A Silicon Valley longevity startup, R3 Bio, has discussed the idea of growing cloned human bodies without functioning brains as a source of replacement organs, according to reporting by MIT Technology Review. The company categorically denies this.
What was reported
R3 Bio, founded by John Schloendorn, publicly describes its work as developing nonsentient animal “organ sacks” as an alternative to animal testing, as previously covered by Wired.
MIT Technology Review reports that Schloendorn gave a session titled “Full Body Replacement” at the Abundance Longevity event in Boston last September, and cites a 2023 letter to stakeholders signed by Schloendorn that discussed “body replacement cloning,” as well as a 2023 online event called the Body Replacement Mini Conference.
The company’s response
R3 Bio rejects the reporting. In a statement quoted by MIT Technology Review, the company said Schloendorn “never made any statement regarding hypothetical ‘non-sentient human clones’” and that “any allegations of intent or conspiracy to create human clones or humans with brain damage are categorically false.” It also said: “We do not work with live non-human primates.”
Investors and ARPA-H
MIT Technology Review lists Tim Draper, the Immortal Dragons fund and LongGame Ventures among R3’s investors. There is no suggestion that any investor supports the human-cloning concept described in the report.
The publication also reports that R3 appears on a list of prospective partners on the website of ARPA-H, the US government’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. ARPA-H program manager Jean Hébert told the publication, “It’s a perfect match, right? Body, brain.” No ARPA-H funding for R3 has been reported.
The science
MIT Technology Review says it found no evidence that R3 has cloned any animal larger than a rodent. No human has ever been cloned. Since early efforts to clone human embryos more than two decades ago, mammalian cloning has extended to dogs, cats, horses and cattle.
Scientists’ reaction
Jose Cibelli, a Michigan State University researcher who was among the first scientists to attempt human embryo cloning, told MIT Technology Review that the concept of body-replacement cloning “sounds crazy, in my opinion. How do you demonstrate safety? What is safety when you’re trying to create an abnormal human?”
The report adds to a wider debate about how the fast-growing longevity sector should be scrutinised as investment into it increases.
Feature image by Tara Winstead on Pexels
