Scientists from Meiji University of Japan will grow a human pancreas in a pig. The authorities gave official permission to conduct the experiment.
Using genetic editing from a fertilized egg, pigs will remove the possibility of the appearance of a conventional pancreas. Instead, human-induced pluripotent stem cells will be introduced - cells that can transform into almost any type in the body, reports NHK.
According to the plan of geneticists, after the egg returns to the pig’s body, it should develop into an embryo with a human pancreas.
It is assumed that the experiment is completed at the stage of emergence of the embryo. Scientists note that they are not yet ready to engage in the cultivation of human organs in the organisms of other animals.
Until 2019, a ban on such tests was introduced in Japan. But in March of this year it was removed. To date, similar studies are being prepared at Tokyo University. Mice will be used only as experimental animals.
Recall that the
vaccine was previously approved in the United States against Ebola. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes that this initiative will prevent the outbreak of the virus and stop its spread.