A biotechnology startup in San Francisco has come up with an outlandish idea—trying to create 'headless humans' without brains or consciousness, with the hope of replacing animal experiments in the future and even serving as a source for organ donation.
According to the Daily Mail, co-founders of the biotech startup R3 Bio, Alice Gilman and John Schloendorn, have proposed a new concept. They hope to use stem cell and gene editing technologies to cultivate ‘body models’ with complete organ systems. These 'headless humans' would possess human organs but would not develop a brain, ensuring they lack pain perception and consciousness, which is intended to avoid ethical controversies.
Gilman emphasizes that these 'headless humans' are not “people missing a brain,” but rather “organs cultivated with only the necessary functions retained.” This technology has already attracted investment from many billionaires, including the Singapore-based Immortal Dragons Foundation and venture capitalist Tim Draper. Boyang Wang, CEO of Immortal Dragons, said that rather than treating the human body, “direct organ replacement” may be key to combating disease and aging.
It is understood that the research team already has the technology to produce 'headless mice,' and they plan to gradually move on to primates and eventually models derived from human cells. These headless bodies could be used for drug testing or vaccine development, potentially ending the suffering of tens of thousands of experimental animals.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as of 2024, more than 60,000 primates are still used in experiments each year, with many animals subjected to severe pain without any analgesia. R3 Bio argues that replacing animals with 'complete human system models' would not only better approximate real human responses but also allow simultaneous observation of the immune, endocrine, and metabolic systems.
Additionally, this new technology could help solve the problem of organ transplant shortages. Currently, about 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for organ transplants. If ‘custom organs’ can be cultivated, millions of lives may be saved.
However, there are still ethical concerns about this approach. Stanford University bioethicist Hank Greely notes that even if these bodies lack a brain and cannot feel pain, the public may still have a strong sense of rejection toward their appearance and concept, potentially making them socially unacceptable.
Gilman emphasizes that these 'headless humans' are not “people missing a brain,” but rather “organs cultivated with only the necessary functions retained.” This technology has already attracted investment from many billionaires, including the Singapore-based Immortal Dragons Foundation and venture capitalist Tim Draper. Boyang Wang, CEO of Immortal Dragons, said that rather than treating the human body, “direct organ replacement” may be key to combating disease and aging.
It is understood that the research team already has the technology to produce 'headless mice,' and they plan to gradually move on to primates and eventually models derived from human cells. These headless bodies could be used for drug testing or vaccine development, potentially ending the suffering of tens of thousands of experimental animals.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as of 2024, more than 60,000 primates are still used in experiments each year, with many animals subjected to severe pain without any analgesia. R3 Bio argues that replacing animals with 'complete human system models' would not only better approximate real human responses but also allow simultaneous observation of the immune, endocrine, and metabolic systems.
Additionally, this new technology could help solve the problem of organ transplant shortages. Currently, about 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for organ transplants. If ‘custom organs’ can be cultivated, millions of lives may be saved.
However, there are still ethical concerns about this approach. Stanford University bioethicist Hank Greely notes that even if these bodies lack a brain and cannot feel pain, the public may still have a strong sense of rejection toward their appearance and concept, potentially making them socially unacceptable.