Man With Genetically Modified Pig Heart Dies. Was the Experiment Ethical?

David Bennett, the first person in the world to receive a heart transplant from a genetically modified pig, has died. The 57-year-old suffered from terminal heart disease and underwent the procedure at the University of Maryland Medical Center in January of this year. But was the experiment ethical?

Human-Based Ethics

Transplants using donor animals, also known as xenotransplantation, is not a recent practice. And going from Bennett’s case, scientific certainties have not yet been achieved. Data by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concludes that “the use of xenotransplantation raises concerns regarding the potential infection of recipients with both recognized and unrecognized infectious agents” These mainly relate to the transmission of animal pathogens on the patient and the possibility of human-to-human transmission.

Beyond the transmission of animal pathogens, there is the possibility of humans reacting badly to medication considered safe for the donor animals. “If you were volunteering for a clinical trial, there is more than 90 percent chance that the drug that tested safe and effective in animals will be ineffective or unsafe in you,” neurologist, public health specialist Doctor Aysha Akhtar explains.

While the procedure carries great risk, some ethicists argue that they should be allowed under specific circumstances. “As long as the individual understands the full range of risks, I think people should be able to consent to these radical experiments.” Professor Julian Savulescu, Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford told the BBC. Bennett, who was ineligible for a human transplant, fully understood the risks and realized it was a “shot in the dark.”

But with scientific research reaching new levels of sophistication, one is also left wondering why other methods aren’t receiving proper investment. Alternatives to xenotransplantation have been heavily debated since the 90s, and therapies such as 3D Bioprinting and Regenerative Medicine have been proposed.

Animal-Based Criticism

But what does it mean for those who can’t give their consent – the animals? The question of whether xenotransplantation is ethical for animals is twofold. On the one hand, it raises concerns regarding animal testing. And on the other hand, the ethical treatment of genetically manipulated animals is questioned.

Before scientists receive the green light for animal organs to be given to humans, they must first perform extensive tests on non-human animals. “Thousands of monkeys, chimpanzees, and baboons have been experimented on and killed in the course of this cross-species transplant research,“ PBS explains. While a ban on animal testing for cosmetics is being enacted on a large scale, banning animal testing in the medical sector is more difficult to achieve due to a lack of funds in other areas of research.

Beyond animal testing, there is the issue of exposing the genetically manipulated animal to high levels of psychological stress. Animal ethicist Bernice Bovenkerk told Wageningen University & Research that “they [animals] must live in a completely sterile environment without pathogens, in which they probably do not have contact with others of their species and cannot display natural behaviour.” Bovenkerk continues her argument by drawing connections between the donor animals and livestock by stating that “animals are made even more ‘object-like’. Of course, this already happens in livestock farming, but we cross this line even further when we raise animals for organs. In that case, we genetically modify the animals to specifically serve as a reservoir with spare parts for us.”

Xenotransplantation still carries great risk for humans and allows animals to be tested on and farmed in unnatural environments. In the days of technological advancement and increased investment in animal welfare, is xenotransplantation really of this time?

Related Content:

• 5 Ways Animal Testing Hurts Humans
• Congress Steps Up for Lab Animal Testing Survivors
• European Parliament Votes to Phase Out Animal Testing
• Mexico Becomes First Country in North America to Outlaw Animal Testing for Cosmetics
• NIH Funds Animal Testing Overseas, Per Report

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