| genetics |
[Nov. 27th, 2002|08:57 pm] |
an article in New York Times: Stem Cell Mixing May Form a Human-Mouse Hybrid.registration required.
A group of American and Canadian biologists is debating whether to recommend stem cell experiments that would involve creating a human-mouse hybrid.
The goal would be to test different lines of human embryonic stem cells for their quality and potential usefulness in treating specific diseases. The best way to do that, some biologists argue, is to see how the cells work in a living animal. For ethical reasons, the test cannot be performed in people.
...
Though the creatures would probably be mice with a few human cells that obey mouse rules, the outcome of such an experiment cannot be predicted. A mouse with a brain made entirely of human cells would probably discomfort many people, as would a mouse that generated human sperm or eggs.
...an extreme example the possibility that a mouse making human sperm might accidentally be allowed to mate with a mouse that had made its eggs from human cells.
e.s.: hey, we can get some people born from a pair of mice!! that's freaky.
...undesirable outcomes like a mouse with a brain made of human cells or a mouse that generated human sperm could be avoided by deleting certain genes from the human cells before injecting them into a mouse.
e.s.: i guess this should take care of it. i just thought a couple of days ago that it would be cool to be a centaurus. just wait a bit... |
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