Chimeras in Singapore (2)

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In an effort to know more about the vastly unknown world of human genetics, Singapore intends to become the next international hub of biotechnology. How? By creating chimeras, or more concretely, “cybrids”. Mythological chimeras are creatures half something, half another thing. The Merlion was a mythological chimera. Now these creatures are a biotechnological reality.

For the first time in human history, human creatures can create artificially real chimeras. Using similar technology that helped to create Dolly, the famous cloned sheep, it is now possible to fertilize an animal egg with human genetic material. The result will virtually be a human clone from an animal egg and a human somatic cell’s nucleus.

When Aldous Huxley wrote his famous “A Brave New World”, he was warning against the danger of humanity becoming a de-humanized world, where humans would be artificially bred with the “noble” purpose of becoming a more efficient society.

It is not the building of a new world that Singapore appears to have in mind, but certainly the creation of animal species with human genetic material to advance the research on human genetics. Of course, Singapore does not intend to do this without the public’s informed consent, so the Bioethics Advisory Commitee (BAC) has already issued a paper entitled “Ethical Considerations in Research with Human-Animal Combinations” where it informs the public not only about the particulars of these new technologies but also about the possible ethical implications. The BAC expects to receive the feedback from the public before March 10, 2008.

So, what is it going to be? Do Singaporeans want Singapore to be the breakthrough ground of new biotechnologies? Without any doubt, we will soon be listening about the advantages of research and the dangers of ethical slippery slopes and stepping into the delicate zone of “playing God”. So, what do Singaporeans say?

Chimeras in Singapore?

The Merlion, a creature that is believed to be half-fish, half- lion, is the symbol of Singapore. This imaginary creature can be the fruit of fertile imagination, but Singapore is about to go one step further in the field of scientific research and start creating mixed creatures. Do we want to see human organs growing in animals? Mice with human brain cells? We might start to spot these new species in the very unique habitat of Singapore pro-technological society. We call them “chimeras”.

Homer described the mythological creature for the first time. A chimera was a creature that “breathed raging fire, a creature fearful, great, swift-footed and strong, who had three heads, one of a grim-eyed lion; in his hinderpart, a dragon; and in his middle, a goat, breathing forth a fearful blast of blazing fire.” What was mythology yesterday, can possibly be a scientific reality today.

In the field of scientific research, a chimera is an animal that is created by mixing genetic material of two different species, one of which could be human. Chimeras are believed to be important for scientific research with a hope to find practical remedies for human diseases. After the scandal of Korea in this field, and the religious and ethical obstacles from the public that USA is encountering, Singapore feels that she should be one of the first countries to create human chimeras. Singapore has now the technology and the will to do so. Will Singapore do it?

On Jan 19, the BAC (Bioethics Advisory Committee of Singapore) intends to present this kind of research to the public to foster debate. Now, what will Singaporeans do? Will they panic before this “New Brave World” that threatens to play God? Will they approach it with “Asian pragmatism“? Will they start asking themselves fundamental questions like, “what is man?” and “where do we draw the line between improving the human condition and reinventing it”? Next time you look at the Merlion, think. It may be truly the symbol of Singapore in a totally new way.