Biologists from the United States, Spain and Japan have created chimeras - pig-human hybrids. The corresponding study was first published in the journal Cell, briefly reported by Nature News.
Hybrids were obtained as follows. Scientists have injected one of three types of human induced stem cells into more than 1.4 thousand pig embryos. The embryos were then transferred to sows, where they developed successfully. Tracking the dynamics of human material was carried out using a fluorescent protein, for the production of which human stem cells were programmed.
As a result, the latter in the porcine embryo formed cells that are the precursors of various types of tissues, in particular the heart, liver and nervous system. The pig-human hybrids were allowed to develop for three to four weeks, after which, for ethical reasons, they were destroyed.
Scientists see the ultimate goal of their experiments to develop an effective technique for growing organs suitable for subsequent transplantation to a patient.
