What is Chimera ? how it can be useful ?
A chimera is an individual composed of somatic and, in certain cases, germline tissues derived from more than one zygote. There are different ways to generate tissue chimerism, including mixing embryonic cells from two individuals, transplanting fetal or adult tissues from one individual into another individual, or grafting embryonic stem (ES) cells or their differentiated products into another individual. For example, two genetically distinct 8 cell mouse preimplantation embryos whose zona pellucidae have been removed can be pushed together in a tissue culture dish and then grown in vitro to form a single blastocyst. Transfer of this blastocyst into the uterus of a foster mother often results in a mouse with somatic and germ cells of both genotypes, a so-called aggregation chimera.
Other
Chimeras are individuals with tissues derived from more than one zygote. Interspecific chimeras have tissues derived from different species. The biological consequences of human-animal chimeras have become an issue of ethical debate. Ironically, humananimal chimeras with human blood, neurons, germ cells, and other tissues have been generated for decades. This has facilitated human biological studies and therapeutic strategies for disease, the primary goal of human-animal chimera research is to produce human cellular characters in animals. The animal carrying the human tissue can then be examined or treated to investigate human-specific biological processes and disease without experimentation on human individuals in this report different aspects about chimera and how it can be useful medically will be discussed
