Human-Mouse Hybrids?

scientistguy writes "There is a remarkable story by Nicholas Wade in the early morning edition of the New York Times about a discussion to create human-mouse hybrid organisms. One of these techniques involves the introduction of genetically altered mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells (e.g. with genes 'knocked-out' or replaced) into a developing mouse blactocyst to create progeny hybrid organisms. Typically, these progeny organisms are then bred to unaltered mice to see if the genetic alteration has gone germline or is heritable. If heritable, mice can be bred and animals which are homozygous for the altered gene can be phenotypically examined as long as the manipulation is not homozygous lethal or cause sterility in a single copy state. Unless using blastocysts from immunologically crippled mice, there would most likely be a recognition of non-self by murine immune cells not educated (which haven't seen during their development) to the human cells that would wipe them out. Nonetheless, it's amazing that it's being contemplated due to the ethical implications of such an experiment. What if it were viable? What if there were more than just a few human cells? Could it be sacrificed? ... or even experimented on further if part 'human'? Perhaps these types of experiments are best relegated to little known, deserted islands far away from the reaches of civilization (or perhaps regulation) ..."

Comments

Re:Where...?

[G-funk]

To sum things up. This type of experiments will probably have to go to some little known, desterd island, but I regret that they can.

Yes, much better that anything that somebody can whip the mob into a frenzy against in the name of (the children|god|national security) should not come to be, regardless of wether it could benefit mankind.

Silly me!

[El Camino SS]

(RAISES HAND) "EXCUSE ME! GOT A QUESTION OVER HERE!"

I thought that the whole point of evolution was to move forward. Who are the Script Kiddies that are running with these ideas?

Silly me. And here we are taking all of this technology to make an known inferior species for mankind... something that they know is automatically inferior. Something that is made of human genes and also occupies status in our dumpsters and basements.

Great plan. Next stop? Parasites.

Please people. Freaking brilliant. I personally vote for nematode-human hybrids, that'll be "kewl."

Scientists need a grip on reality

[Vidar Leathershod]

I love how everyone jumps up to say "Don't bombard us with your Christian morality, you insensitive clod". And then they get modded up. I'm not even gonna change my threshold to find out if anyone commenting on this article has any logical deduction ability whatsoever. So I will just say:

This is a bad idea.

I for one am tired of wondering whether I am eating pork when I have a tomato sandwich. Or maybe tomatoes when eating a pork roast, who knows? As for mice mixed with human genes that could be inherited to future generations... If you truly believe in evolution, then one should think that you believe that mice mixed with enough human genes, if made to be viable, would have souls/human consciousness and should be precluded from use in experiments.

Funny, I don't believe in evolution (a silly religion, to my mind), and yet I don't like the idea of animal testing, since I figure God gave animals souls, too. You know what the sick part is? Morality is not dicated by religion. It is dictated by your conscience. And if your secular humanist/atheistic conscience doesn't tell you this is wrong, then you have bigger problems than not believing in God/Gods/(insert head cheese figure here).

Vidar

He's a bouncy little fellow, 'cause he's got springs for legs!