Now Human Organs Growing In Animals

I hope not in swine! If so, I hope the swine flu has skipped Japan. On a more serious note, scientist in Japan are claiming new breakthroughs in growing human organs in animals. Why you ask? Researchers are trying to solve the shortage of organs for transplant. They haven't really accomplished their goal yet. They haven't grown human organs yet in animals. But they feel they've taken the first step. They have succeeded in growing monkey organs in sheep, using stem cells. Within a decade, they hope to move from locating a spare monkey pancreas, in the wool of a sheep, to producing human organs. The pancreas, in this case, was generated from monkey stem cells, and the researcher, Hanazono says: "Walking organ banks for human livers, hearts, pancreas, and skins, he believes the sheep would provide."

Professor Hanazono told the London Times, "There has historically been work on the potential of sheep as producers of human blood, but we are only slowly coming closer to the point where we can harvest sheep for human organs."

Brave New world? Next on the menu will be Hagus, a favorite Scottish meal of sheep stomach stuffed with barley. But, will it be a sheep, or a human stomach?  

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