Chinese scientists create first Human-animal embryo

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Chinese Scientists Create First Human-Animal Embryowww.newsmax.com/cgi-bin/printer_friendly.pl?page=http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/8/14/153903.shtml Chinese Scientists Create First Human-Animal Embryo Sherrie Gossett For NewsMax.com Friday, Aug. 15, 2003Scientists in China have created the world's first embryonic chimeras,hybrid embryos that contain human and rabbit DNA, according to the Journalof Cell Research.The Greek mythological creature called the chimera was a fire-breathingshe-monster, with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and a serpent for atail. A chimera has come to mean any hybrid of two or more creatures and isa term used in genetics.In the Chinese experiment, human nuclei was extracted from foreskin tissueand facial tissue from males and females ages 5-60. Samples were obtainedfrom tissue discarded after surgery.The somatic nuclei were then transplanted ("nuclear transfer") intoextracted New Zealand rabbit eggs and allowed to develop to the embryonicstage.The scientists report that the rabbit DNA successfully reprogrammed thehuman nuclei, causing it to multiply and develop into embryos that containedthe human genome and the rabbit DNA.After several days of development, embryonic stem cells were obtained fromthe interior and put into frozen storage.Since the resultant stem cells were found to be encoded by the genome of thedonor DNA, the scientists hope that the research could be used to producecells or tissues for human autologous transplantation."Cells or tissue derived by this pathway would have nuclear DNA identical tothe patient's and, therefore, would likely not be subject to immunerejection," said the scientists.For this reason the scientists are hoping the research will lead to curativemedical applications where tissue rejection has previously threatened thehealth of many patients.The scientists say that the experiment proves that human and rabbit DNA canco-exist in a cell, and that age might not be a factor for humancompatibility with such future cell/tissue transplantation.Some uncertainties still exist, but the scientists report "it is possiblethat these cells will be recognized as 'self' when transplanted back intothe same patient."In a previous interspecies nuclear transfer (NT) experiment, rabbit eggssuccessfully reprogrammed panda nuclei, but according to the report, thiswas the first successful experiment using human nuclei.Moral OutrageThe three-headed chimera of Greek mythology killed human beings and atethem, until it was destroyed by the hero Bellerophon on the winged horsePegasus.In the controversy surrounding mixed species embryos, today's theologiansand activists see themselves as the rhetorical equivalent of yesterday'sPegasus rider.Three years ago British theologians expressed moral outrage when it wasdiscovered that a patent had been issued allowing for creation of aman-animal hybrid.In October 2000, the European Patent Office assured Greenpeace activiststhat it would never grant a patent on mixed-species embryos because theywere considered an affront to "public order and morality."The activists were researching patents related to the human genome.A month later a researcher in Greenpeace's German office discovered that apatent had been already been granted for creation of a man-animal hybrid.The patent stated it included a method for producing a non-human chimericanimal by the implantation into the animal of embryonic stem cells,including those from humans.London's Guardian newspaper reported that church groups reacted withoutrage, denouncing the patent as "morally offensive." Those criticizing thepatent included a spokesman for European churches on bioethics and aspokesman for the Catholic Church.The story was largely ignored in American media.'Abhorrent'Dr. Sue Mayer, director of Genewatch, told reporters: "The company is sayingthat it wants a patent on a process which could produce chimera animalsusing cells from a whole range of species including humans. Many people willfind the thought abhorrent.""Experts are in no doubt that the potential is there to create a hybridcreature," reported the Guardian.An Australian company, Amrad, was granted the patent in 1999, which coversembryos containing cells from humans and from "mice, sheep, pigs, cattle,goats or fish."It was later sold to U.S. company Chemicon International, a provider of someof the basic material for the Chinese breakthrough.Thomas Schweiger of Greenpeace called on the European Patent Office towithdraw the patent. He told the newspaper, "The chimeras may be non-humanbut they may contain human organs, body parts, nerve cells and even humangenetic codes. The company does not give concrete medical uses and obviouslyintended to give the company broad monopoly rights on the process andchimeric creatures."Schweiger said he believed that one possible use might be to grow humanorgans in animals for transplantation.The European Biotechnology Directive, which finally came into force twoyears before the patent discovery, was expected clarify issues regardingpatents for biotechnological inventions and had generally been welcomed bythe pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.An expert analysis of it stated, "Certain inventions will not be patentableon moral grounds, including processes for. certain transgenic animals andhuman/animal chimeras."But the Greenpeace researchers found that such chimeric patents could belikely be granted in the future by referring to the results as "biologicalmaterial," avoiding the "against public order and morality" prohibition.This is because the new EU-directive codified that "biological materialmeans any material containing genetic information and capable of reproducingitself or being reproduced in a biological system."Greenpeace argued in part that patenting "life" would equate living naturewith industrial products and degrade the dignity of life. In addition theywarned that such "living organisms" would be under complete control of thepatent-holder, enabling exploitation without ethical concern - fundamentallychanging our perception of life in problematic and unalterable ways.Greenpeace opposes patenting genes, plants, animals, humans and parts of thehuman body.'Extremely Interesting'Douglas Melton, a cell biologist and cloning expert at Harvard University,called the work a major advance "because it offers a new system forexploring the mechanisms by which egg cells get adult cells to act inembryonic ways. That could provide deep insights into human development,wound healing and tissue regeneration," the Washington Post reportedThursday.The research is "extremely interesting, and I hope they pursue it," he said.R. Alta Charo, an associate dean of law and professor of bioethics at theUniversity of Wisconsin, told the Post, "Short of putting one of theseembryos into a woman's body for development to term, I don't think this workharms anyone alive."The experiments should force opponents of cloning research to specify wherethey would draw the line against the cloning of human embryos, she said.The report of the rabbit-human embryo experiment appears in the Augustedition of the Journal of Cell Research, a peer-reviewed scientificpublication of the Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology and the ChineseAcademy of Sciences.The experiment was supported by grants from the "863" program (a technologyinitiative of the State Council) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.All experiments were said to be performed in accordance with the currentguidelines on human stem cell research (draft) issued by the Committee onBioethics, Chinese National Human Genome Center (Southern Headquarters), andendorsed by Shanghai Municipal Government.www.newsmax.com