The ethics of research involving animals - Nuffield Council on ...

T h e e t h i c s o f r e s e a r c h i n v o l v i n g a n i m a l s
Chimera: An organism made up <strong>of</strong> cells derived from two genetically distinct organisms.
Chromosome: A large DNA molecule and its associated proteins in the nucleus <strong>of</strong> a cell. Genes are
specific sequences within the DNA molecule.
Circadian: Occurring or recurring about once per day.
Cloning: Gene cloning is the process <strong>of</strong> amplifying (making further copies <strong>of</strong>) a single gene
sequence. Animal cloning is the process <strong>of</strong> producing virtually genetically identical <strong>animals</strong>
(clones).
Consequentialism: A philosophical approach by which the moral value <strong>of</strong> individual human
actions, or rules for such actions, is determined primarily by their outcome.
Cortical: Of or relating to the cerebral cortex.
Cortisol: Hormone produced by adrenal cortex, which is <strong>of</strong>ten used to assess the degree <strong>of</strong> stress
in an animal.
Cytotoxicity: Toxicity to cells.
Deontology: Philosophical theory in which certain actions are right or wrong independent <strong>of</strong>
their outcome. Instead, their rightness or wrongness is defined by a formal system, which defines
certain actions as intrinsically right or wrong.
Disease phenotype: <strong>The</strong> observable characteristics <strong>of</strong> a disease.
DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid; genes are specific regions within the DNA molecules that control the
inherited characteristics <strong>of</strong> an organism.
cDNA (Complementary DNA): single-stranded DNA produced from messanger RNA sequences,
which means that it contains only the sequences that code for proteins.
Drugs: Medicinal substances.
Efficacy: <strong>The</strong> ability to produce a particular desired effect.
Embryo: An early stage <strong>of</strong> animal or plant development.
Endocrine system: A system <strong>of</strong> glands in the body and the secreted hormones that they produce.
Endogenous opioid: Morphine-like substance which is made naturally within the body.
Endpoint: <strong>The</strong> stage in an experiment or test where the procedure is terminated. Where
experiments increase suffering, <strong>animals</strong> should be killed as early as possible. This is described as
operating a ‘humane endpoint’.
Etiology: <strong>The</strong> study <strong>of</strong> the causes <strong>of</strong> disease.
Euthanasia: Literally: ‘good death’. <strong>The</strong> act <strong>of</strong> killing a human or other animal in as painless a way
as possible.
Experiment: Part <strong>of</strong> a methodological <strong>research</strong> project with the aim <strong>of</strong> answering a particular
theoretical question.
Fecundity: Fertility, the capacity for producing <strong>of</strong>fspring.
Fibroblasts: A common cell type found in vertebrate <strong>animals</strong>. <strong>The</strong>y are commonly used in
experiments, as they proliferate freely in culture.
Gene: A region <strong>of</strong> DNA that controls an inherited characteristic <strong>of</strong> an organism.
Gene expression: <strong>The</strong> process by which information contained in a gene is transcribed to produce
functional RNA molecules, which are then translated into proteins. Only a subset <strong>of</strong> an organism's
genes are expressed in any one cell type.
316