r3 bio / brainless clones / john schloendorn

R3 Bio, a stealth longevity startup in Richmond, California, revealed it raised funding to develop nonsentient monkey organ models as replacements for animal testing—but reporting by MIT Technology Review uncovered founder John Schloendorn's earlier pitches for ethically fraught “brainless clones” as backup human bodies. Investors named include Tim Draper, Immortal Dragons, and LongGame Ventures. Schloendorn reportedly advocated creating minimally sentient human-like bodies—initially gestated by paid surrogates—to provide organs or hosts for brain transplants, sparking alarm among attendees and critics. R3 denies intent to create human clones or deliberately brain-damaged humans, though founders have discussed futuristic body-replacement scenarios at closed longevity conferences. No evidence was found that R3 has cloned humans or large animals.

Stealth biotech startup R3 Bio, which recently surfaced claiming to grow nonsentient monkey "organ sacks" to replace animal testing, has deeper, ethically fraught ambitions tied to life-extension. MIT Technology Review uncovered pitches by founder John Schloendorn proposing “brainless clones” or backup human bodies—baby-like clones with minimal brains for spare organs or future body transplants. Investors include Tim Draper, Immortal Dragons, and LongGame Ventures. R3 denies intent to create brainless human clones, but cofounders discussed radical ideas at high‑priced longevity events and showed roadmaps and presentations suggesting long-term exploration of cloning and full-body replacement. No evidence was found that R3 has cloned humans or large animals; the disclosures raise ethical and regulatory concerns for biotech and longevity fields.

MIT Technology Review revealed that R3 Bio, a secretive California startup, raised funds to create nonsentient monkey "organ sacks" as alternatives to animal testing and that founder John Schloendorn pitched ethically fraught “brainless human clones” as backup bodies—claims the company sought to suppress. Separately, researchers kept a donated human uterus alive outside the body for a day using a device called "Mother," perfusing the organ with modified human blood—a step toward studying pregnancy and possibly ex vivo fetal development. The newsletter also highlights AI-related infrastructure warming surrounding areas, Mistral’s European data-center fundraise, AI-designed drug deals, social-media policy for children, Meta’s prescription smart glasses, and other tech-industry developments. These stories matter for bioethics, reproductive tech, AI infrastructure, and regulatory debates.

A stealth biotech startup, R3 Bio of Richmond, California, revealed it raised funds to grow nonsentient monkey “organ sacks” as alternatives to animal testing, but MIT Technology Review uncovered founder John Schloendorn’s earlier, controversial pitch for hypothetical “brainless clones” as backup human bodies. Investors named include Tim Draper, Immortal Dragons, and LongGame Ventures. Schloendorn described using severely reduced-brain humans or future body transplants to extend life, and suggested surrogates would carry early clones until artificial wombs exist. R3 denies intent to create human clones; founders say such discussions were hypothetical. No evidence exists that R3 has cloned large animals or humans, though documents outline a road map for “body replacement cloning.”