Sometimes mouse models are not very effective. The symptoms of cystic fibrosis in a mouse are quite different from humans. It has been suggested a better way to reproduce and model the disease is to put the defective human CF gene into a sheep. If dilemmas are posed for mice, going to a larger animal begins to push the ethical envelope to the limits. The recent announcement of a GM monkey surely goes one step too far.
Primates have high levels of sentience are so similar in , then how much more for larger animals.
See our Press Release on GM Monkeys 4. The Roslin Institute's now famous sheep cloning work is actually aimed primarily at better ways of doing genetic modification in animals than the very hit and miss methods used so far, and it shows promise of achieving its aim. The Society, Religion and Technology Project has done extensive work on the ethics of genetic engineering in animals, crops and food , with web pages on many aspects. From 1993 to 1998 we ran a multi-disciplinary expert working group study, leading to the book Engineering Genesis , acclaimed as one of the most balanced studies available on these issues. This is an SRT Information Sheet, one a series aimed at presenting some of the key aspects of current ethical and social issues in technology in simple terms for the non-expert.