Ethical Concern on Generating Chimera Organ (Raboan Discussion Forum)

Wednesday (13/04), the weekly routine program, Raboan Discussion Forum was again held by the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities (CBMH FK-KMK UGM). The virtual event raised the topic of Generating Chimera, Is it Solution for Organ Donor Shortage, which was presented by dr. Yudha Nur Patria, DHC, MMed (ClinEpi), MMS, PhD. The discussion forum was led by dr. Galuh Dyah Fatmala as moderator.

dr. Yudha Nur Patria explained that the number of organ donor needs continues to increase every year. Even though this is not balanced with the number of available donor organs. In the United States, for example, only a third of patients requiring organ donors successfully undergo organ replacement surgery.

Some researchers see this problem and try to do research using genetic engineering technology. One of the research carried out is the formation of chimera organisms. This research caused various reactions from the bioethicist based on several considerations. One of them is the concern of producing organisms that are like humans.

Countries such as France, UK, and Germany tend not to recommend and even prohibit this action. Meanwhile, the United States and Japan did not prohibit it, but only imposed restrictions.

Chimera is a term used to refer to creatures from Greek mythology that have the bodies of several animal species. For example, a lion with bird wings and a snake-shaped tail. The term chimera is used to describe an organism formed from several combinations of other organisms.

In his presentation, Dr. Yudha Nur Patria gave an illustration of the formation of chimera organs from human and pig cells. In the early phase of fetal formation called a blastocyst, human cells will be injected into pig cells so that a pig is born that has an organism with the characteristics of human cells. These organisms are then taken to be transplanted into the human body in need of organ donors.

Research on the formation of chimera organisms has been carried out previously in rats and mice by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, California.