生物學與倫理學--創造人猴胚胎將使許多人坐立難安

 

Biology and ethics 生物學與倫理學

The creation of part-human, part-monkey embryos will discomfit many 創造人猴胚胎將使許多人坐立難安

But the potential benefits outweigh the risks 但潛在利益大於風險

Leaders

Apr 17th 2021 edition

Physics is famous for mind-bending ideas. Subatomic particles can be in many places at once. The flow of time depends on how fast you are moving. But because such ideas are confined to the realm of the invisibly tiny or the inhumanly vast, most people regard them as little more than diverting curiosities.

物理學以令人不可思議的想法著稱。次原子粒子可以同一時間存在許多地方。時間流逝的速度取決於你移動得多快。但因這些想法局限於微小至肉眼看不見或浩瀚到超脫人世的領域，大多數人只以趣談奇聞視之。

Biology has mind-bending ideas, too. Since they may concern the everyday world of living bodies, their impact is often felt much more viscerally. One example is “chimeras”, organisms which, a bit like the mythological beast, are formed from cells of two distinct species. Scientists have already produced goat-sheep and mouse-rats. Now a group of American, Chinese and Spanish researchers has reported significant progress in the quest to create chimeras using human cells—in this case, combining them with cells from monkeys to form functioning embryos.

生物學也不乏驚世駭俗的想法，由於可能關係到日常生物世界，引發的衝擊往往更震撼人心。其中一個例子是「嵌合體」，這種生物有點像神話的怪獸，由兩種不同物種的細胞所形成。科學家已製造出山綿羊和耗子家鼠。現在，由美、中和西班牙組成的團體研究員報告，在探求使用人類細胞創造嵌合體的過程中，取得了重大進展。此案例中，將人類與猴子的細胞結合形成正常的胚胎。

It is another example of humanity’s growing power to tinker with the basics of life, a power which makes many people uncomfortable. The work leaves the very idea of a species looking at least a little blurry at the edges. Experiments involving human cells can break deep-seated taboos about human dignity, human exceptionalism and—among the religious—stir up worries about interfering with God’s creation.

這是人類力量增強到意圖改變生命基礎的又一例，這種力量使許多人感到不安。這項努力使物種的絕對概念看似在邊緣有些模糊地帶。涉及人體細胞的實驗可打破根深蒂固的禁忌，關於人類尊嚴、人類例外論，以及（在宗教上）激起對干擾上帝創造物的擔憂。

There are also more practical concerns. The human-monkey embryos were not intended to grow to maturity. But it is right to wonder what might have happened if they had—and what should be done if, or when, someone decides to try. What is the moral and legal status of an organism with one human genome and one non-human one? What effect, if any, might the human cells have on the animal’s brain? Mindful of such worries, many places, including America and Britain, tightly regulate what is allowed. Much of the latest work was done in China.

還有更多實值的擔憂。科學家並不打算讓人猴胚胎繼續成熟。但是，我們有理由去想，如果這麼做可能會發生什麼？如果有人決定嘗試、或那時，我們應該做些什麼？兼具人類和非人類基因組的生物，應有什麼樣的道德和法律地位？人體細胞會對動物的大腦產生什麼影響（如果有的話）？考慮到這些擔憂，許多地方包括英美在內，都嚴格限制允許的範圍。最新的研究大多是在中國完成。

Despite those concerns, the potential benefits outweigh the risks. Such research should always be done cautiously, and be properly monitored. But it should also be encouraged, because the rewards it brings could turn out to be significant. Chimeric embryos may offer a way around ethical problems that make experiments on human embryos difficult. That could lead to new treatments for congenital diseases. This particular bit of research was inspired by a desire to grow human organs in the bodies of animals, from where they could eventually be used for transplants. Easing the long-standing worldwide shortage of transplantable organs could save many lives. In America alone, more than 100,000 people are on transplant waiting-lists.

縱有這些顧慮，潛在的益處大於風險。此類研究始終應謹慎進行，並進行適當的監控。但研究也應被鼓勵，因為它帶來的回報可能是巨大的。嵌合胚胎或許提供一種途徑，避開使人類胚胎實驗難以進行的道德問題。這可能促成治療先天性疾病的新療法。驅動這項特殊研究的渴望，是在動物體內培育人類器官，最終可能用於移植，減輕長久來全球可移植器官短缺情況，這可能挽救許多生命。光是在美國就有超過10萬人在移植等待名單上。

The best way to ensure that such research can proceed is to talk about it with the public, not just among scientists and expert regulators. Ethical debates around chimeras have been going on for years, but mostly in scientific journals and academic conferences—places where outsiders rarely venture. If dramatic demonstrations of this kind of scientific advance take people by surprise they are likely to create a backlash. Scientists should also work to ensure that international rules are harmonised, to the extent that is possible.

確保此類研究能夠繼續進行的最佳方法是與公眾討論，而不是僅在科學家和內行的監管機構之間。關於嵌合體的倫理討論已進行多年，但大多是在科學期刊和學術會議上，外人很少涉足這些地方。若戲劇性展示這種科學進步令世人震驚，可能激起他們強烈反彈。科學家也應在可能的範圍，努力確保國際規範協調。

History offers grounds for optimism. Many biological technologies that were at first decried as reckless meddling with the natural order of things ended up proving much less frightening in practice than they once seemed in theory. In vitro fertilisation was once seen as unnatural; these days it is routine, at least in the rich world. Genetically modified crops provoked street protests and dire warnings about “Frankenfoods”. Billions of meals later, the technology has proved both safe and effective. Ultimately, however, scientists need to convince not just each other but the public, too. ■

歷史提供樂觀的理由。許多生物技術最初被責難是魯莽地干涉事物的自然秩序，最終證明在實踐中似乎並不像在理論上可怕。曾經有人認為試管受精是不自然的，如今已習以為常，至少在富裕世界。基改作物激起街頭抗議，並引發有關「基改食品」的可怕警告。數十億餐被吃下之後，基改技術被證明安全又有效率。但是，最終科學家們不僅需要說服彼此，還需要說服公眾。 ■