Animal-human hybrid embryos
It is the first time a government has approved this type of experiment. Previously, the creation of hybrid embryos has only been allowed on the condition that they be destroyed within 14 days. After this period, bioethical issues arise regarding the line between human and animal that arise. How far can we go before blurring the lines between the species?
The goal of the stem-cell specialist doctor of the University of Tokyo is, in the long-term, to relieve the shortages in donor organs. First, he received approval to grow human stem cells on rat and mouse embryos, after which he requested authorisation to continue his experiments on pigs.
In the USA, a human-sheep embryo was grown for 28 days. In France, however, these experiments were forbidden by the bioethics law of 2011. It seems that now, the debate has just become far more complicated.