A licence to create human-pig embryos to study heart disease has been issued by the fertility watchdog.This marks the third animal-human hybrid embryo licence to be issued by Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the first since the Commons voted in favour of this controversial research last month. An HFEA spokesman said it had approved an application from the Clinical Sciences Research Institute, University of Warwick, for the creation of hybrid embryos. The centre has been offered a 12 month licence with effect from July 1. The effort at the University of Warwick is led by Professor Justin St John. "This new license allows us to attempt to make human pig clones to produce embryonic stem cells," he said, where embryonic stem cells are able to turn into the 200 plus types in the body. "We will take skin cells from patients who have a mutation for certain kinds of heart disease (cardiomyopathy, which makes the heart lose its pumping strength) and put them into pig eggs after their chromosomes have been removed. We will then make embryos so that we can attempt to derive embryonic stem cells which will allow us to study some of the molecular mechanisms associated with these heart diseases. "Ultimately they will help us to understand where some of the problems associated with these diseases arise and they could also provide models for the pharmaceutical industry to test new drugs. We will effectively be creating and studying these diseases in a dish.

"But it's important to say that we're at the very early stages of this research and it will take a considerable amount of time. There is still a great deal to learn about these techniques and much of our early work will involve understanding how we can make the hybrid cloning process as efficient as possible." The study is aimed at understanding the way power-producing structures in cells, called mitochondria, are passed from egg to embryo.

View: Full Article | Source: The Telegraph

Am I the only one who thinks that people might be going bit too far with certain things???

Not at all, Its scary to think there playing with nature, but also there is a chance to help those survive.

I hate the thought of science poking around with little presious things like lil Piggies!
When they say "hybrid embryos" It makes it sound out of this world!

It really does. But I also wonder what they do with those HE once they finish with research. What if they decide they want to see what would happen if some female (human or animal) tries to carry it to full term??????? What if we end up with little half human half pigs running around??

Dont quote me, but I do believe that when these legal registrations go though there are policies and requierments to go with.

I read that the embrios that they spliced involving Cow and human cells was either, keeped alive or survived 12 to 14 days.

Due to human respect and morals I would have thought that being so early in the studies they wouldnt dare take it to far for the sake of lifes morals.

Our DNA is supposed to be 99% compatible to pigs?

LOL

I don't know, I still find this very hard to believe. It seems that the technology is far too new to start attempting things like this....................

Try it with a horse! You may get a real life centaur! Lol,they won't need to use CGI in the next HP movie for Firenze then.

But seriously I think this is too dangerous to be messing around with life like that....

BTW: What would a human/pig look like anyway? Hmmm..

Something like this.

It's all a pigment of their imagination...

creepy

could I get one of these?

and then marry it?

and then eat it later?

I second that. Shivers ran down my spine when I first saw the image. Someone has crazy photoshop skills or special effects makeup, to say the least.

it's a sculpture actually...

Coming soon to a Hospital near you.

Hilarious episode!!!

Ah. It's nice to see Carrie Fisher again.

Sounds like we're close to Man-Bear-Pig!

A Pigman Jerry...A Pigman!

Holy Cow!!! I mean Pig!!!!!!!!!

I think babies look kind of cute!

So, since there arent any good posts above...Why would anyone be aganist this? If we can cure/treat disease or w/e with stem cells form a human-pig embryo, then why is this bad? Is trying to help out other people bad? Who cares how we do it, lets just do it. Saying this is going to far is pointless as thats is saying we are doding to much to help the people. its not like they will let it live, as it even can past embroitic stage, so whats the big deal? This is good, fund for this. I love science.

It's not all about people. There is more to this planet then people.

If it was not all about people, people would not be where we are today. We are animals, animals that do things to other animals, but we use our brains.

As far as the idea of one of the embryo's being grown beyond an embryo. I'm not positive on this but I doubt it would even be possible. Hell there are Great Cat Species that can't even crossbreed successfully.