Shaping genes : ethics, law, and science of using new genetic technology in medicine and agriculture / Darryl R.J. Macer.

  • Macer, Darryl R. J. (Darryl Raymund Johnson), 1962-
Date:
1990
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Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Shaping genes : ethics, law, and science of using new genetic technology in medicine and agriculture / Darryl R.J. Macer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    30 Shaping Genes placenta, to protect the new embryo. This has led to sheep being able to give birth to goats, and vice versa. This type of embryo transfer technology may also be important in attempts to preserve some rare species, by using domestic animals as surrogate mothers. These chimeras are used for the study of cell differentiation and interaction in the developing and mature organisms. The greatest public concern is over the mixing of human and animal genes. People object to the insertion of human growth hormone genes in pigs. Since much transgenic animal research is aimed at increased understanding of human diseases, the insertion of human genes will be very common. Other research also involves the insertion of human genes into animals. The reason for this is convenience, as a large number of human genes have been cloned. The most convenient, readily available form of a gene will be used for manipulation. It is unlikely that animal genes will be introduced into humans as therapy at this stage, and it is unlikely that any will be needed as the appropriate human genes should be available. The popular press sometimes reports claimed human/animal hybrids. One claim made by an anthropologist at the University of Florence, was that anthropoid embryos, using the sperm of a man and the egg from a chimpanzee, had been made in laboratories. The wording was such, that after the embryo was established, the experiment was terminated, implying that it may have continued (Schmetzer 1987). Human and animal gametes are often mixed in fertility tests performed at in vitro fertilisation (IVF) research centres. It is unlikely that a functional preembryo could be formed, though the egg may be triggered as if fertilised. Even if a zygote was formed it would naturally die as the genomes are dissimilar and the preembryo would cease to divide. IVF may be considered by the public to be one of the techniques of genetic engineering, but it is not considered as such by scientists. IVF is required for certain types of genetic engineering. The most likely work that could produce a human/animal chimera is using mixing of embryonic cells, as for the geep, but this work is prohibited in many countries. RccCucing Genetic Dii^ersity Most of nature could survive without much human intervention, but as natural areas become modified by human activities, there will need to be increasing dependence on the intervention of specific technologies to maintain the diversity. Biological diversity refers to the variety among living organisms and their ecological interactions. There are three layers. There is ecosystem diversity, where there is a landscape interspersed with croplands, grasslands and woodlands. There is species diversity inside of each of these areas, which can be reduced by grazing for instance. There is genetic diversity, many wild plants have greater diversity than crop plants which have be bred for specific characters (OTA 1989). There are several concerns for this problem. The first two are anthropocentric. The loss of plant, animal and microbial resources may impair future options to develop important new products and processes in industry, medicine and agriculture. The loss of diversity undermines the potential of populations and species to respond or adapt to changing environmental conditions. Because humans ultimately depend on the environment it is essential not to disrupt the environment. There are also aesthetic and ethical motives to avoid the irreversible loss of unique