Chinese biologists cloning, genetically modified monkeys

for the First time, scientists clone have combined Experiments on monkeys with genetic manipulation. The primates with the genetic defect are intended to serve the research of biorhythms.

In China, came several cloned monkey with a deliberately induced genetic damage on the world. The five macaques with the same genome had recently been in the Institute of neuroscience of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai born, told the Xinhua news Agency.

The cloned monkeys were to serve the study of circadian disturbance, it was said with reference to two articles in the Chinese scientific magazine National Science Review. The research focused on the so-called circadian rhythm. When it is disturbed, it can cause in humans, sleep disorders and diseases such as Diabetes or cancer favor.

Eckhard Wolf from the gene centre of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, called the research a "huge logistical performance". If ethical and scientific evidence, so an Experiment is necessary, think it not objectionable. You should but the question is: "What's the Benefit for the people compared to the suffering the inflicted on the animal?" This is each Time a individual decision, said the Wolf.

The cloning of monkeys is ethically controversial

"Before there were genetically modified monkeys and cloned monkeys. The system combines, for the first time", said Rüdiger Behr from the Leibniz-Institute for Primate research in Göttingen. The advantages Behr to find better cures for diseases. The genetic material of individuals of a species differed in the Details considerably. The make it difficult to develop drugs that every. "In the case of an identical copy of this variability, one gets a clearer statement," says stem cell biologist. For Europe and Germany, he did not think that such experiments are feasible. "We have clone no ambitions." This was in Germany, not to communicate.

The publication follows on from the scandal of a Chinese researcher who had announced in November the world's first birth of genetically engineered babies. Another woman is currently pregnant. His Experiment has triggered global outrage. In a investigation report, the government said on Monday, the researchers, He Jiankui have traded illegally.

Also in 2017, for the first time in China, the successful cloning of monkeys is controversial, because primates are generally very similar and therefore the concern that the application of the method in humans is growing. Xinhua reported that the new Experiment had been monitored by the ethics Committee of the Institute "in Accordance with international Standards for animal research". In the case of the Monkeys, the researchers manipulated the information to be in the embryonic stage of the regulation of the circadian rhythm, to create first of all an appropriate DNA donor. Then they sought to clone the genetically modified monkeys who showed the most significant genetic disease characteristics. Whose cell nucleus had been transferred to a core-lots of egg.

the cells from an aborted fetus were used During the clone attempt in 2017, the researchers according to Xinhua now a genetically modified male monkeys. "It shows that, in addition to a fetus is also a gene ditierter male monkey can be used for pooled cloning," said Qiang Sun of the Shanghai Institute. The show that China's cloning program is pre-Mature. The Director of the Institute, Muming Poo, said that the research will focus on models of cloned monkeys with different brain diseases. The effectiveness of drugs should be tested.