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EMBARGO: August 30, 2016, 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern Time Road Map for Addressing Ethical Concerns Tied to Research on Human-Animal Embryos Recommendations Come as NIH Poised to Lift Funding Moratorium A new bioethical framework for addressing concerns surrounding potentially revolutionary research on human-animal embryos is publishing on August 30, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. Human-animal embryos, called chimeras, can be produced when human stem cells are transplanted into animal embryos. By creating these types of embryos scientists could potentially grow human organs in large animals, such as pigs and sheep, to help ease the chronic shortage of human organs available for transplantation. This research could also be used to study the causes of many human diseases. But the use of the human cells in this work is controversial and last September, the National Institutes of Health imposed a moratorium on funding the research in response to ethical concerns (private funding was unaffected). Then, in early August, the NIH announced plans to lift the moratorium after a 30-day comment period on proposed regulations that require heightened review of the research under certain conditions. In the PLOS Biology opinion piece, Insoo Hyun, PhD, associate professor of bioethics at the School of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, argues that most, if not all, concerns tied to such research can be reasonably addressed in a way that prioritizes animal welfare while enabling scientific progress to help patients who need organ transplants. While some researchers and bioethicists worry that a developing animal with a human organ could attain something like human moral status, especially if the central nervous system is involved, Hyun argues that these concerns - while understandable - are overstated. The appearance of human-like self-consciousness is needed to elevate the moral status of a research animal, but this distinctive psychological characteristic is not likely to emerge in a chimeric animal’s brain, Hyun says. Instead, the much more likely outcome of neurological chimerism is an increased chance of animal suffering and biological dysfunction and disequilibrium, if past experience with transgenic animals can serve as a guide. “This is why,” says Hyun, “focusing on animal welfare principles is crucial.” Hyun’s arguments reflect the ethical standards for chimera research established by the Ethics and Public Policy Committee of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, which he helped develop. ##### In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Biology: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002535 Press-only preview: http://blogs.plos.org/everyone/files/2016/08/pbio-8-30-Hyun.pdf Contact: Marc Kaplan, [email protected] Citation: Hyun I (2016) What’s Wrong with Human/Nonhuman Chimera Research? PLoS Biol 14(8): e1002535. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002535 Funding: The author received no specific funding for this work. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Back to the Top About PLOS Biology PLOS Biology is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published by PLOS, featuring research articles of exceptional significance, originality, and relevance in all areas of biology. For more information visit http://www.plosbiology.org, or follow @PLOSBiology on Twitter. Media and Copyright Information For information about PLOS Biology relevant to journalists, bloggers and press officers, including details of our press release process and embargo policy, visit http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/s/press-and-media. PLOS Journals publish under a Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits free reuse of all materials published with the article, so long as the work is cited. About the Public Library of Science The Public Library of Science (PLOS) PLOS is a nonprofit publisher and advocacy organization founded to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org. Disclaimer This press release refers to upcoming articles in PLOS Biology. The releases have been provided by the article authors and/or journal staff. Any opinions expressed in these are the personal views of the contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of PLOS. PLOS expressly disclaims any and all warranties and liability in connection with the information found in the release and article and your use of such information. Back to the Top