Scientists create first human-sheep hybrids

Excerpt

Scientists create first human-sheep hybrids- paving the way for organs to be grown in animals for transplant even providing a cure for diabetes

• The Stanford University project grew embryos which had sheep and human cells
• Scientists plan to implant stem cells into sheep and hope human organs grow 

Scientists have created the first ever human-sheep hybrids, paving the way for organs to be grown in animals which can be transplanted into humans.

The successful Stanford University project could even open the door to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes by creating healthy pancreases to regulate blood sugar.

While scientists have previously developed human-pig hybrids, sparking excitement that they could use them grow human organs, no team has been able to take it to the next step.

But Stanford's team, which has already successfully transplanted pancreases into mice, is tipped to be the first after now that they have produced a human-sheep model to use. 

'We have already generated a mouse pancreas in rats and then transplanted those in to diabetic mouse and were able to show almost a complete cure,' project lead Dr Hiro Nakuachi, a professor of genetics at Stanford, told the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference.

'It could take five years or it could take 10 years but I think eventually we will be able to do this.'

The breakthrough could also help to alleviate the global shortage of organ donors.