August 30, 2016

expert reaction to opinion piece on the ethics of human-animal embryo research in the USA

An opinion piece published in the journal PLOS Biology has argued that ethical concerns around research on human-animal embryo mixes in the USA could be better addressed.

Prof. Barbara Prainsack, Political scientist with expertise in the regulatory, social and ethical dimensions of bioscience, King’s College London, said:

“In the UK the creation of hybrid (human-animal) embryos is not prohibited in principle but would require a license by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (and possibly other agencies, as this guidance outlines: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/491496/Animals_Containing_Human_Material_Final_Guidance.pdf). This means that with the end of the ban, the US situation moves more closely to the UK situation, where there is no ‘in principle’ restriction on public funding for chimera research (if adequately licensed).

“It’s important to keep in mind that the NIH’s funding moratorium did not make the creation of chimeras illegal; it only meant that federal funding could not be used to pay for certain ways of creating them. If transferring human stem cells to animal embryos were seen as a grave danger to society it would be outlawed altogether. That the pendulum now swings in the opposite direction indicates that US lawmakers at least consider existing oversight mechanisms as sufficient to avoid problematic uses of chimera technologies.”

Dr Dusko Ilic, Reader in Stem Cell Science, King’s College London, said:

“This article tackling the ethical issues of human/non-human chimera research is both timely and straightforward in defining concerns that are hindering progress of the field. Regardless do I agree with the author’s argumentation or not, I believe that the discussion should be open and it should start from somewhere. This article provides a very good starting point.”

‘What’s Wrong with Human/Nonhuman Chimera Research?’ by Hyun published in PLOS Biology on Tuesday 30th Augustt. 

Declared interests

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