Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Views
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Scientists create first human-monkey embryo

By Brian Buntz | April 27, 2021

human-monkey embryo chimera

In this monkey-human embryo, human cells glow in red. [Image courtesy of Weizhi Ji / Kunming University of Science and Technology]

A group of scientists from the U.S. and China injected human stem cells into 132 macaque embryos, which then developed for up to 20 days.

While the research holds promise for organ transplants, studying disease and testing new drugs, it also prompts controversy.

The research was published this month in Cell.

The scientists began with blastocysts from macaques. They injected 25 human extended pluripotent stem cells into each of those cells, which replicate in the embryos’ tissue.

Researchers have previously injected human stem cells into organisms ranging from rodents to cattle to nonhuman primates to create chimeras. Previous research includes mice with human immune systems for AIDS research and rats with human tumors.

But the growth of human stem cells in macaque embryos was more extensive than in previous research involving animals such as pigs, alarming ethicists. For instance, a human-pig chimera developed in 2017 had 0.001% human cells.

The recent research could foretell future chimeras with substantially higher percentages of human genes.

Scientists currently lack the means to control how human stem cells act in a monkey embryo, leading to the possibility that scientists in the future could engineer a monkey with human genetic material in the brain.

Indeed, researchers at the University of Rochester engineered laboratory mice with human cells. One year after transplanting human fetal brain cells into the laboratory mice, they learned the cells had taken hold in the mouse brains. The engineered mice were generally more intelligent than unmodified animals, excelling in memory and cognition tests.

While primate research is often difficult in the West, China has prioritized creating primate disease models since 2011 to research neurological diseases.

Chimeras that incorporate human genetic material into other primates could potentially lead to better models of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, which often pose challenges for drug developers.


Filed Under: Drug Discovery, Neurological Disease
Tagged With: Alzheimer's disease, embryo, human-monkey chimera, stem cells
 

About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

Related Articles Read More >

Swissmedic approves first malaria treatment for infants
Korean team reports all-in-one cancer nanomedicine in pre-clinical studies
Nektar’s Phase 2b atopic dermatitis win triggers 1,746% analyst target surge, but legal tussle with ex-partner Lilly could complicate path forward
Dupixent approved to treat bullous pemphigoid
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Views
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE