NIH considering restarting funding for human-animal chimera research

Federal health officials said Thursday they are reconsidering a moratorium on the funding of research in which human tissues are transplanted into early, nonhuman embryos — creating organisms known as chimeras.

The proposed rule changes, which the National Institutes of Health announced in a blog post, would allow the agency to pay for experiments that incorporate human tissue into early-stage animal embryos, except for those of primates like monkeys and chimps.

The NIH put a moratorium on funding early-stage embryonic chimeras in September because of ethical concerns. Some bioethicists raised concerns that animals with human brain tissue might absorb some ability to think like people. Others were concerned about what would happen if human-animal chimeras were allowed to breed.

“I am confident that these proposed changes will enable the NIH research community to move this promising area of science forward in a responsible manner,” Carrie Wolinetz, the NIH’s associate director for science policy, wrote in the blog post.

The announcement was first reported by NPR.

Since September’s moratorium, scientists have accused the NIH of stifling science with a draconian and rash decision, arguing it was preventing a deeper understanding of how embryos develop and how cells, tissues, and organs could be used to treat disease — a burgeoning field known as regenerative medicine. Scientists argue that steps can be taken to address the ethical concerns inherent in conducting chimera research.

Read more at STAT News