One of the most exciting moments during the bioethics conference, "Bioethics in the New Millennium," at Princeton University was the lecture on 26 February by Dr. Ian Wilmut, otherwise known as the "guy who cloned Dolly." Wilmut was appointed Principal Investigator at the Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research at the Roslin Institute in 1981. In the summer of 1995, his team successfully cloned an offspring using the technique of nuclear transfer from a cell of a 6-year-old ewe. Wilmut informed us that Dolly is in good health and that she is expecting offspring of her own. His work ignited many possibilities that were deemed unrealistic a few years ago. Wilmut Discusses Opportunities and Implications from Cloning Research
by Betty Chan
In his well-organized lecture, Wilmut discussed five medical opportunities that cloning research can offer in the future, and he addressed the ethical implications for each. First, he talked about xenotransplantation. Approximately 200,000 people die every year waiting for an organ. Because human physiology is very similar to that of a pig, it has been suggested that pig organs be used as substitutes for human organs. A major problem is that there are sugars found on cell surfaces in pigs that are not found in humans. These sugars yield an antibiotic response in humans, and as a result, these transplants fail. A solution to prevent rejection is to switch off the gene that expresses the production of these sugars. However, there are several ethical implications to this procedure. Will the health of the pigs be affected after changing their genetic blueprint? Will they lead normal lives? What will happen to the carcass after their organs of interest have been removed for transplants? Is this the most effective way of using resources?
Cloning research can also provide models of disease. Almost all diseases have a genetic component. Wilmut used cystic fibrosis as an example. There were two ways to study and monitor this disease. One way was to monitor humans, but it was proven to be too difficult. Mice were used, but their genes are very different, and the results obtained from the study could not be applied to humans. An alternative is to use sheep to generate a model of cystic fibrosis. Sheep were used in the past to study respiration, and their genes are very similar to those of humans. However, there are ethical implications. Sheep are made ill for this purpose. Many people find this very offensive.
Another medical opportunity that will be available in the future is using human cells to treat diseases. Cells that need treatment are usually damaged beyond repair. Stem cells, those that have not differentiated into specialized tissues, were taken from an embryo and raised in a culture where they grow without ever differentiating. These cells can be used to treat diseases. Stem cell research has elicited a strong response from the public over the past couple of months. Although the stem cells are removed from the embryo at the stage where the nervous system has not developed so it is unaware and cannot feel any pain, many people are still deeply offended by this. An embryo is, essentially, a potential person. Interestingly enough, Wilmut presented statistics showing 85% of worldwide population are against stem cell research while 55% of the British population, Wilmut included, find it to be acceptable.
According to Wilmut, copying people may be an answer to individuals who are infertile, who want to bring back a lost relative, or who want to copy a person with desired traits. There are, of course, implications to this procedure. The offspring will be genetically and physically similar, but his or her personality may be different due to environmental factors. To a parent who has imagined what the child would be like, this may be a disappointment as tensions are created if the child is not an exact copy of their desired person. Would the copy then be treated appropriately? The interest of the adult and the interest of the child need to be balanced.
Lastly, changing one's germline may be a possibility due to cloning research. Embryos can be engineered in such a way that they are free of any genetic disease. Wilmut used Huntington's Disease as an example. Individuals carrying an embryo with the gene for Huntington's Disease have four choices. They can have the child regardless of the genetic defect, discard the affected embryo, abort the affected fetus (which is the worst of all options), or correct the genetic error. Cloning research will allow children to live longer and healthier lives. However, ethical implications arise when individuals would want to have their embryos screened for intelligence or special abilities and enhanced with desired traits. Wilmut warned the audience that at this level, humans would never learn to accept themselves and their children. Overall, Wilmut emphasized educating the public. Individuals should know about the technology and all their options before making a decision. Like most of the speakers at the conference, Wilmut stressed regulations at the level of the state and hospital. In his opinion, cloning technique is an extremely valuable application to medicine, and it should be regulated carefully.
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