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Scientists have successfully formed a hybrid human-monkey embryo – with the experiment taking place in China to avoid “legal issues”.

Researchers led by scientist Juan Carlos Izpisúa spliced together the genes to grow a monkey with human cells.

It is said the creature could have grown and been born, but scientists aborted the process.

The team, made up of members of the Salk Institute in the United States and the Murcia Catholic University, genetically modified the monkey embryos.

Researchers deactivates the genes which form organs, and replaced them with human stem cells.

And it is hoped that one day these hybrid-grown organs will be able to be translated into humans.

Meanwhile, scientists in Japan are developing human-rat chimeras for the same purpose in a new biotech arms race.

Project collaborator Estrella Núñez hailed the experiment as “very promising”.

The team have not yet published their findings, but confirmed the hybrid to EL PAIS.

“We are now trying not only to move forward and continue experimenting with human cells and rodent and pig cells, but also with non-human primates,” Izpisúa said.

The scientist, from Spain, was responsible for creating the first human pig hybrid in 2017.

(Image: GETTY [STOCK])

Izpisúa however said his human-monkeys are much better than his human-pigs.

Team member Pablo Ross said: “The human cells did not take hold. We saw that they contributed very little [to the development of the embryo].

“It was only one human cell for ever 100,000 pig cells.”

The scientists have also experimented with creating human birds with rats and mice, with the hope to developing transplantable hearts, eyes and pancreases.

(Image: GETTY [STOCK]) (Image: GETTY [STOCK])

Doctor Ángel Raya, the director of the Barcelona Regenerative Medicine Center, admitted the hybrid experiments do have “ethical barriers”.

He said: “What happens if the stem cells escape and form human neurons in the brain of the animal?

“Would it have consciousness? And what happens if these stem cells turn into sperm cells?”

Núñez has said however if any of the stem cells begin to form a human brain, they will “self destruct”.

(Image: GETTY [STOCK])

Raya added that the embryos have a “red line” at 14 days of gestation.

This means that the embryo cannot develop a human central nervous system.

Scientists then destroys the embryos, and “in no case is the gestation brought to full term”.

The experiments cost “hundreds of thousands of euros”, Núñez added.

(Image: GETTY [STOCK])

Núñez downplayed the fact that the university behind the research has a “catholic” moniker.

She said: “We are doing the experiments with monkeys in China because, in principle, they cannot be done [in Spain].

“What we want is to make progress for the sake of people who have a disease.

“The ultimate goal would be to create a human organ that could be transplanted.”