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Scientists at Imutran, the British subsidiary of Novartis, have been slaving away in their labs for years trying to score a viable success in their experiments transplanting organs and tissues between species, a practice known as xenotransplantation. But according to a DAILY EXPRESS expose cited by THE ECOLOGIST, their efforts have been riddled with animal cruelty, not to mention botched lab techniques. Uncaged Animals, a UK advocacy group that blew the whistle on Imutran, charges that the company also exaggerated their research results in the pursuit of profit.

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Uncaged Campaigns released a report on instances of cruelty to the monkeys and baboons that serve as research subjects, and sloppy science in the experiments — a report that Imutran/Novartis is now trying to squelch in court.

The controversy surrounding the case points up further concerns about xenotransplantation’s potential dangers, including the transmission of diseases and even cancer-causing retroviruses. The issue warrants closer examination, The Ecologist cautions, given biotech’s cheerleading on “advances” such as the transplantation of pig organs into ailing humans.

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It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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