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Clinical ethics
Paper
Creating human organs in chimaera pigs: an ethical source of immunocompatible organs?
  1. David Shaw1,2,
  2. Wybo Dondorp1,
  3. Niels Geijsen3,
  4. Guido de Wert1
  1. 1Department of Health, Ethics and Society, Research School GROW, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
  2. 2Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel
  3. 3Hubrecht Institute and University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht, The Netherlands
  1. Correspondence to Dr David Shaw, Department of Health, Ethics and Society, University of Maastricht, Postbus 616, Maastricht 6200MD, The Netherlands; davidmartinshaw{at}gmail.com

Abstract

New techniques in regenerative medicine may soon enable the creation of human organs inside animals using induced pluripotent stem cells. This technology has the potential to solve the organ scarcity problem by providing a limitless source of personalised organs for transplantation, but also raises several ethical issues, particularly concerning animal welfare, the ‘human features’ problem and human dignity.

  • Animal Production
  • Transplantation
  • Genetic Engineering
  • Stem Cell Research

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2014-102224

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