Public meetings seek opinion on animal organ transplants
8 July 2002
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) will be hosting public meetings in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth during August in a bid to find out the Australian community’s opinion on the slippery ethical issue of transplanting animal organs to humans.
Xenotransplantation is the term doctors use to describe the transplantation of cells, tissues or organs from one species to another (such as from pigs to humans). It has become a focus for transplantation research in recent years because there are not enough human organ donors to meet demand and many people who would benefit from a transplant wait in vain for donor organs to become available.
The public meetings coincide with the release of draft guidelines by a NHMRC working party, designed to help research ethics committees assess proposals for xenotransplantation research, particularly clinical trials related to animal organ transplants for humans.
Xenotransplantation was initially thought unlikely to succeed but recent advances in genetic manipulation of animals and the mechanisms of transplant rejection have made it appear more feasible.
Chairman of the NHMRC’s working party, Dr Kerry Breen, said that the ethical and safety issues associated with xenotransplantation required careful consideration and input from the Australian community. He noted that most other western countries had either decided to proceed with research under strict guidelines or were still considering the matter.
‘The tentative conclusion of the working party, ahead of community consultation, is to allow clinical research to proceed cautiously under centrally administered guidelines that take into account the ethical issues, protect the interests of research participants, ensure that animal welfare concerns are met and safeguard the public,’ he said.
‘However, people have real concerns about such a step — a major worry is the possibility of animal infections being transmitted to humans. Other concerns relate to public acceptability, whether it will work and what it will cost. The risk of infection may extend to close contacts, families and health workers and before the NHMRC finalises any guidelines, we want to consult widely with the community.’
The public meetings will be held in August and submissions will be received by the NHMRC until 6 September 2002.
Last Reviewed: 08 July 2002
