Xenotransplantation - Nuffield Council on Bioethics

Preface
Preface
Since the <strong>Nuffield</strong> <strong>Council</strong> on Bioethics decided to initiate an inquiry into
xenotransplantation (animal-to-human transplants), the issues posed by that clinical procedure
have become more important and urgent in the light of:
the continuing shortfall of human donation to meet the growing demand for
organ transplantation;
growing uncertainty about the risk of the potential transmission of diseases
by xenografts;
public concern about the proper use of the genetic modification of animals;
wide and increasing concern about animal welfare.
In the United Kingdom these concerns have been highlighted by the announcement in
September 1995 by the UK company Imutran Ltd that, in the light of its research with pigs
and monkeys, it envisaged the first xenografts of transgenic pig hearts into human patients
taking place in 1996.
The <strong>Council</strong> set up a Working Party in January 1995 under the chairmanship of Professor
Albert Weale. The Working Party engaged in a wide public consultation. Its report has now
been carefully considered and endorsed by the <strong>Council</strong>. Its importance has been underlined
by the Government decision last September to set up a committee of its own, chaired by
Professor Ian Kennedy (a member of the <strong>Nuffield</strong> <strong>Council</strong> on Bioethics), which is also
examining xenotransplantation. That committee can be expected to draw on and
complement this report.
The report sets out the progress made in developing xenotransplantation as a procedure, and
it addresses a range of key questions. What effective alternatives exist? Is it ethically
acceptable to use animals for this purpose - specifically primates and transgenic pigs? Will
xenografts be safe? How will patients react? What are the implications for the NHS?
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