Embryo species of human hybrid - monkey created in China

Juan Carlos Izpis' group of researchers introduced embryonic stem cells into monkeys in a Chinese study to find ways to feed transplants.

Spanish scientist Juan Carlos Izpisúa and his colleagues first created a human-monkey hybrid in a laboratory in China, an important step towards using animals for human organ transplantation. The team included members of the Salk Institute of the United States and the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM) in Spain, which modified the monkey embryo gene to neutralize the genes needed for organ formation.

Researcher Juan Carlos Izpisúa.(Photo: El Pais).

Then they put human stem cells into the embryo. The post-test product was a monkey carrying human stem cells but was not born by researchers who suspended embryonic development. The experiment took place in China, licensed by Spain only to study dangerous diseases.

"The results are very promising," said Estrella Núñez, project collaborator, biologist and vice president of UCAM University. "From UCAM and Salk Institute, we are not only going to experiment with human stem cells and rat embryos or pigs, but also with non-human primates."

Izpisúa said that in 2017, his research team conducted the first experiment to create human hybrid - pigs in the world but failed to achieve the expected success. In that experiment, the number of human cells was very small compared to pig cells (1 / 100,000) and contributed little to the development of the embryo, according to Pablo Ross, a veterinarian and researcher at University of California, Davis, participants of the experiment.

In 2017, Izpisúa and colleagues used CRISPR gene editing tools to disable mouse embryonic genes that play an essential role in the development of the heart, eyes and pancreas. Next, they put rats' stem cells into the embryo. The result was a series of hybrid embryos - the rat was suspended from development to meet this kind of international regulation.

The rat embryo carries the rat cells in the heart.(Photo: El Pais).

Dr. Ángel Raya, director of the Barcelona Center for Regenerative Medicine, explains that hybrid breeding experiments face many ethical barriers."What if stem cells escape and form human neurons in the animal's brain? Is the animal aware? What if those stem cells transform into sperm cells?" , Raya said.

Núñez emphasized that Izpisuá's team created a mechanism for cells to self-destruct if migrated into the brain. To avoid moral issues, the scientific community limits pregnancy to 14 days, so the embryo does not have enough time to develop the central nervous system of humans. All hybrid embryos in the experiment were destroyed before 14 days.

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