ETHICAL CONCERNS.
>> FOR THE FIRST TIME SCIENTISTS
HAVE SUCCESSFULLY BEEN ABLE TO
GROW MONKEY EMBRYOS CONTAINING
HUMAN CELLS.
RESEARCHERS AT THE SALK
INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
IN CALIFORNIA WORKING WITH
CHINESE SCIENTISTS GREW THE
EMBRYOS IN A DISH WITH SOME
SURVIVING UP TO 20 DAYS.
THEY PUBLISHED THE RESEARCH
IMMEDIATELY IGNITING DEBATE OVER
THE ETHICS OF SUCH RESEARCH AND
SPARKING FEARS OF HUMAN-MONKEY
HYBRIDS.
JOINING US TO HELP US UNDERSTAND
THE REALITY BEHIND THE
UNSETTLING HEADLINES IS INSOO
HYUN PROFESSOR OF BIOETHICS AT
CASE UNIVERSITY IN OHIO.
AND IS DEVELOPING GUIDELINES TO
HELP IN THIS RESEARCH.
BEFORE WE GET INTO THE ISSUE OF
WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS A GOOD OR
A BAD THING, EXPLAIN
MECHANICALLY WHAT THE SCIENTISTS
DID?
>> SO THEY TOOK SPERM AND EGGS
FROM MONKEYS.
MIXED THEM IN A DISH TO MAKE
MONKEY EMBRYOS AND THE EMBRYOS
HAVE NEVER BEEN IN A MONKEY'S
BODY THEY WERE CREATED IN A LAB
IN A DISH.
ONCE THE MONKEY EMBRYOS GOT TO A
FEW DAYS OLD THEY TRANSFERRED 25
HUMAN STEM CELLS INJECTED THEM
INTO THE EMBRYOS AND WATCHED HOW
THE STEM CELLS INTERACTED WITH
THE MONKEY CELLS FOR 20 DAYS.
>> WE ARE LOOK AT AN IMAGE AND
THE RED DOTS ARE THE HUMAN
GENETIC MATERIAL THAT IS IN THE
EMBRYO.
PLEASE CONTINUE.
>> RIGHT.
I'M GLAD YOU ARE SHING THIS.
MANY PEOPLE WHEN THEY HEARD OF
THIS HAD PROJECTS OF PLANET OF
THE APES.
THEY HAD IMAGES OF HUMAN-MONKEY
HYBRIDS THAT ARE VISUALLY A
MIXTURE OF THE TWO.
BUT WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS THE
EMBRYOS THEY LOOK LIKE MINI
DISCO BALLS THEY LOOK NOTHING
LIKE AN ANIMAL.
THIS IS BECAUSE THE EMBRYOS AT A
PREIMPLANTATION CHANGE BEFORE
THEY FORM STRUCTURES LIKE LIMBS
OR ORGANS.
WHY DID THEY DO THIS?
MANY CURIOUS ARE WHY SCIENCE
WOULD DO SUCH A RADICAL THING.
WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF
THIS KIND OF EXPERIMENT.
>> WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE?
>> THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE IS TO
LEARN HOW TO BETTER GET TO THE
POINT WHERE WE CAN GROW
TRANSPLANTABLE HUMAN ORGANS IN
LIVESTOCK ANIMALS LIKE SHEEP OR
PIGS.
THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF ORGANS
FOR TRANSPLANTATION IN THE
UNITED STATES AND WORLDWIDE.
IN THE UNITED STATES 18 PEOPLE
EVERYDAY DIE WHILE WAITING FOR
AN ORGAN ON THE WAIT LIST.
SO THERE HAS TO BE RADICAL
STRATEGIES TO EASE THAT SHORTAGE
AND HELP SAVE AMERICAN LIVES.
SO THIS STRATEGY OF GROWING
HUMAN ORGANS IN LIVESTOCK ANIMAL
EVOLUTIONARY VERY DISTANT FROM
HUMAN PIGS AND SHEEP ARE UNLIKE
HUMAN BEINGS THAT STRATEGY HAS
NOT WORKED BECAUSE INJECTING
HUMAN STEM CELLS INTO A PIG OR
SHEEP EMBRYO THAT HAS BEEN
MODIFIED IN OREGON WHICH THE
HUMAN STEM CELLS WILL SURVIVE
THE STEM CELLS HAVE NOT SURVIVED
LONG IN THAT FOREIGN HOST
ENVIRONMENT.
RESEARCHERS HAVE TO HAVE A
BETTER UNDERSTANDING HOW TO
OVERCOME THE XENO BARRIER
BETWEEN HUMAN SPECIES AND NOT
HUMAN SPECIES AND LEARN WE HAVE
TO WORK WITH A SPECIES THAT IS
CLOSER TO HUMAN BEINGS WHICH
WOULD BE THE MONKEY.
TO LEARN ABOUT HOW HUMAN CELLS
CAN INTERACT WITH NONHUMAN CELLS
AT AN EARLY STAGE BEFORE
IMPLANTATION.
>> THE EMBRYOS WITH THE MONKEY
EMBRYOS WITH THE INJECTED HUMAN
MATERIAL ONLY LASTED 20 DAYS.
IF IT LASTS, IS IT THE GOAL TORE
IT TO LAST LONGER?
AND AT THAT POINT MIGHT NOT
SOCIETY GET INTO MORE TROUBLING
ASPECTS THAN JUST TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW CELLS TALK TO
EACH OTHER TO PROMOTE
TRANSPLANTATION?
>> THAT IS AN EXCELLENT
QUESTION.
THE REASON WHY THEY TRACKED THE
EMBRYOS FOR 20 DAYS THAT IS THE
MAXIMUM LIMIT HOW LONG YOU CAN
KEEP MONKEY EMBRYOS ALIVE IN A
DISH THAT HAS NOT BEEN IN A
MONKEY BODY.
WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO IS TO
IMPLANT THE EMBRYO INTO A UTERUS
OF A MONKEY.
NOBODY WANTS TO DO THAT AT THIS
POINT.
>> MIGHT THAT HAPPEN, THOUGH?
IT SEEMS AS THIS MIGHT BE A STEP
FOR THE IMPLANTATION OF THAT
EMBRYO INTO A MACAQUE MONKEY
WHICH IS THE MATERIAL THAT THE
MACAQUE MONKEY IS PROVIDING THIS
MATERIAL.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
YOU ARE CORRECT THAT IF THE GOAL
IS TO GROW HUMAN ORGANS AND
SHEEP AND PIGS THOSE SHEEP AND
PIG EMBRYOS WOULD BE
TRANSPLANTED INTO A UTERUS AND
BROUGHT TO FULL TERM BECAUSE YOU
HAVE TO HAVE A LIVING ADULT
ANIMAL.
BUT FOR THE MONKEY WORK, NOBODY
WANTS TO GROW HUMAN ORGANS IN A
MONKEY.
THAT HUMAN ORGAN WOULD BE TOO
SMALL.
THERE IS NO POINT IN JESSTATEING
THE MONKEY EMBRYO YOU WANT TO
STUDY CELL TO CELL COMMUNICATION
AND YOU CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION
WITHOUT IMPLANTATION.
I WOULD DRAW THE LINE RIGHT NOW
AT IMPLANTATION.
YOU CAN STUDY THE EMBRYO IN THE
DISH IN THAT DISCO BALL FORMAT.
BUT IMPLANTATION AND PREGNANCY
OF A MONKEY EMBRYO WITH HUMAN
CELL THAT IS A LOT MORE
TROUBLING AND NOBODY WANTS TO DO
THAT THAT IS NOT SCIENTIFICALLY
JUSTIFIED FOR THE PURPOSE OF
GROWING ORGANS IN SHEEPS AND
PIGS.
>> IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT
SOME SCIENTIST MIGHT GO ROGUE
AND DO SOMETHING THAT COULD
RESULT IN A CREATURE THAT HAS
SOME COMPONENT OF HUMAN
CONSCIOUSNESS?
>> THAT IS RIGHT.
THAT IS OBVIOUSLY A CONCERN FOR
EVERYBODY.
AND THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES.
EVEN IF WE HAVE STRICT RULES AND
LAWS PEOPLE CAN ALWAYS BREAK
THEM.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO BREAK
RULES IN SCIENCE.
BUT THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW
THERE IS A RIGOROUS STRUCTURE IN
PRAISE BOTH FOR ANIMAL RESEARCH
FULL STOP AND ALSO FOR RESEARCH
INVOLVING HUMAN STEM CELLS.
AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL.
IF THE SALK TEAMWORKED WITH
RESEARCHNERS CHINESE WHICH HAVE
EXPERTISE IN MAKING MONKEY
EMBRYOS, BOTH TEAMS HAD TO GET
INSTITUTIONAL APPROVAL AT THEIR
CHINESE AND CALIFORNIA
INSTITUTIONS BUT ALSO HAD TO
FOLLOW INTERNATIONAL LAWS AND
RULES FOR ANIMAL RESEARCH ON THE
ONE HAND AND THE INTERNATIONAL
GUIDELINES FOR STEM CELL
RESEARCH.
THERE REALLY IS ALL EFFORTS MADE
TO HAVE CLEAR GUIDANCE ON THIS
WORK.
UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE'S QUITE
A BIT OF CONTROVERSY IN THIS
TYPE OF RESEARCH.
BUT ANYTIME YOU HAVE ANY TYPE OF
LAW, LAWS DO NOT ACTUALLY 100%
PREVENT BAD BEHAVIOR.
REGARDING THE SCIENTISTS THAT
MIGHT GO ROGUE AND DO THIS, WE
DON'T CALL THEM SCIENTISTS BUT
THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC REASON TO
JESS GUESSTATE IN A MONKEY MODEL
WITHOUT A PLAN AS TO WHAT THE