Abstract
Emerging biotechnology may soon allow the creation of genetically human organs inside animals, with non-human primates (henceforth simply “primates”) and pigs being the best candidate species. This prospect raises the question of whether creating organs in primates in order to then transplant them into humans would be more (or less) acceptable than using them for research. In this paper, we examine the validity of the purported moral distinction between primates and other animals, and analyze the ethical acceptability of using primates to create organs for human use.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boneva, R., and T. Folks. 2004. Xenotransplantation and risks of zoonotic infections. Annals of Medicine 36: 504–517.
Edelman, D., C. Koch, and P. Low, 2012. Cambridge declaration on consciousness.
European Commission Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER). 2009. http://ec.europa.eu/health/opinions/en/non-human-primates/#7.
Glendinning, L. Spanish parliament approves ‘human rights’ for apes http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/26/humanrights.animalwelfare 26.6.08.
Isotani, A., H. Hatayama, K. Kaseda, M. Ikawa, and M. Okabe. 2011. Formation of a thymus from rat ES cells in xenogeneic nude mouse<–>rat ES chimeras. Genes to Cells 16: 397–405.
Kobayashi, T., et al. 2010. Generation of rat pancreas in mouse by interspecific blastocyst injection of pluripotent stem cells. Cell 142: 787–799.
Mattiuzzo, G., L. Scobie, and Y. Takeuchi. 2008. Strategies to enhance the safety profile of xenotransplantation: minimizing the risk of viral zoonoses. Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation 13: 184–188.
McMahan, J. 2003. The ethics of killing: Problems at the margins of life. Oxford: Oxford University Pres.
Nagel, T. 1974. What is it like to be a bat? The Philosophical Review 83(4): 435–450.
National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research. 2013. What are the 3Rs? http://www.nc3rs.org.uk/page.asp?id=7.
Nuffield Council on Bioethics. 2005. The ethic of involving animals in research. http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/animal-research.
Shanks, N., and R. Greek. 2008. Experimental use of nonhuman primates is not a simple problem. Nature Medicine 14: 1012. doi:10.1038/nm1008-1012a.
Shaw, D. 2014. Creating chimeras for organs is legal in Switzerland. Bioethica Forum 14(1).
Singer, P. Practical ethics. 1993. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 87 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159109000392.
Singer, P. Heavy petting. Nerve. 2001. Available at: http://www.utilitarianism.net/singer/by/2001----.htm.
UK Government. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals-great-britain-2012, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals-great-britain-2012.
Welcome Trust/MRC. Review of Research Using Non-Human Primates. 2006. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/stellent/groups/corporatesite/@policy_communications/documents/web_document/wtvm052279.pdf.
Wikipedia editors. Animal testing on non-human primates. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_testing_on_non-human_primates.
Wurbel, H. 2009. Ethology applied to animal ethics. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 118(3–4):118–127. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159109000392.
Conflict of interest
The authors of this manuscript have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shaw, D., Dondorp, W. & de Wert, G. Using non-human primates to benefit humans: research and organ transplantation. Med Health Care and Philos 17, 573–578 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-014-9565-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-014-9565-x