Genetic Pain Disenhancement in Animal Research

Genetically disenhancing animals’ ability to feel pain and pain-related suffering (hereafter “GPD“ for genetic pain disenhancement), is currently being discussed as an innovative, and potentially very powerful solution, to mitigate ethical problems of animal research. Taking the latest empirical data into account, the overarching goal of this interdisciplinary project is to apply the tools of analytical ethics in order to critically evaluate the ethical acceptability of GPD within the framework of the 3Rs Principles (Replace, Reduce, Refine), and Kantian animal ethics.

In the light of this, the project has three aims: (1) to analyze the biotechnological methods of GPD and their impact on disenhanced animals; (2) to investigate the normative rationale for GPD, and (3) to apply Kantian animal ethics, with its inclusion of non-sentientist harms1 and the concept of instrumentalization, to GPD, in order to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the ethical issues raised by GPD specifically, and modern animal research in general. The project is interdisciplinary and will draw on expertise from biotechnology, philosophy and the ethics of human-animal studies.

The interdisciplinary project will provide, for the first time, a comprehensive ethical evaluation of GPD that combines the latest biotechnological date and ethical theory. It will bring together robust empirical data in an ethical evaluation of GPD. Such data have been noticeable by their absence to date. Hence, the project will not merely deliver a realistic basis for assessing GPD as a potential means of satisfying the 3Rs, but also, with its application of Kantian animal ethics, introduce new perspectives for reflection on the ethical issues raised by modern animal research in general and genetic pain disenhancement specifically.

Funder: Austrian Academy of Sciences (APART-GSK Fellow (ÖAW))

Outputs and Results: https://www.samuelcamenzind.com/research/genetic-pain-disenhancement/