In 1896 the author H.G. Wells published a science-fiction
novel titled The Island of Dr. Moreau. It tells the
story of a mysterious island inhabited by unnatural
creatures. These unfortunate beasts were the result of
horrific scientific experimentation - they were created part
animal and part human. The novel warns of the dangers of
unchecked and irresponsible scientific research.
Animal-human hybrids were once purely the stuff of
science fiction; however, fiction has now become reality.
Scientists have created sheep that possess human hearts and
livers, pigs that have been born with human blood, and a
variety of other creatures whose genetic makeup has been
tampered with. Biologists call these hybrid animals
chimeras. They are named after a mythical Greek
creature that was said to possess a lion’s head, a goat’s
body, and a serpent’s tail.
More Than a Myth
Scientists at the Salk Institute in San Diego recently
announced that they have successfully engineered mice that
possess a small percentage of human brain cells. Scientists
injected human embryonic stem cells into the brains of
rodent fetuses, resulting in the birth of mice with both
human and rodent brain cells. One goal of the research is to
make realistic models of neurological disorders such as
Parkinson’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Irving Weissman (Stanford University) conducted a similar
experiment using rodents. Weissman and his team injected
human neural stem cells into mouse fetuses. Weissman also
helped make the first mouse with a nearly complete human
immune system. Although the percentage of human brain cells
in the existing mice is only about one percent, Weissman
said he is considering making chimeric mice whose brains are
made entirely of human cells.
Scientific research involving chimeras has invoked many
questions. Does the injection of human cells into a rodent’s
brain affect its cognitive abilities? How human must a
chimera become before more stringent research guidelines are
applied? Are there any federal laws regulating such
experiments?
The Yuck Factor
The frightening reality is that there are currently no
federal guidelines to regulate chimeric experiments.
Researchers have been left alone to regulate themselves, and
there seems to be no consensus within the scientific
community over what is and is not considered ethical. While
politicians debate the ethical and moral issues, science has
continued its advance. Moral objections to chimeric research
are often dismissed by proponents as simply knee-jerk
reactions based on instinctual - rather than logical -
thinking. These misgivings are sometime referred to by
scientists as the ''yuck factor.'' Unfortunately, many
researchers describe the ''yuck factor'' as though it were
an obstacle to scientific discovery, instead of evidence of
a troubled conscience.
Exploring these new frontiers of science and medicine
without the guidance of a strong moral compass will lead us
into an ethical quagmire with dangerous repercussions.
Albert Einstein once said that ''science without religion is
lame, religion without science is blind.'' Without some kind
of clear guidelines, we risk adopting a form of logic that
would leave us tempted not only to ponder but also to do the
unthinkable.
The Dark Side
With most of the critical research being done by small
laboratories under intense competitive pressures - and with
few of the regulatory or procedural protections typical of
larger governmental or corporate laboratories - the
potential for major catastrophe has many knowledgeable
observers very concerned. The greatest apprehensions are in
the areas of genetic research and cloning - especially in
cross-species experiments, which are likely to lead to
unknown diseases and unanticipated complications.
The avalanche of advances in the current biotech
revolution is both exciting and frightening. The promise of
new remedies and cures in many diverse fields of medicine
has given new hope to those who suffer from diseases like
diabetes and Parkinson’s. Meanwhile science continues to
outrun lawmakers. The biotech revolution has produced a host
of ethical questions that have yet to be answered. These
questions strike at the very heart of what it means to be
human.
