Scientists Create First Human-Pig Chimeric Embryos

While the hope is to one day grow organs for transplantation into people, several technical and ethical challenges remain.

Written byDiana Kwon

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A 4-week-old pig embryo injected with human pluripotent stem cellsSALK INSTITUTE

Researchers may one day overcome the problem of organ shortages for transplantation by growing spare human organs in other animals. A group led by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has taken the first big step toward making this a reality: today (January 26) in Cell, they report having grown the first human-pig chimeric embryos.

The team, led by Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, began by creating rat-mouse chimeras—a feat first accomplished in 2010, when scientists in Japan successfully produced a mouse with a pancreas developed from rat pluripotent stem cells. For the present study, Izpisua Belmonte’s group took the experiment one step further, using CRISPR-Cas9 to delete the genes in mice that coded not only for the pancreas, but other organs, such as ...

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Meet the Author

Diana Kwon
Diana is a freelance science journalist who covers the life sciences, health, and academic life. She’s a regular contributor to The Scientist and her work has appeared in several other publications, including Scientific American, Knowable, and Quanta. Diana was a former intern at The Scientist and she holds a master’s degree in neuroscience from McGill University. She’s currently based in Berlin, Germany.
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