A stealth biotech startup called R3 Bio has been developing brainless human clones for organ harvesting, according to documents obtained by MIT Technology Review. Founder John Schloendorn pitched the concept to investors and at a $70,000-per-ticket longevity conference in Boston, where he discussed using paid surrogates to carry brainless fetuses. The company claims its current focus is on creating monkey "organ sacks" for medical testing.

R3 raised funds from billionaire Tim Draper and other investors to pursue what it calls "body replacement cloning." The technical approach involves creating animals without complete brains, inspired by children born with hydranencephaly who survive with minimal brain tissue. Schloendorn has shown medical scans of these cases as evidence that bodies can function without substantial brain matter.

The ethical implications have alarmed scientists like Michigan State's Jose Cibelli, who questions how to demonstrate safety when creating "an abnormal human." While R3 disavows plans for human clones, internal documents and meeting agendas reveal detailed roadmaps for the technology. The company's work on monkey organ sacks could inform future human applications, though no evidence exists of actual human cloning attempts.