14 May 2025, 17:00 – 19:00
Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien (NiG, Hörsaal 2H)

The advent of CRISPR/Cas9 and other modern gene-editing technologies has opened up unprecedented possibilities for modifying research animals. Following this technological progress, the possibility of genetically disenhancing animals’ ability to feel pain and pain-related suffering (hereafter referred to as “GPD” for genetic pain disenhancement) is currently being discussed as an innovative and potentially powerful solution to mitigate the ethical challenges of animal research, farm animal husbandry, and, ultimately, the suffering of wild animals. The idea of altering research animals and livestock to enable specific uses by humans emerged during the 1980s and 1990s. The fundamental concept is to adapt the phenotype of an animal so that it is better suited to life in the (otherwise harmful) conditions associated with specific uses, such as animal experimentation or meat production. With reference to the latest biotechnological developments and the advancement of genome-editing methods, Dr Samuel Camenzind’s lecture will address the current state of research on the breeding of pain-free animals. It will also explore biotechnological, philosophical, and ethical issues that have not received sufficient attention in the current debate on GPD.

Dr Samuel Camenzind is a postdoctoral researcher and APART-GSK fellow (Austrian Academy of Sciences, ÖAW) at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna. He studied at the University of Zurich, the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, and New York University. As a member of the Swiss Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology (ECNH), he advises federal authorities as part of an independent, interdisciplinary expert committee, providing ethical perspectives on issues related to non-human biotechnology and gene technology. 

Please register to attend the event: www.viennaanimalstudies.com/event-details/genetic-pain-surgery-with-molecular-scissors