The Unknown of Human-Animal Chimera Research

Abstract

Human-animal chimera research has potential benefits for physiological modeling, neural analyses, and organ harvesting, the last of which is particularly relevant for the organ donor market in the U.S. However, ethical debates have scrutinized the necessity of such research while 119,000 people await organ transplants in the U.S. alone. Beyond ethical interpretations, a pressing issue of public safety not previously considered is the likelihood of introducing diseases that can jump across species. Research needs to address how cross-species diseases can propagate. Human-animal chimera researchers need to understand and prevent such unintended outcomes, making exploration into the mechanisms and factors determining disease jumps across species of primary concern moving forward.