...Mahatma Gandhi said that “the greatest of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated “. There is increasing rate of a shortage of organs in many countries and many individuals are unfortunate not to receive an organ transplant. It is estimated that on average, over 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list each month and thirteen people die each day while waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant. Scientists are currently searching for a solution to organ shortage, and one of the solutions they have suggested is called xenotransplantation. The transplantation of living cells, tissue or organs from one species to another is known as xenotransplantation. In the 1900s, many scientists and doctors attempted to transplant an animal’s organs into a human....
Words: 1216 - Pages: 5
...consideration the number of tragedies in a day and the number of people waiting for a transplant, you can only imagine how high the demand of organs is. What if we did not limit transplant givers or recipients to humans? The medical field should be doing more research and practice procedures using Xenotransplantation for the sake of others lives that are in danger and cannot wait. Xenotransplantation is the transplantation...
Words: 1822 - Pages: 8
...organ or living tissue and implanting it in another part of the body or in another body. (Oxford, 2018). Xenotransplantation is a particular type of transplantation “the process of grafting or transplanting organs or tissues between members of different species” (Oxford, 2018) Solid organs like a heart or liver, as well as tissue, such as skin, and or their components or groups of specialised cells can be transplanted under this umbrella term. An example of this could be transplanting a heart valve from pig to replace a heart valve in a human patient. A significantly large number of people die each year waiting for a vital organ transplant from a human donor, therefore, making the xenotransplantation...
Words: 1365 - Pages: 6
...composed of cells from two or more species. Specifically, human-animal chimeras are research organisms whose tissues and organs contain both human cells and their own types of cells. In many experiments, human stem cells are injected into an embryo of another animal in order to create human organs. Xenotransplantation still has yet to be tested, especially in regard to immune rejections, but it provides hope for those who are in desperate need of an organ transplant (Agnew). Chimeras are not only limited to organ transplantation. Besides organ transplants, chimeric organisms are excellent for testing possible treatments...
Words: 1588 - Pages: 7
...Examine how Bentham’s utilitarianism may be applied to one ethical issue of your choice Organ donation Utilitarian's believe that humans are motivated by the pursuit to maximise happiness and minimise pain, which is called a hedonist view. Utilitarianism is an ethical principle, a philosophical system which takes into account consequences of an action rather than motives, where the happiness of the greatest number should be the result, as it is therefore morally right. Jeremy Bentham's understanding of the utilitarian principle is called Act Utilitarianism. His approach states that the rightness or wrongness of an individual act is calculated by the amount of happiness that results from the act. His view is also a hedonist view, which proposes that the main good is pleasure, whilst the main evil is pain. He therefore proposed that all humans pursue the maximisation of pleasure and minimisation of pain. Bentham believed in the greatest good for the greatest number, and believed that quantity (rather than Mills belief in quality) played the main role in deciding whether an act was good or not, as the one providing most pleasure for most people, whilst providing least or no pain, is seen as the best choice by Bentham. To decide the value of happiness created with such act, Bentham would apply the Hedonic calculus, with 7 criteria which help to calculate pain and pleasure generated by the act. Intensity would be applied to see how intense the pleasure or pain is, duration...
Words: 987 - Pages: 4
...way resulting in genetically modified organism also known as GMO. One GMO being used now is genetically modified or engineered animals which are animals in which modern technology and molecular biology are used to alter their existing characteristics or traits. Genetically modified animals are used for various purposes the biggest one now is bio pharma meaning they are intended to produce substances that can be used for human or animal pharmaceuticals. There is also a development of genetically modified animals for the use of scarce cells, tissue, or organs for transplants into humans known as xenotransplantation such as organs from pigs who are a potential source of organs for transplant. The benefits genetically modified animals can produce depend entirely on the traits that are introduced, for example some animals can be made to grow faster and therefore requiring less food to sustain them other animals have improved fat composition providing a more healthful nutrient profile. As of now no genetic modified animal has been approved to be raised for food use in the U.S.A mostly genetically engineered animals are used for medical applications and medical research purposes. Social and ethical implications- The animal’s condition and overall welfare may not be taken into consideration when creating these genetically modified animals. Or if the animal is coping with the conditions in which it lives...
Words: 748 - Pages: 3
...Answer the following questions. Q1. With proper examples, describe how you have benefited from the biotechnology applications. Since ancient time, biotechnology applications have been used. For me, I think that I am very much benefited in the field of food and beverages. This is said so because we have been using microbes in making bread, cheese, yogurts and also alcoholic drinks. In agriculture field, fruits and vegetables are being modified in order to have a better taste, have a longer shelf life, better texture and colour or even having the resistant to some disease or pests and a lesser usage of pesticides. Thus, biotechnology applications in agriculture are able to bring a healthier diet as lesser pesticides are being used, a sufficient demand of food to the nations and a more environment friendly plantation. Besides, now in the 21st century, the advancement of biotechnology in medical field has brought tons of benefits to people. For an example, diabetes are now being able to be controlled better by having a synthetically produced insulin through the recombinant plasmid inserted into a bacteria- Escherichia coli. Insulin that is able to be produced in a large amount and a much lower cost to be compared to the extraction from cattle or pigs which is the previous method in getting insulin. Moreover, Dr. Michio Kaku which is a physicist and also a futurist have shown us in his video about the scientists are now trying to repair and grow human organs and tissues...
Words: 699 - Pages: 3
...Is Organ Donation Free? 19 Things You Should Know About Being an Organ Donor David McNew/Getty Images News/Getty Images George Carlin once joked that he’d never become an organ donor because, if he ever got into a serious accident, the paramedic would be “looking for parts” instead of trying to save his life. A good routine, but also a documented urban legend. Doctors will, of course, do everything within their power to save you when you need it — but if what you need is an organ, there’s only so much they can do. There’s a worldwide organ shortage, and it’s not unlikely that you’ll need one some day. In fact, from a statistical standpoint, you’re more likely to require a transplant at some point during your than you are to become a donor. In the spirit of National Transplant Week, here 19 things you probably didn’t know about organ donation. 1. Somebody is added to the organ donor list every 10 minutes. 2. Roughly 18 people die every day while waiting for an organ transplant that never comes. That’s 6,570 people per year. 3. Tons of celebrities have received organ donations, including Steve Jobs, Tracy Morgan, Lucy Davis, and Natalie Cole. Homeland’s Mandy Patinkin even had two (a corneal transplant in each eye). 4. There’s an ongoing ethical dilemma surrounding alcoholics who need liver transplants. Usually, people with alcoholic liver disease are required to demonstrate six months’ of sobriety prior to receiving a transplant; however, only 30 percent of people who’ve...
Words: 718 - Pages: 3
...So are the even more recent attempts to reframe and expand the number of bodies available for donation by implementing DCD (donation after cardiac death) in cases where total brain infarction does not occur, but the hope of recovery to consciousness and a life worth living is (close to) zero. Giving away one’s organs when one does not need them any more (when one is dead, or, perhaps rather, “dead enough”) is increasingly framed by states as a gift one cannot refuse to give, provided that one has been properly informed about what the decision means to those in need of an organ. Framed in this manner, the refusal to donate becomes viewed as irrational. What rational person would want to keep something that he or she does not need when others are in desperate need of that very thing? As a consequence, all citizens’ willingness to give the “gift of life” of organ donation can be presumed. Organs are too precious to be wasted because people are irrational or egoistic, or simply because they do not want...
Words: 869 - Pages: 4
...differentiate right and wrong. It might be wise maxims of Confucius or religious beliefs. The most general way to define “ethics” is that “moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior” (American English in Oxford Dictionary). Bioethics is a pretty young interdisciplinary study, which is considered with ethical questions related to the relationships among human beings, animals, and environments in the late twentieth century. Based on this, bioethics derived three main subdisciplines, which are medical ethics, animal ethics, and environmental ethics. Although each sub-discipline has particular study area in bioethics, there still are overlaps of ethical considerations and approaches. This makes it difficult to easily discuss ethics questions such as stem cell research, xenotransplantation, the ethical status of animals and the ethical status of the environment. Further discussion about the vital issue of moral status solutions is necessary at the same time. In the rapid development of the natural sciences and biotechnology has greatly promoted better living conditions and improve the living standards of people around the world. On another hand, there are opposite consequences, like water and air pollution, nuclear waste, tropical deforestation, as well as large-scale livestock farming, as well as special innovative technologies, such as gene technology and cloning, resulting in doubts and even fears about the future of humanity. Blank legal system, for example, for...
Words: 2352 - Pages: 10
...engineering transgenic animals. Transgenic animals are animals that carry genes from another species. This technology has created transgenic animals such as mice, rats, horses, chickens, goats, pigs, sheep and cows. The use of this technology brings with it ethical issues. This issue needs to be considered by stakeholders, to ensure that all parties are aware of the issues at stake and can make a valid contribution to this current debate regarding the creation and use of genetically engineered animals. Even though there have been many ethical issues surrounding transgenic animals it has benefited humans’ health and could cure various diseases. The majority of transgenic animals that were produced were mice, which is the animal that started this technology. The first successful transgenic animal was the mice via viral infection in the 1970’s. During the 1980’s the first transgenic mice via microinjection, which is the most performed technique. In 1985, the first transgenic sheep, rabbits, pigs and cattle were created, and in the 1990’s transgenic farm animal companies were seen as bioreactors and organ donors. The main logic of genetically altering animals is some transgenic animals are produced for specific economic traits. An example could be that a transgenic goat was created to produce milk containing specific human proteins that led to the treatment of diarrhea in kids from a third world country. A transgenic animal as said before is an animal that has been genetically...
Words: 2241 - Pages: 9
...Introduction Human embryonic stem cells (hES cells) are currently discussed not only by the biologists by whom they were discovered but also by the medical profession, media, ethicists, governments and politicians. There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, these ‘super cells’ have a major clinical potential in tissue repair, with their proponents believing that they represent the future relief or cure of a wide range of common disabilities; replacement of defective cells in a patient by transplantation of hES cell‐derived equivalents would restore normal function. On the other hand, the use of hES cells is highly controversial because they are derived from human pre‐implantation embryos. To date, most embryos used for the establishment of hES cell lines have been spare embryos from IVF, but the creation of embryos specifically for deriving hES cells is also under discussion. The most controversial variant of this is the transfer of a somatic cell‐nucleus from a patient to an enucleated oocyte (unfertilized egg) in order to produce hES cells genetically identical to that patient for ‘autologous’ transplantation (so‐called ‘therapeutic’ cloning); this may prevent tissue rejection. The question ‘Can these cells be isolated and used and, if so, under what conditions and restrictions’ is presently high on the political and ethical agenda, with policies and legislation being formulated in many countries to regulate their derivation. The UK has been the first to pass...
Words: 8387 - Pages: 34
...Death is often an unpleasant thought, even though it is a simple fact of life. For some it is a welcome event that can alleviate pain and suffering and can sometimes save the life of another. A simple decision to become an organ donor can save lives and improve the quality of life of recipients. Receiving a needed organ facilitates a restoration of physiological functioning and often means the difference between life and death. Many people have misconceptions regarding organ donation and simply do not understand the facts. Some do not realize the vast numbers on waiting lists and how simply becoming a donor could save the life of another. Others may be apprehensive about making a decision about their bodies after death. In this paper we explain the origins and history of organ donation, the process by which organs are donated, the ethical implications behind organ donation and discuss many of the proposed solutions to solve the organ shortage issue. HISTORY OF ORGAN DONATION The origins of organ donation arose with several experimental transplants. The first successful transplant was a bone transplant in 1878, which used a bone from a cadaver. (14) Experimentally, bone marrow transplants began by giving patients bone marrow orally after meals to cure leukemia. This had no effect, but later when they used intravenous injections to treat aplastic anemia, there was some effect (14). One development that largely aided organ donation was the discovery of blood groups...
Words: 3991 - Pages: 16
...Purposes of Gene Cloning To study genes in the laboratory, it is necessary to have many copies on hand to use as samples for different experiments. Such experiments include Southern or Northern blots, in which genes labeled with radioactive or fluorescent chemicals are used as probes for detecting specific genes that may be present in complex mixtures of DNA. Cloned genes also make it easier to study the proteins they encode. Because the genetic code of bacteria is identical to that of eukaryotes, a cloned animal or plant gene that has been introduced into a bacterium can often direct the bacterium to produce its protein product, which can then be purified and used for biochemical experimentation. Cloned genes can also be used for DNA sequencing, which is the determination of the precise order of all the base pairs in the gene. All of these applications require many copies of the DNA molecule that is being studied. Gene cloning also enables scientists to manipulate and study genes in isolation from the organism they came from. This allows researchers to conduct many experiments that would be impossible without cloned genes. For research on humans, this is clearly a major advantage, as direct experimentation on humans has many technical, financial, and ethical limitations. Importance for Medicine and Industry The ability to clone a gene is not only valuable for conducting biological research. Many important pharmaceutical drugs and industrial enzymes are produced from cloned...
Words: 5354 - Pages: 22
...ANIMAL PROCEDURES COMMITTEE REVIEW OF COST-BENEFIT ASSESSMENT IN THE USE OF ANIMALS IN RESEARCH JUNE 2003 REPORT OF THE COST-BENEFIT WORKING GROUP OF THE ANIMAL PROCEDURES COMMITTEE PREFACE Letter to the Minister from Michael Banner, Chair of the Animal Procedures Committee 17 June 2003 Dear Ms Flint ANIMAL PROCEDURES COMMITTEE: RECOMMENDATIONS ON COST-BENEFIT ASSESSMENT UNDER THE ANIMALS (SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES) ACT 1986 On behalf of the Animal Procedures Committee I enclose the Committee’s report on cost-benefit assessment. In it we address the adequacy of the current cost-benefit assessment performed in the course of evaluating project licence applications. We have sought to look at the many issues which arise in relation to this important element of the regulation of the use of animals, but would draw attention to three particular aspects of our work. In the first place we have addressed the fundamental question as to scientific validity of the use of animals. We believe that our considerations and conclusions offer an important clarification of the debate and fulfil the request made by your predecessor, Mike O’Brien, to provide advice on this issue. Secondly, while we conclude that some uses of animals may yield scientific knowledge, we argue that this does not settle the question of justification. We go on to elucidate the full range of factors which must be considered for there to be a rigorous application of the cost-benefit assessment. Thirdly, we also consider how...
Words: 56267 - Pages: 226
