Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones
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R3 Bio startup disclosed work creating nonsentient monkey 'organ sacks' to replace animal testing in genetic engineering research.
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R3 Bio, a Richmond, California startup founded by John Schloendorn, has been secretly developing plans to create "brainless human clones"—nonsentient bodies with minimal brain structures designed to serve as sources of replacement organs or vessels for brain transplants to extend human lifespan. The company, which raised money from billionaire Tim Draper and other investors, publicly announced only its work on monkey "organ sacks" for testing, but MIT Technology Review uncovered internal documents and meeting agendas detailing a technical roadmap for human cloning that includes genetic designs for animals without complete brains. Schloendorn presented the brainless-clone concept at a $70,000-per-ticket longevity conference last September and maintains ties to ARPA-H, a U.S. health innovation agency, where a program manager named Jean Hébert described their work as complementary—one designing brains, the other designing bodies. R3 denied the allegations in a statement, claiming Schloendorn "never made any statement regarding hypothetical 'non-sentient human clones,'" though the company acknowledged it "reserves the right to hold hypothetical futuristic discussions." Leading cloning researchers expressed deep ethical concerns, with Michigan State University's Jose Cibelli stating there must be "boundaries" and calling the concept a plan to "create a human being who is not a human being."
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