Genetically engineered primates display symptoms of autism

Libero.id - PETA is about to have a field day. By manipulating the genes of the monkies, scientists have been able to genetically modify the primate to exhibit the symptoms of autism. Researches in China claim that the primates display autism like behaviours, including repetitive movements, anxiety and decreased social interactions.

The scientists introduced the human gene MeCP2 into the genome of the macaques while in embryo. Not only did the primates exhibit typical human behaviours associated with autism, they also passed the disorder onto their offspring. This would provide the researchers with a vast array of potential new information on the autism spectrum. The study was published on January 25th in Nature.

While this is a positive step for science overall, some scientists are doubting the effectiveness of using these primates in order to model human brain disorders. For example, the monkeys do not exhibit all of the symptoms from overexpressing MeCP2, such as severe developmental delays and seizures. Furthermore, cost effectiveness is an issue as it is expensive to produce the animals and the disorder is relatively rare in humans affected by autism. Another concern is that only the male monkeys exhibited social interaction deficits, something that the study didn’t address.

Photo: Yan-Hong Nie/theverge

But the Chinese scientists remain hopeful that the primates could lead them to a cure for the neurological disorder. Zilong Qiu, a neuroscientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and a co-author of the study, stated that "I’m thrilled by the possibility that we may be able to reverse the genetic causes in the transgenic autism monkey model." Using brain imaging technology to identity the brain circuits that play an active role in the monkey’s behaviour, research are hoping to be able to rescue the affected brain circuits and reverse the autism like behaviours.

While PETA may have some not so nice things to say about the scientists’ ethical questions of using primates, it will most likely be a while before we see the use of primates in the US. China and Japan may even gain a significant edge when using primates in brain research as countries in Europe and the US have significantly higher costs and more controversy attached to using primates in research.

(Reported by Ivana Lucic)