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news
(1 September 1999)
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Humanized pigs and secret organ transplant tests on baboons Joe Cummins Earlier I described experiments done in London, Ontario in which tobacco plants modified with human interleuken genes ( a regulator of the immune system) were field tested without prior animal tests to determine the toxicity and without open discussion prior to the tests. Such gene products are active at very low dose and released from the test site in pollen, by sucking insects and in surface and ground water from damaged or decaying plant material. Some of those undertaking the above experiment have been involved with promoting the humanized pig to human transplants. Novartis sponsored the Ontario project using humanized pigs from the Cambridge, England project which has been delayed by the "international" moratorium based on the observed release of endogenous retrovirus from pig cells to human cells when the living tissues were placed in contact. London, Ontario has been relatively free of public scrutiny and the Canadian news media tend to identify themselves with government authority and large companies and to avoid issues that distress authorities. Today, it was announced that the Cambridge humanized pigs had been used for several months in transplant experiments with baboons. The baboons transplanted with humanized pig kidneys did not immediately reject the kidneys showing the experiment was a success. However, the baboons rejected the transplants within two months and died in great pain. Presently transplanted animals are being treated with anti-rejection drugs and it is expected that the animals will tolerate the humanized pig grafts. The experiments were undertaken without public review and kept secret. Baboons being closely related to human do not seem to be a safe way to avoid the problem of virus release. Such virus could easily spread rapidly because human has not previously encountered them. A worldwide epidemic could follow within two or three years of the first release. Therefore the issue is a global, not a local concern. Furthermore, local authorities ,conniving with a multinational company and the national government ,will certainly undertake human transplants under conditions of extreme secrecy. Clearly, the residents of London and Ontario are being used as white mice in dangerous experiments. Along with that the world population is being put a great risk without any chance to express permission or not. This article was received from Mark Ritchie, President, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy 2105 First Ave. South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 USA 612-870-3400 (phone) 612-870-4846 (fax) mritchie@iatp.org www.iatp.org |
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news
(1 September1999)
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