Of Mice and Men
About one million Americans carry the hepatitis B virus (HBV) which can lead to liver cancer. But the search for treatments has been stymied by the lack of a suitable animal for testing new drugs. Rodents don’t get HBV, and chimpanzees, which do, are expensive.
XTL Biopharmacueticals in Rehovot, Israel, has come up with a solution by creating a mouse with a bit of human liver inside it. XTL’s recipe: destroy the immune system of a normal mouse with gamma rays. Next, transplant a peppercorn-sized fragment of HBV-infected human liver, along with bone marrow from an immune-deficient mouse. XTL calls the resulting creature a “trimera” because it has components of three different animals. Since the mouse’s weak immune system doesn’t reject the human cells, there is time to test the effects of anti-viral drugs. XTL hopes to develop trimera models for cancer.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build
“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”
ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it
The narrative around cheating students doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet the teachers who think generative AI could actually make learning better.
Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives
The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.
Learning to code isn’t enough
Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.