Scientists genetically modified a mouse to be 4 percent human

[Mike Wehner]

• Scientists injected human stem cells into mouse embryos and let them develop.
• One of the resulting embryos had 4% human cells after 17 days of additional maturity.
• Human cells were found in tissue that would become the heart, brain, and even eyes.
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Scientists mixing the genetic building blocks of two different animal species sounds like the beginning of a bad science fiction movie, but that's precisely what a team of researchers just did by injecting human stem cells into mouse embryos. Just over two weeks later, the team had more mature mouse embryos that contained up to 4% human cells.

These cross-species hybrids, called chimeras, were long the stuff of fiction but have more recently become reality. Scientists in several countries have conducted experiments in which human cells were added to developing animal embryos, but none of them have managed to create an animal that was made up of as many human cells as these mice.

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Scientists genetically modified a mouse to be 4 percent human originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 14 May 2020 at 18:34:01 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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