Xenotransplantation

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how xenotransplantation, the transfer of cells, tissues and organs from other species into humans, is a topic that has started to gain considerable interest among biologists today. It examines how these types of procedures could completely revolutionize modern medicine and how there are many physical and ethical risks associated with both research and implementation of xenotransplantation. Such risks include rejection and the introduction of novel diseases into the human species.

From the Paper:

"Ultimately, animal experimentation can be warranted by the fact that while no amount of benefit could justify any harm to human research subjects, even extreme harm and pain for animal research subjects could be justified by the potential benefit to human beings (Bishop and Nelson, 2001). As well, it is generally thought that, especially with animals such as pigs, if we are willing to kill them for their meat, then we should be willing to kill them for their organs in order to save human lives. This view is undermined, however by some popular views that animals should not be killed for any human purpose."

More papers on Xenotransplantation:

• Essay # 28591 : "Xenotransplantation"
• Research Paper # 108638 : "The Importance of MHC in Transplantation"
• Essay # 91029 : "Bioethics"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: