In the UK, a research team at Newcastle University developed the first hybrid human and animal embryo, following changes in the law in 2006 that would allow them to create cross-species embryos. Why would they want to do such a thing? They say so they can study stem cells, come up with cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s and grow new organs for people who need transplants.
They argue that human eggs are in short supply due to a lack of donors so they are justified in using eggs from cows instead.
Cybrid Embryos
The embryos being used for the stem cell research are called cybrid embryos. A cybrid embryo is an embryo that has been created from the egg of a cow that has had its entire internal DNA stripped so that all that remains is the outer shell. It is then fertilized with a human sperm. What results is an embryo that is 99.9% human and 0.1% animal.
Other types of human/animal embryo include chimera embryos, where a human embryo is injected with animal cells and human/animal hybrids, or where a human egg is fertilized by an animal sperm or a human sperm fertilizes an animal egg.
According to UK law, scientists are allowed to use both cybrid and chimera embryos in their research, but not hybrid embryos. Using hybrid embryos is banned.
They can also only keep the embryos for two weeks and after that, must destroy them.
The Newcastle team managed to make their cybrid embryos live for three days after fertilization. Professor John Burn, who led the team, said
“We now have preliminary data which looks promising but this is very much work in progress and the next step is to get the embryos to survive to around six days, when we can hopefully derive stem cells from them.”
A Society Devoid of Moral Conscience
As a member of the public and of humankind, I find this type of research objectionable on so many levels. At a basic, common sense level, nature dictates that humans and animals are separate species. If we were meant to inter-breed, for any purpose at all, we would evolved to procreate with animals. We haven’t, so any research involving cross fertilization is fundamentally against nature.
Over the past several decades, society’s attitudes towards what is right and wrong has become more relaxed. For instance, when abortion was legalized it was meant only for women whose life would be put in danger by continuing the pregnancy. Now everyone can get one or more as a form of contraception. When transplantation of organs first came about, many people thought it was wrong and should not be done. In some cases this change of mindset is good – it shows we have become more open minded, but there has been a disturbing tendency in recent years for regulating authorities to give the green light to every project simply because it is science. Just because scientist’s can do something doesn’t mean they should. Will this loosening of what is acceptable continue to occur? If so, I can imagine that one day, true hybrid embryos will be allowed to be created. What if an over curious scientist decides to see what happens if he implants a hybrid embryo into the womb? It is only a step further than Dolly the sheep. Remember the 1988 TV series, First Born? A researcher creates a human/monkey hybrid using his own sperm and raises his half-human son, with disastrous consequences for humanity. Although the series was fiction, with the current developments in science and the clear lack of regulations, I can envisage how this storyline could become a frightening reality in the future if we continue down this path.
Is Lack of Human Eggs Really an Argument?
Saying there is a lack of human egg and sperm donors is really not a convincing argument, especially since you need at least one human egg or sperm in order to create cybrid embryos in the first place. Stem cells are available from the umbilical cords of babies born every day. In the US alone, there were 4,317,119 babies born in 2007. They can also be obtained from the bone marrow of adults and every human in the world has bone marrow.
What about Genetics?
Although scientists say that their research isn’t dangerous because they have removed the DNA from the cow’s egg, they go on to say that they intend to grow organs for human transplantation if they can. By their own admission, the embryos are 0.1% animal so any stem cells extracted would also have this tiny fraction of animal in their makeup. Is means that an organ recipient would be getting organs that aren’t quite human. What would this do to our genetics, long term? What if that person then went on to have a baby? Would their DNA be altered because of it? These are all questions that haven’t been answered by the researchers so keen to do this kind of work.
I’m sorry, but if that’s what it takes to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, I would rather risk getting the disease when I am older.
Sources:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3663033.ece
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/18/birth-rate-us-baby-boomers
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096584/
Joanna is a freelance health writer for The Mother magazine and Suite 101 with a column on infertility, http://infertility.suite101.com/. She is author of the book, 'Breast Milk: A Natural Immunisation,' and co-author of an educational resource on disabled parenting, in addition to running a charity for people damaged by vaccines or medical mistakes.