At present, more than 3 lakh people are waiting for an organ transplant in India alone; the global number is far higher, with no respite in sight. There is an alarming disparity in the number of organ donors and the number of recipients – and animals have played an important part in filling this gap.
The successful application of animal insulin and the more recent use of animal heart valves in human surgeries have saved human lives. Researchers have also made attempts to grow full human organs inside the bodies of animals using advancements in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) technology.
At the same time, controversy continues to beset this field, most of it centred on the use of human iPSCs in animal embryos and the creation of chimeric animals, the results of which we are yet to fully comprehend. However, humans are not new to the concept of chimaeras. Mythology abounds with a rich collection of these beguiling beings.
