HKTVmall parent firm defends research into preserving detached animal heads and limbs

By Jessie Pang

HONG KONG, April 1 (Reuters) – Hong Kong Technology Venture Company, the parent of online retailer HKTVmall, has disclosed experiments in which animal limbs and heads were kept viable for hours after being detached from the body – work it says is aimed at improving transplant technology but which has been condemned by animal rights groups.

The company said detached animal limbs showed neuromuscular responses for about 46 hours, while severed heads maintained measurable brain activity for around seven hours, which its research team believes may be a first.

It said the tests could help extend the usable lifespan of donor organs, a key challenge in transplantation.

“The Life Science Project is not intended to cause unnecessary harm to the animals, with the objective of improving the quality of life for the elderly, while contributing to advances in organ preservation, limb transplantation, and blood regeneration,” Hong Kong Technology Venture Company said in a statement to Reuters.

The tests were conducted on pigs and sheep, it said.

Jason Baker, the Asia president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), urged HKTV in an open letter on Wednesday to “immediately cease and permanently prohibit these experiments on animals”.

Baker said there had been a global shift away from animal testing.

“We urge HKTV to prevent further suffering by aligning with this growing governmental, industrial and societal shift away from animal testing,” Baker said.

Hong Kong Technology Venture Company said the project had been underway for four years and was supported by a research team of more than 20 professionals, including university professors, doctors and medical specialists.

It said it had conducted 38 experiments in which limbs or heads were separated from the bodies of animals.

The team was focused on developing and refining equipment aimed at maintaining the viability of detached organs, it added.

“Should the technologies we are developing prove successful, they could have applications in organ transplantation and potentially in extending human lifespan,” the company said.

“However, at present, we are unable to accurately predict the project’s success rate or financial returns, nor can we reliably forecast its long-term development.”

Shares of HKTV, which has a market value of HK$1.07 billion ($136.5 million), closed up nearly 4% on Wednesday.

($1 = 7.8384 Hong Kong dollars)

(Reporting by Jessie Pang. Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Mark Potter)