Ethical Issues with Vaccines & Monoclonal Antibodies (AQA A Level Biology): Revision Note

Ethical issues with vaccines & monoclonal antibodies

Ethical issues associated with the use of vaccines

• Use of animals

  • Vaccines are first tested on animals, which some view as unethical

  • Animal-derived substances may also be used in vaccine production

• Human testing

  • Trial vaccines carry risks (e.g. side effects or false sense of protection)

  • Volunteers may be vulnerable if motivated by payment, raising concerns over exploitation

• Side effects

  • Some avoid vaccines due to the small risk of side effects

  • Herd immunity protects them, which some argue is unfair

  • Ethical concern over parents refusing vaccines for children, potentially putting them at risk

• Epidemics and access

  • Questions over priority groups during epidemics (e.g. priority vaccines for the elderly or healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic)

  • Global inequality where wealthier countries may access vaccines before poorer nations, raising concerns over fair distribution

Ethical issues associated with the use of monoclonal antibodies

• Use of animals

  • Mice are used to produce mAbs: mice are injected with with an antigen before activated B cells are extracted from the spleen

  • This may cause suffering or harm to the mice and raises concerns for those who oppose animal testing or genetic modification

• Human use in treatment and trials

  • mAbs are used in cancer and disease treatment, but may have serious side effects

  • Informed consent is essential to ensure that patients fully understand the risks

  • Trials may involve vulnerable participants (e.g. financially motivated or severely ill)

• Accessibility and cost

  • Monoclonal antibody treatments are often expensive

  • Raises concerns about fair access, especially in lower-income countries or healthcare systems

Evaluating the ethical issues & studies of vaccines & monoclonal antibodies

• Claims about vaccine or mAb safety and effectiveness must be backed by scientific evidence

  • This requires repeatable studies and reproducible results

• Scientists must also critically evaluate the data and methods used to support any claim

  • This ensures findings are reliable, valid, and not misleading

Example: The MMR Vaccine

• The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella

Study 1:

• A 1998 study based on just 12 children suggested a link between the vaccine and autism

• It was later revealed that a conflict of interest existed — one author was consulting for parents suing vaccine manufacturers

• The study was discredited and retracted, but caused a drop in vaccination rates

• This example highlights the importance of:

  • large, unbiased sample sizes

  • peer review and replication

  • transparency in funding and conflicts of interest

Study 2:

• In 2005, a study was published on the incidence of autism in 30,000 children in an area of Japan between 1988 and 1996

  • The MMR vaccine was first introduced in this area in 1989 but stopped being administered in 1993

  • The results of the study are shown below:

• Describing the data:

  • The number of children with autism continued to increase even after the MMR vaccine stopped being administered

  • For example, in 1992 (when children were given the vaccine) approximately only 75 per 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism by age 7 but in 1994 (when children were no longer given the vaccine) approximately 200 per 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism by age 7

• Drawing conclusions:

  • This study suggests there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism

• Evaluating the study:

  • We can have greater confidence in the results of this study (compared to the one in 1998) as the sample size was very large (30,000 children)

  • This improved methodology means that the results are less likely to be due to chance