Use of fetal tissue in vaccine development

The use of fetal tissue in vaccine development is the practice of researching, developing, and producing vaccines through the use of cultured (laboratory-grown) human fetal cells.[1] The cells used are descendants of cells from human fetuses, but the vaccines themselves contain none of the original cells and at most very slight traces of human DNA.[2]

Most vaccines currently available were developed using cell strains cultured from two fetuses aborted in the 1960s, which has led some to oppose vaccination on religious or moral grounds.[1][2] However, vaccine experts and manufacturers state that vaccines do not contain any of the original fetal tissue or cells, that the abortions occurred decades ago and replenishment with new tissue has not occurred, and that producing safe vaccination for many diseases requires the use of these cell strains.[2] Organizations affiliated with the Catholic Church, which opposes abortion, have stated that vaccination should not be refused on moral grounds because the public health benefits of vaccination outweigh the historical use of aborted fetal tissue to develop some vaccines.[1][2]

Background

Immortalised cell lines are an important research tool offering a stable medium for experiments. These are derived either from tumors, which have developed resistance to senescence, or, in a few cases, from stem cells taken from aborted fetuses.[3] Fetal cell lines have been used in the manufacture of viruses since 1930s.[4] One of the first medical applications of fetal tissues was their use in the production of the first polio vaccines.[4] For example, in the 1950s, scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden propagated a polio virus in fetal cells to make into a polio vaccine. The resulting vaccine was given to about 2,000 children.[5]

Many other vaccines, including those for chicken pox and rubella, are made using fetal tissue from two pregnancies terminated in the 1960s, for reasons unrelated to vaccine development.[4][6][7] Descendants of the fibroblast cells from these fetuses have been growing in labs ever since, as the WI-38 and MRC-5 cell lines. They are still used to grow vaccine viruses today.[8][1] As of March 2017, at least 300 million vaccines have been given that were made using the WI-38 line alone.[9]

Rubella

One historical cell line used in rubella vaccines was obtained from a fetus aborted due to infection with rubella.[10] Rubella during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage (spontaneous abortion), and if it does not, there is a risk of severe disability due to congenital rubella syndrome.[11] By one estimate, rubella vaccination may prevent up to 5,000 miscarriages per year in the United States.[2]

Applications

Vaccines that have been or are made using fetal tissue for the propagation of viruses include:

Of these, the vaccines approved for use in the United States include some of those against rabies (Imovax), rubella, chicken pox, shingles, and adenovirus (as of January 2017).[5]

Religious issues

Despite the Catholic Church's longstanding and absolute opposition to abortion, their Pontifical Academy for Life concluded in 2005 that parents should allow their children to receive vaccines made from fetal tissue, to protect them from infectious diseases. The Academy also called for the development of new vaccines that can be made by other means.[6] Similarly, the National Catholic Bioethics Center states on its website that "...one is morally free to use the vaccine regardless of its historical association with abortion. The reason is that the risk to public health, if one chooses not to vaccinate, outweighs the legitimate concern about the origins of the vaccine..."[2] Pope Benedict XVI, before he became head of the Catholic Church, also praised the beneficial effects of the rubella vaccine in reducing the incidence of congenital rubella syndrome.[2]

References
  1. "Human Cell Strains in Vaccine Development". History of Vaccines. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  2. Neporent, Liz (2015-02-17). "What Aborted Fetuses Have to Do With Vaccines". ABC News. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  3. Irfan Maqsood, M.; Matin, M. M.; Bahrami, A. R.; Ghasroldasht, M. M. (2013). "Immortality of cell lines: Challenges and advantages of establishment". Cell Biology International. 37 (10): 1038–45. doi:10.1002/cbin.10137. PMID 23723166.
  4. Storrs, Carina (2015-07-17). "How exactly fetal tissue is used for medicine". CNN. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  5. Wadman, Meredith (2017-01-05). "Fact-checking Congress's fetal tissue report". Science. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  6. Charo, R. Alta (2015-08-12). "Fetal Tissue Fallout". New England Journal of Medicine. 373 (10): 890–891. doi:10.1056/nejmp1510279. PMID 26267448.
  7. "Vaccine ingredients". vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  8. Philadelphia, The Children's Hospital of (2014-11-06). "Vaccine Ingredients – Fetal Tissues". www.chop.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  9. Wadman, Meredith (2017-03-02). "Henrietta Lacks Wasn't the Only Woman Who Unknowingly Contributed to Medical History". Slate. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  10. "Animal derived products and National Immunisation Schedule vaccines - updated August 2017". Immunisation Advisory Centre. 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  11. "Rubella (German Measles)". vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk. 2019-02-05. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  12. Wadman, Meredith (2013-06-27). "Medical research: Cell division". Nature. 498 (7455): 422–426. doi:10.1038/498422a. PMID 23803825. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  13. Binkley, Collin (2015-08-11). "Scientists say fetal tissue remains essential for vaccines and developing treatments". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
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