Partially human chimeras are organisms containing a mixture of different genetic tissues (1). Genetics chimeras are created by use of biotechnology (2) and are used to grow human organs that can be used for transplants.
Examples of chimeras that can replicate human tissue are rats that have human kidneys, taken from aborted fetuses, implanted into them so that they can grow (3). Also, genetically-engineered pigs can grow organs, such as pancreases, because the sizes of their organs are close to the sizes of ours (4).
What is a moratorium? What would be the likely result of placing …show more content…
According to Pritha Subramanyam, this is because the cloning procedure is very demanding and takes more time for a human to perform than an animal. There are concerns about accidental transmission of disease through different species (7). For example, if the animal in use were to have a disease, the transplanted organ would transfer the disease to the person. Another issue is whether the animals could develop human reproductive cells(8). And if they did, what if a human embryo was created from it?
How might partly-human chimera research be modified to avoid moral or ethical repercussions?
According to Göran Hermerén, we should stop creating new rules for every type of research (9). As long as the welfare of the animals is protected and personnel have the experience to work with the animals, there should be no problem.
Another ethical viewpoint is that putting a human’s intelligence inside of an animal is a violation of human rights (10). Maybe if the scientists started using animals more closely related to humans, like chimpanzees, their intelligence would be useable.
What diseases might be effectively addressed using partially human