Genetically modified primates

Japanese researchers has created the first transgenic monkeys (marmoset) that can pass a foreign gene to the offspring. This major accomplishment is published in the May issue of Nature. This experiment has little immediate effect on the modification of human germ lines as the marmoset monkeys are evolutionarily distant from humans. However this advance will eventually lead to more sophisticated human disease models leading to inevitable attention from animal-rights activists. The transgenic marmoset do one thing different from normal monkeys, they glow as they harbor the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) gene. Already the animal-rights activists have pitched in some emotional campaign. They fear this advance will lead to engineering marmosets that are born and live with genetic defects that will also be passed on to their progeny.

The researchers may be justified by their values, but researchers must be ready to address ethical question. A broader debate involving researchers, public and political fraternity is essential to take on the bioethical issues and to promote research. Researchers could publicly demonstrate an acute awareness of the ethical aspects of research practices and of the potential applications, like UK scientists did last year during debates over human embryo research.