These animals are all the result of genetic engineering--that is, they are all the result of a process of adding genes from other species into the pig genome. Each of the transgenic animals described above may be a means of achieving an admirable goal--a cleaner environment, or new ways to help suffering human beings. However, not everyone is convinced that creating transgenic animals is an ethical thing to do, all things considered. Issues include animal welfare (the extent to which animals experience suffering), the genetic integrity of the animals (whether animals are harmed simply by having their genome manipulated by human beings), environmental risks and benefits, and public health.Researchers at Guelph University in Canada hope that their Enviropigs will help the environment by producing less phosphorus in their feces than non-transgenic pigs. Because phosphorus is an environmental pollutant in high quantities, manure from Enviropigs is less threatening to the environment than manure from other pigs, reducing the amount of phosphorus in the fields where it is applied as fertilizer and in runoff into waterways.Transgenic pigs are producing milk that contains human proteins that promote blood clotting. The American Red Cross hopes that these pigs will eventually produce large quantities of such proteins, which currently are available only in limited supply. A large supply of these proteins could facilitate regular preventive treatment for people with hemophilia, thereby enabling them to engage in a normal range of activities.
Researchers at a company called Nextran, Inc. have been designing transgenic pigs to serve as organ donors for human beings. While any organ transplantation involves a risk of rejection, the risk of rejection when the donated organ is from a different species (xenotransplantation) is high indeed. Nextran researchers have therefore been developing pigs whose organs will seem “human” to the recipient’s immune system.
| For Everyone | For the Classroom | For Extension | Activities | Contact Us | Search |
| Office of Biotechnology homepage | Search the Office of Biotechnology homepage |
Published by: Office
of Biotechnology, Bioethics Outreach
Ames, Iowa 50011-3260, (515) 294-9818, biotech@iastate.edu
Questions about the site? E-mail biotech@www.biotech.iastate.edu
Copyright © 2003, Iowa State University. All rights reserved.
Last Update 03/03/04