According to foreign media reports, the 57-year-old American man David Bennett (David Bennett) received a genetically modified pig heart transplant, becoming the first patient in the world to complete the operation. His doctors believed that Bennett was ineligible for a human heart donation. On January 7, Bennett underwent a seven-hour experimental operation and three days following the operation, he was doing well.
The procedure has been hailed by many as a medical breakthrough that may shorten organ transplant wait times and improve the quality of life for patients around the world. However, some questioning voices regarding ethical issues have also emerged, such as whether the process of transgenic pig organ transplantation is ethical? Doubters point to potential ethical issues with the process in terms of patient safety, animal rights and religion. So what’s the controversy surrounding GM pig organ transplantation?
Animal organ transplantation is an experimental procedure that poses huge risks to patients. Well-matched human donor organs may experience organ rejection following transplantation, while animal organ transplants may be at higher risk. Doctors have tried xenotransplantation from animal organs for decades, with both success and failure.
In 1984, doctors in California tried to transplant a baboon’s heart to save the life of a baby girl, but the baby died within a month of her xenotransplantation.
Some medical ethicists say that while the treatment is very dangerous, doctors should still choose to try it if the patient is aware of the risks.
“You can never know if a patient will die ‘catastrophically’ following treatment – but you can’t move forward without taking that risk,” said Julian Savulescu, a professor of practical ethics at Oxford University. Vulescu added that as long as individuals understand all the risks, he thinks people should be able to agree to these radical experiments.
Professor Cervulescu also said it was important that patients were offered all available options, including mechanical heart support or human organ transplants.
Doctors in charge of Bennett’s surgery believed it was justified because Bennett had no other treatment options and would have died if he did not receive a xenotransplantation.
Prof Cervulescu said any surgery must go through “very rigorous testing on human tissue and non-human animals” to ensure the safety of the surgery.
Experimental surgeries are usually performed as part of clinical trials, but that was not the case with Mr. Bennett’s surgery, and the drugs Bennett was taking were not tested on non-human primates.
But Christine Lau, a physician at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said they didn’t “cut corners” in preparing for the surgery. Christine was involved in and planned Bennett’s treatment. “We’ve been experimenting with primates for decades to the point where we think it’s safe to deliver this treatment to human recipients,” she told the outlet.
animal rights
Bennett’s treatment has sparked debate over whether pigs should be used as a source of human organ transplants, with many animal rights groups opposed to it.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) condemned Bennett’s pig heart transplant as unethical, dangerous and a huge waste of resources.
PETA said: “Animals are not plundered tools, but complex and intelligent creatures.”
Activists say it’s a mistake to artificially alter the genes of animals to make them more similar to humans. To reduce Bennett’s rejection, the scientists modified ten genes in the “donor pigs”. On the day of Bennett’s surgery, doctors removed the pig’s heart.
A spokesman for British animal rights group Animal Aid told the media it opposed genetic modification or xenotransplantation of animals “under any circumstances”.
Animal Aid said: “Animals have the right to live their lives, not to suffer all the pain and trauma of genetic manipulation and then be killed and their organs removed.”
Some activists worry that the genetic modification might have unknown and long-term effects on pig health.
Dr Katrien Devolder, a bioethics researcher at the University of Oxford, said we might only use genetically modified pigs as organ transplant donors “to ensure they do not suffer unnecessary harm”.
“There are more problems with using pigs to produce meat than they are saving lives, and of course that’s not a reason to ignore animal welfare,” DeWold said.
Transgenic pigs raised for organ transplantation
religious belief
Another conundrum may arise among groups with particular beliefs that may make it difficult for them to receive animal organ transplants.
The relevant organs of pigs are similar in size to human organs, and pigs are easy to raise and breed in captivity compared to other animals, so pigs are selected as donors for organ transplantation.
So what are the implications of choosing animal organ transplants for Jewish patients or Muslim patients? What strict rules does their religion have on animals?
Dr Moshe Freedman, a member of the UK Department of Health’s Ethics and Ethics Advisory Group (MEAG), said that although Jewish law prohibits Jews from keeping pigs or eating pork, receiving a pig heart transplant “does not violate kosher dietary law in any way”.
“Because the protection of human life is the primary concern of Jewish law, Jewish patients will have the best chance of survival and the best quality of life in the future if this treatment modality provides them with the best chance of survival and the best quality of life in the future,” Friedman said in an interview with the media. Obligation to accept animal organ transplants.”
Islam has a similar bottom line that the use of animal material will be allowed if it saves a person’s life.
Egypt’s central authority responsible for issuing religious rulings said pig heart valves would be allowed if there were “fears of loss of life, worsening or continuation of a patient’s disease”.
Professor Cervulescu said that even if someone refuses an animal organ transplant because of their religious beliefs or ethics, they should not be given less priority on the waiting list for human organ donors.
“Some people may think that once you give up the opportunity for an organ transplant, you should re-queue; others may think that you should have the same rights as other patients,” said Professor Cervulescu. “These are just our Circumstances that must be reconciled.”
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