem cells of the intended recipient of the organ. However, until that happens, healing the sick takes priority over all other concerns. Also, given the fact that it is far more unethical to charge enormous sums for medication, than it is to try to save lives by growing organs in animals, I think we can afford to accept that putting up with one, insists that one must shut the hell up about the other.

a reply to: NewzNose
For some reason this reminds me of The Island of Doctor Moreau.

originally posted by: NewzNose
Bluring the line between species is , again in MY opinion, creating a new species and one with a specific task...to sacrifice it's vital organ for a human to live. What??

As much as I disagree with harvesting organs from another animal, growing an organ in another species is not creating a new species.

The article's words of 'blurring the line between species' is just ridiculous and not a scientific view at all.

Hopefully this will pave the way for Manbearpig to rise and topple mankind!

a reply to: NewzNose

Your source writer seems to have a fondness for hyperbole. Chimeras are real; human, plant and animal chimeras occur in nature. One of my cats is a chimera. However, referring to the subjects in this research as being chimeric is both inflammatory and inaccurate.

I wonder if you would be so quick to buy into the hype if it were you or someone you care about, lying there suffering, waiting for a viable organ. I doubt it. You say you'd rather die. Would you rather everyone else on the transplant list die right along with you? Because for them, this is a miracle and a chance to live out a normal lifespan free of pain and debilitating illness.

What the author of the source article is asserting here is preposterous, but at least there were quotation marks liberally being used throughout...because it's not a valid description of what is actually being done here, and the author knows it. These animals are being used as incubators, nothing more...and similar research has been a part of medical science for a very long time now. This is not a new concept.

a reply to: TrueBrit

You're on the right track. I think this method, while a worthwhile endeavour to pursue, will fall out of favor to 3D printing of organs.

Some 3D printed structures, such as bladders, have already begun clinical trials. Other organs, such as kidneys, livers, and hearts are being developed.

a reply to: NewzNose

What if human embryos can be grown inside of pigs and other animals? eww wtf

Do they completely drain all of the blood out of the organs before transplanting? What if you get some pig blood mixed in... does that mean I'M not kosher anymore?

My mind escapes me sometimes... this is just downright freaky though.

They exist

a reply to: NewzNose

Honestly, if you had something like type 1 diabetes your whole life like me-you would gladly accept the possibility of an organ transplant that is BIO-COMPATIBLE with you.

When your nerves are screaming out in pain and numbness every day from neuropathy, you're starting to have vision problems (which likely will lead to blindness), you're dumping micro-albumen into your urine (protein that lines the sides of the kidneys, which ALLOWS them to function to clean the blood), and there are signs that your kidneys are beginning to fail- even though you've done copious research on taking care of this inflammatory illness your whole life, and lived the practice of keeping your diet and A1C (3 month glucose average) "In control"(>6 HbA1C), and still getting the complications of the illness!

People still eat lots of meat these days. I still eat meat, but I have greatly reduced it. With all the things I have read about "fake meat" and things like dyeing and irradiation, I don't eat it as much any more.

If I could get an organ from an animal that would make me live a normal life after all the years of pain, I would gladly accept it. What would be even better is if the animal could be allowed to be raised by the "recipient patient". That way the animal could be fed and taken care of by the patient, so that they would have a bond to the animal.

I don't think this what I have presented above is unethical in any way.

All I can say is that if your health is between good to great, you should be very thankful for that! Be thankful that you do not have Diabetes 1 or 2, or multiple sclerosis, Chron's disease, chronic cystic acne, ALS (lou Gherig's Disease), Cancer (of any type), Blindness, Heart Valve Problems or Heart Disease, Epileptic Seizures, Sclerodoma, Maxilliofacial Problems, Spine Damage (Crushed, herniated or other disk damage), Arthritis (Of any kind), and on and on and on and on.

There are many types of diseases this could help or cure. If you were able to care for that animal its whole life, I'm sure that animal would be GLAD to donate something that would help you enjoy a better quality of life. That is ONLY if the animal is treated as good as any human would be allowed to be treated

Edit: Just have a look at my threads to see how desperate I am. Also, this is not to say that animals are worth anything less than any human. I would become 100% vegetarian, if this research was allowed to be done and practiced. It would be my way of "giving back" to the animal and all animals that serve humanity. I would also set up a trust for endangered wildlife and other animal protection causes, if this was allowed to happen.

The biggest reason that you should think that this won't happen is because of the fact that the Big-Pharma companies have BILLIONS in profits doling out their SIGNIFICANTLY INFERIOR pills and injections to "manage" illnesses.

Then, you constantly hear advertisements about all of the side effects of the inferior "medications" usually equals other health problems - up to and including DEATH

originally posted by: butcherguy
Scary stuff.
For instance, what if some researcher gives a cat human brain cells?
I say we would be finished as a species.

I think humans have a greater capacity for empathy than cats (which are, as well all know, sociopaths.) I think the more dangerous route would be simply giving cats opposable thumbs. Game, Set, Match.

I'd be all for them cloning myself with no brain (some say that is already me) and keeping my clone on life support for its whole life for me to take and replace my own worn out parts. No brain = no consciousness = no soul (?).

Is this worse?

We breed and grow animals now so that we may live, it's called food. I don't care if an animal is grown so that it may directly save a life.

A real concern though, is the possibility of diseases crossing the species barrier through such animals.

We've seen it happen with AIDS, for example, but with such chimeras, there would be a higher risk of such transfers happening faster.

I think we cannot yet totally reject the possibility of something like self consciousness developing more, or something like that, with the increased mixing of cells in the same body. We just don't know that much about consciousness yet.

But I also think that no matter what we do, science won't stop "just in case".

Someone somewhere, if even in their hidden lab funded by some curious rich person, will be doing these sorts of things, because they can.