Xenotransplantation - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Xenotransplantation - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Xenotransplantation - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
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Animal-to-Human Transplants : the ethics of xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong><br />
The use of pigs for xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong><br />
4.42 The main alternative to using primates for xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong> is to use pigs<br />
(paragraph 3.4). Thus, the moral justificati<strong>on</strong> for using pigs to provide organs for<br />
xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong> must be c<strong>on</strong>sidered. When c<strong>on</strong>sidering the use of primates for<br />
xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong>, the capacities they share with human beings, notably their selfawareness,<br />
led to ethical c<strong>on</strong>cerns about their use for xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong>. While<br />
unquesti<strong>on</strong>ably intelligent and sociable animals, 25 there is less evidence that pigs<br />
share capacities with human beings to the extent that primates do. As such, the<br />
adverse effects suffered by the pigs used to supply organs for xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong><br />
would not outweigh the potential benefits to human beings. In the UK, the breeding<br />
of pigs for human use is well established. It is difficult to see how, in a society in<br />
which the breeding of pigs for food and clothing is accepted, their use for life-saving<br />
medical procedures such as xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong> could be unacceptable. The Working<br />
Party c<strong>on</strong>cluded that the use of pigs for the routine supply of organs for<br />
xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong> was ethically acceptable.<br />
4.43 In order for it to be ethically acceptable to use pigs for xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong> it will be<br />
necessary to ensure that the c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s in which they are bred and reared are of the<br />
highest possible standard from the point of view of welfare, and that any pain and<br />
suffering is kept to a minimum. Animal welfare issues are discussed in Chapter 5.<br />
4.44 If pigs are to be used for xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong>, they are likely to have been modified<br />
so that they c<strong>on</strong>tain genetic material of human origin (paragraphs 3.24 - 3.32). The<br />
next secti<strong>on</strong> discusses the ethical c<strong>on</strong>cerns that may arise from the use of transgenic<br />
animals for xenografting.<br />
The use of transgenic animals for xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong><br />
4.45 The essence of transgenesis is that a gene from <strong>on</strong>e species is incorporated into<br />
another. The transferred gene enables the transgenic animal to produce a particular<br />
protein. The transgenic pigs bred for xenotransplantati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tain a human gene<br />
which produces a complement regulating protein. This reduces the immune resp<strong>on</strong>se<br />
to transplanted organs (paragraphs 3.24 - 3.29). It is around the transfer of genetic<br />
material that ethical c<strong>on</strong>cerns turn. One UK study, of schoolchildren aged 14 - 16,<br />
found that they were particularly c<strong>on</strong>cerned about genetic modificati<strong>on</strong> of farm<br />
animals. 26 Some see the producti<strong>on</strong> of transgenic animals as an unnatural act that<br />
attempts to change the nature of animals and violates species boundaries. According<br />
to this view, genes have a particular significance because they c<strong>on</strong>tain the informati<strong>on</strong><br />
25<br />
Singer P (1995) Animal Liberati<strong>on</strong> Sec<strong>on</strong>d editi<strong>on</strong>. L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong>: Pimlico. pp 119-29.<br />
26<br />
Lock R and Miles C (1993) Biotechnology and genetic engineering: students’ knowledge and attitudes. Journal<br />
of Biological Educati<strong>on</strong>, 27, 267-72.<br />
52