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Research that mixes human cells into animal embryos could get US government funds for the first time under a new proposal that has stoked concerns about ethics and the limits of science.
Some say the research has the potential to spark major medical breakthroughs in diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's or conditions like infertility, and could help grow organs for human transplant, which are in short supply.
Critics, however, worry that these mixtures, or chimeras -- named after the monster in Greek mythology with a lion's head, goat's body and dragon's tail -- raise complex moral questions and go beyond what is acceptable in modern society.
The NIH will seek public comment for 30 days on the proposed scope of the research.
Oversight on funding decisions will be provided by an internal NIH steering committee, it said.
"I am confident that these proposed changes will enable the NIH research community to move this promising area of science forward in a responsible manner," wrote Carrie Wolinetz, NIH associate director for science policy, in a blog post.
The prospect of altering...