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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is planning to lift its moratorium on chimeric embryo research [npr.org]:

The National Institutes of Health is proposing a new policy to permit scientists to get federal money to make embryos, known as chimeras, under certain carefully monitored conditions. The NIH imposed a moratorium [npr.org] on funding these experiments in September because they could raise ethical concerns [npr.org].

[...] [Scientists] hope to use the embryos to create animal models of human diseases, which could lead to new ways to prevent and treat illnesses. Researchers also hope to produce sheep, pigs and cows with human hearts, kidneys, livers, pancreases and possibly other organs that could be used for transplants.

To address the ethical concerns, the NIH's new policy imposes several restrictions. The policy prohibits the introduction of any human cells into embryos of nonhuman primates, such as monkeys and chimps, at their early stages of development. Previously, the NIH wouldn't allow such experiments that involved human stem cells but it didn't address the use of other types of human cells that scientists have created. In addition, the old rules didn't bar adding the cells very early in embryonic development. The extra protections are being added because these animals are so closely related to humans. But the policy would lift the moratorium on funding experiments involving other species. Because of the ethical concerns, though, at least some of the experiments would go through an extra layer of review by a new, special committee of government officials.

You can submit a response to the proposal here [nih.gov] up until the end of the day on September 4.

[ED NOTE: If we had a previous story about this particular ban, I can't find it.]

Related: NIH Won't Fund Human Germline Modification [soylentnews.org]
U.S. Congress Moves to Block Human Embryo Editing [soylentnews.org]
China's Bold Push into Genetically Customized Animals [soylentnews.org]
Human-Animal Chimeras are Gestating on U.S. Research Farms [soylentnews.org]

Original Submission