ethics, biological and psychology Flashcards
animals in biological research, humans in biological research, ethics, learning from the past (18 cards)
what is the history of animals in biological research?
dates back 3000+ years
systematic use picked up in Renaissance (1400-1600ish)
Cruelty to Animals Act (1876) - first introduction of ethical guidelines for animal use in research
what are the significant rules and guidelines for animal research?
Code of Research Conduct and Research Ethics
Animal Research in Nottingham
UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO): Code of Practice for Research
the Concordat to Support Research Integrity - UK Research and Innovation, Universities UK, Welcome Trust, many more
what are the general principles around animals in biological research?
supports the responsible use of animals as experimental subjects
when no other reasonable option exists
often for medicine - diseases and disorders of nervous system
specific animals (dogs, cats, horses, pigs, rabbits, guinea, pigs, ferrets, birds like chicken, fish like zebrafish, reptiles, mice, rats)
what are the rules around animal subjects?
minimum number required to obtain valid use
more than momentary or slight pain = under anaesthesia
if appropriate animal should be killed humanely
well-homed - minimum stress, pain or discomfort
what are historical of benefits of animals in biological research?
medical advancements (to combat pandemics, understanding anatomy, understanding of cardiovascular and NS specifically)
psychological advancements (understanding of sensorimotor systems, learning and memory systems, brain/behaviour interactions, social, attachment and developmental theory, understanding and treatment of disorders)
veterinary advancements
what should happen moving forward with animals in biological research?
heavily regulated
ongoing discussion
getting weird
what are the transplant benefits of animals in biological research?
first successful transplant in 1954
more than 50,000 people now alive thanks to organ donation and transplant
what is the history of humans in biological research?
experimented on poor people, blind participants, slaves, prisoners of war, mentally ill
bloodletting, isolation practices, lobotomy, trephination
what are the significant rules and guidelines of humans in biological research?
Code of Research Conduct and Research Ethics
WHO: Declaration of Helsinki (2006)
UKRIO: Code of Practice for Research
UK GDPR
what are the rules around human participants?
minimum number required to obtain valid use
more than momentary or slight pain = under anaesthesia
no long term damage
reward clearly needs to be worth any risk
informed consent
what happens moving forward in human research?
constantly updating ethical guidelines
hurdles on the horizon
what are ethical hurdles?
research often uses animal subjects
often done before birth or in early years
potentially unforeseen long-term consequences
what are ethics in biological research?
ongoing process
ethics continues to change
keep a dialogue
stay transparent
be kind
what were the Neubauer twin experiments?
split lots of twins up
not ethical
but very academically interesting for genetic research
how is contemporary gynaecology linked to the past?
linked back to experiments conducted on slaves
but benefits are tenfold
what were the Los Alamos plutonium expeirments?
between 1945-7, 18 people were unknowingly injected with plutonium during unrelated GP visits
research was conducted by same lab which “snatched”, dissected and circulated body of Cecil Kelley after exposure to lethal radiation without permission
what was the Tuskegee syphilis experiment?
individuals infected with syphilis
lied to about treatment (placebos)
one of many studies where people have been unknowingly infected
fuelled congress-led legislation within the USA
what were the HeLa cells?
unknowingly had “immortal” cells harvested and circulated
regarded as standing historical wrong by many authors
