Chinese scientists who produced chimera monkey see chance to fine-tune research into human diseases

The first live birth of a chimeric monkey with a high proportion of cells derived from a stem cell line was reported by researchers in China who see opportunities to study human diseases and create interspecies chimeras to pass on endangered DNA.

The monkey was born with cells derived from two genetically distinct cynomolgus monkeys – also known as crab-eating macaques – a monkey used in many biomedical studies.