Ethical issues related to animal biotechnology

Introduction

Why are genetically modified animals produced?

Examples of transgenic animals

Why are animals used instead of genetically modified microbes or plants?

Ethical issues

Religious concerns

Responsibility of Scientists
Need for Guidelines
 
Conclusion
 References

1. Ethical issues related to animal
biotechnology
By
KAUSHAL KUMAR SAHU
Assistant Professor (Ad Hoc)
Department of Biotechnology
Govt. Digvijay Autonomous P. G. College
Raj-Nandgaon ( C. G. )

2. Synopsis
Introduction
Why are genetically modified animals produced?
Examples of transgenic animals
Why are animals used instead of genetically modified microbes or plants?
Ethical issues
Religious concerns
Responsibility of Scientists
Need for Guidelines
Conclusion
References

3. Animal biotechnology is the application of scientific and
engineering principles to the production of materials by animals
or aquatic species to provide goods and services.
Examples of animal biotechnology include generation of
transgenic animals or transgenic fish, using gene knockout
technology to generate animals in which a specific gene has
been inactivated, production of nearly identical animals by
somatic cell nuclear transfer, or production of infertile aquatic
species.
Introduction

4. In general, the phrase “animal biotechnology” covers many well established
procedures ofconventional livestock breeding such as performancetesting and
the use of artificial insemination, aswell as major developments in reproductive
physiology over recent decades such as in vitrofertilisation(test tube babies)
and embryo transfer(surrogacy).
The ethical issues associated with transgenic animals and
mammalian cloning fit into three broad categories:-
•First are issues that pertain to the impact of this technology on the animals
themselves.
•Second are issues that relate to the institutions and procedures that govern the
research and applications context within the agrifoodsystem.
•Finally, there are issues that relate to the relationship between humans and
other animals; the way that humans think of or act in regard to nonhumans,
irrespective of the effect that human conduct has on the animals.

5. Why are genetically modified animals produced?
1. To help scientists to identify, isolate and characterisegenes in order to
understand more about their function and regulation.
2. To provide research models of human diseases, to help develop new drugs
and new strategies for repairing defective genes (“gene therapy”).
3. To provide organs and tissues for use in human transplant surgery.
4. To enhance livestock improvement Programmes
5. To produce milk which contains therapeutic proteins; or to alter the
composition of the milk to improve its nutritional value for human infants.

6. Examples of transgenic animals:-
“Nude” mouse: A particular strain of mouse that is hairless
andhas a very small number, if any, of a particular type of cell
ofthe immune system. The mice are frequently used to
maintainhuman tumourswhich can then be studied more
easily. Dueto their genetic make up, the mice do not reject
the tumours.
The ewe on the left is genetically
modified: she carries a copy of a human
gene for an enzyme inhibitor called
alpha-1-antitrypsin which can be used to
treat some lung disorders. The ewe on
the right is Dolly –the world’s first
mammal cloned from an adult cell. She
is neither geneticallymodified nor
transgenic.

7. Why are animals used instead of genetically
modified microbes or plants?
There are two main reasons.
1. Animals may be preferred because of their closer biochemical similarity to
humans. This is important for making therapeutic molecules. So to make a
useful therapeutic form of the protein, production must be in animal cells.
2. Another reason why animals are sometimes preferred for some genetic
modification is because they can make large amounts of product. For example,
extracting large quantities of a therapeutic protein from animal milk is
technically more straightforward than purifying it from the fermentation broth of
large scale fermentation chambers of cultured plant or microbial cells.

8. Ethical issues
Three broad categories of ethical issues are associated with animal
biotechnology:
(1)the technology’s impact on the animals themselves,
(2) the institutions and procedures that govern the research and applications
within the agrifoodsystem, and
(3) the relationships between humans and other animals.

9. Some of the issues that need to be considered are the following:
•Are we blurring the lines between species by creating transgenic
combinations?
•What are the known health risks associated with transgenics?
•What are the long-term effects on the environment when transgenicsare
released in the field?
•What ethical, social, and legal controls or reviews should be placed on such
research?
•Are we inflicting pain and suffering on sentient creatures when we create
certain types of chimeras?
•Will transgenic interventions in humans create physical or behavioral traits that
may or may not be readily distinguished from what is usually perceived to be
“human”?

10. The objects of Research Ethics Committees are to:
•Maintain ethical standards of practice in research;
• Protect research participants and investigators from harm or exploitation;
• Preserve the research participant’s rights which take preference over society’s
rights; and
• Provide assurance to the public that research is conducted ethically.
Ethical Duties
1. Respect for the Law and system of government
There must be compliance with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa
and all relevant South African legislation and standards.

11. 2. Relevance
Biotechnology researchers should have an ethical responsibility to ensure that
their research is relevant. Only biotechnology activities which have the potential
must be pursued.
3. Investigator Competence
Only investigators who are competent and appropriately and suitably qualified
in the necessary field of biotechnology should conduct the research.
When assessing the competence and suitability of the researcher to conduct
the specific research the following attributes must be taken into account:
• Technical and research competence;
• Educational background and qualifications;
• Knowledge and experience in the required field;
• The researcher’s sensitivity to identify an ethical issue; and
• The ability to act responsibly and appropriately when faced with an ethically
challenging situation.

12. Responsibility of Scientists
1. scientists should be deeply concerned about avoiding unnecessary pain or
suffering or injury to animals during holding, experimentation and post –
experimentation period by monitoring and improving their housing,
environment, feeding and veterinary care.
2. Animals free of clinically recognizable or latent disease, and of appropriate
genetic stock of strain should be chosen.
3. The working objective and ethical requirement for the use of animals in
research dictates the need to use the best methods, on the smallest number of
appropriate animals required, in order to obtain valid scientific information.

13. 4. If meaningful scientific results are to be accrued through the use of animals
in research, teaching and testing, the scientific community in every country
must ensure humane and ethical treatment of animals
1. The guidelines are uniform throughout the world, and strict adherence to
these guidelines are made compulsory by appropriate animal welfare laws.
Guidelines
2. These guidelines insist on standard environmental conditions to be provided
to the animals in terms of light, temperature, humidity, ventilation, noise levels
etc. and also the standard nutritive diet to be provided to them.

14. 3. National bodies are set up in many countries for the proper care and use of
experimental animals and there is an International Committee for Laboratory
Animal Science (ICLAS) With a membership of about
100 countries.
5. In India such guidelines were published by Indian National Science Academy
(INSA) in 1992 and recently revised in 2000.
4. The ICLAS has taken up the job of setting up international guidelines for
animal husbandry, experimental procedures, teaching and training of
researchers and professionals in the field.

15. Conclusion
It must be emphasized that use of animals in research is inevitable and cannot
be abandoned in the interest of human and animal welfare. Animal
experimentation is necessary at the current level of knowledge for studying the
pathogenesis of different disease, undertake drug trials, generate a variety of
biologicalssuch as immunodiagnostics, vaccines to alleviate suffering in the
human and animals themselves. This is why the use of animals continue to be
mandatory to meet the statutory requirements. However, efforts to develop
alternate methods should continuously be made so that the day will be reached
when no more animals are used for experimentation.

16. References
Culture of animal cell , 6
th
edition , R. Ian Freshney
Ethics, morality and animal biotechnology –Roger Straughan
Animal biomedical research –N. V. GiridharanNCLAS Hyderabad , Vijay
Kumar & VasanthaMuthuswamyICMR New Delhi
Net source