xenotransplantation

[eve]

Uncaged ( http://www.uncaged.co.uk/xeno.htm# ) has slammed plans by the South Korean Government to pump millions of dollars into pig organ transplant research over the next 6 years.

Pig-to-primate organ transplant experimentation has caused controversy across Europe and North America because of the appalling cruelty involved and the danger of creating a new viral epidemic. With South Korea's terrible animal welfare reputation and the recent lethal SARS outbreak in the Far East, this announcement will ring alarm bells around the world. They induce the births, retrieve the young, kill the mother, whilst the young are placed into a sterile environment, and they are used for transplanting organs to primates including humans.

[gertvegan]

More from www.navs.org

Could xenotransplantation really create an epidemic of new diseases in humans?
Transplanting living animal organs into humans bypasses natural barriers that prevent infection. This process makes it easier for infectious diseases and deadly viruses to pass from animals to humans, which could cause illness and death of the recipient, as well as the spread of disease to epidemic levels. With the very real possibility that deadly infectious agents could find a compatible home in a human, then transmit itself from human to human, mutating along the way, xenotransplantation could very well unleash an epidemic that could outstrip AIDS in its devastation. Even the most careful screening of a donor animal is no guarantee of safety. There is no such thing as a “virus free” animal. Moreover, scientists can only screen for known viruses and other disease agents. They have no way of screening for disease agents that have yet to be discovered. Consider prions, an entirely different form of infectious substances, which were not discovered until 1982. (Prions are responsible for Mad Cow Disease and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.) These infectious substances lie dormant in living systems for years before bringing on lethal disease. So far, they cannot be killed or controlled. And prions may be found in pigs, which are now the favored animal for experimental xenografts.

[adam antichrist]

Viruses are to my knowledge not detected, it is the antibody in the blood that is examined... reason being there may be only a small population of the virus in the animal system but antibodys will appear all throughout the blood. The antibody has to be discovered before the virus is detected.
There is very strong evidence that HIV arose from the use of chimpanzee organs in the development of polio vaccines in the 50's. I think the only way to be safe from allowing a species specific antigen to develop by xenotransplantation is to not do it.
What I find most offensive is the fact that the sow etc is killed to remove the feotuses. This is undoubtedly a cost cutting measure. If they used human embryos obtained by cloning or in vitro development the donor parents get to stay alive. To me there is no argument on this... humans are not worth more than animals.

[tsunami]

Exactly.

[eve]

A recent Newsletter from the Australian Association for Humane Research (AAHR) reveals that there was some polling done to see how many Australians are informed about xenotransplantation. There were public consultations held in 2002 and 2004, but the polling revealed that only 5% of Australians claim to correctly know that it means transplantation of animal organs, cells, or tissues into humans. Obviously over 90% are ignorant of the potential dangers involved, A fair percentage were against it anyway, but governmental information is invariably accompanied by a large picture of a child, indicating that a cure for his condition depends on animal experiments.

I must say that even here on this forum, the overwhelming interest appears to be tasty foods! But again, people generally are so kept in the dark about what's going on, that it is no wonder organisations like AAHR find it tough going. It is a vegan organisation whose aims include 'To work for the abolition of all experiments using animals'.

[adam antichrist]

My ex girlfriend worked at AAHR in 99. We went to a forum at some research place just near St. Vincent's hospital and there were a few dozen activists alongside 2-300 researchers who were so set in their own beliefs it was pointless to even discuss it with them. At the time I think the issue was the use of pound animals in research as an alternative to euthanasia. I can't recall if the propsed legislation was introduced to allow this practice in Sydney or NSW or if it was rejected, but the weight of support for it's introduction from medical professionals was very depressing.

Despite being against it, I personally would have less of a problem with vivisection if it wasn't so secretive. I am a science student and have knowledge of the problems they are tackling, but why won't they let someone like me in to their lab just to see if the animals are well kept? I belive most researchers are not interested in finding cures, because they are already being paid just to look for them whether they find them or not.

[gertvegan]

Pig organs may be safe for humans :rolleyes:

Transplanting pig organs into humans may be much safer than previously thought, a study suggests. :eek:

There is a worldwide shortage of human organs for transplants. Many people believe organs from animals, especially pigs, could be a viable alternative. :p

However, studies have suggested that transplanting these organs into humans could pose a major health risk. ;)

But this latest study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggests the risk is very low.

Yong-Guang Yang and colleagues at Harvard Medical School transplanted cells from humans and pigs into mice. :mad:

They found that the human and pig cells were able to co-exist alongside each other.

Virus concerns

Previous studies have suggested that viruses found in pig cells can infect human cells.

These viruses, called porcine endogenous retroviruses or PERVs, are harmless in pigs.

However, there are concerns that they could pose a serious health risk to humans.

This latest study suggests that this may be less of a problem than previously thought.

The scientists transplanted pig bone marrow cells into the mice. The cells did not contain a strain of PERVs known to be able to infect human cells.

These pig cells were able to co-exist safely with the human cells for the 25 weeks of the study.

The scientists described their findings as encouraging. They said the results raise the possibility of using pig organs in human transplants. :mad:

However, Dr Jonathon Stoye, head of virology at the UK's National Institute for Medical Research, suggested the results should be interpreted cautiously. :confused:

"What this paper shows is that carefully selected source animals do not seem to transmit PERVs. It is important not to generalise."

But speaking to BBC News Online, he added: "This takes us a step closer. However, the emphasis must be on not using any random pig but carefully choosing the source animals."

In the UK, the government would have to approve transplants using animal organs before they can go ahead.

Ministers have set up the UK Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority (UKXIRA) to advise them on such issues.

The authority regularly reviews the latest scientific research in this area.

[eve]

There's an interesting article in the current issue of the Australian 'Vegan Voice' magazine, by Andrew Bell. Seems there's a strong call around the world for people to offer their organs to be harvested after death. As the demand outstrips supply, this puts pressure to create animals, kill them, and harvest their organs for transplantation into humans.

A valid point made by A Bell, is that rather than spending billions of dollars on xtp research, it would be more worthwhile to spend 10% of that amount on hospices devoted to graceful dying, perhaps a rural retreat where the terminally ill could go and prepare themselves, under guidance. He says that we need to perceive the boundary between what is sensible life-saving skills, and what is an unnecessary fight preventing us from letting go of our body when the time comes.

I've visited a wonderful buddhist hospice in Queensland, where volunteers maintain daily contact with people who want to die at home, surrounded by friends, rather than in a hospital with tubes going in and out of their bodies.

What do you think?