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How much human DNA can a pig have?
November 10, 2009, Tuesday
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BRITISH scientists began a new study yesterday to consider how human DNA is used in animal experiments and to determine what the boundaries of such controversial science might be.
Experts have been swapping human and animal DNA for years - like growing human organs in animals - but the Academy of Medical Sciences wants to make sure the public is aware of what is happening in laboratories before proceeding further.
"It sounds yucky, but it may be well worth doing if it's going to lead to a cure for something horrible," said Robin Lovell-Badge, a stem cell expert at Britain's National Institute for Medical Research, and a member of the group conducting the study.
Lovell-Badge said there were two main types of experiments: altering an animal's genes by adding human DNA or replacing a specific animal sequence with its human counterpart. Several years ago, human genes were added to a mouse to create a model of Down's syndrome for scientists to study how the disease evolves, which could lead to potential treatments.
Scientists also have tried to grow human organs in animals that could one day be transplanted back into humans - like a mouse onto whose back scientists grew a human ear.
Scientists said they are trying to determine where the line should be drawn on experiments that use human material in animals. The regulation on how much human DNA can be put into an animal is vague.
Martin Bobrow, chairman of the group conducting the study, said he recognized people might be nervous about experiments where animals were given human features or brain cells. "We are trying to work out what is reasonable," he said.
Experts have been swapping human and animal DNA for years - like growing human organs in animals - but the Academy of Medical Sciences wants to make sure the public is aware of what is happening in laboratories before proceeding further.
"It sounds yucky, but it may be well worth doing if it's going to lead to a cure for something horrible," said Robin Lovell-Badge, a stem cell expert at Britain's National Institute for Medical Research, and a member of the group conducting the study.
Lovell-Badge said there were two main types of experiments: altering an animal's genes by adding human DNA or replacing a specific animal sequence with its human counterpart. Several years ago, human genes were added to a mouse to create a model of Down's syndrome for scientists to study how the disease evolves, which could lead to potential treatments.
Scientists also have tried to grow human organs in animals that could one day be transplanted back into humans - like a mouse onto whose back scientists grew a human ear.
Scientists said they are trying to determine where the line should be drawn on experiments that use human material in animals. The regulation on how much human DNA can be put into an animal is vague.
Martin Bobrow, chairman of the group conducting the study, said he recognized people might be nervous about experiments where animals were given human features or brain cells. "We are trying to work out what is reasonable," he said.
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