Ethics for life sciences engineers

The principle of Non-Malfeasance states that researchers and engineers have a duty not to cause harm, while the principle of Beneficence entails a duty to serve the social good. But sometimes life sciences research can risk harming research participants in pursuit of a social good.  And while non-vulnerable humans can choose to participate or not, what about animals who cannot make that choice?  In the case of animal research, the balance between non-malfeasance and beneficence is made explicit through an evaluation process built around the 3 Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine).  These imply a requirement for cost/benefit analysis of all proposals to use animals in research.  There are also multiple regulatory practices which are in place in order to ensure animals are not harmed to a greater degree than is absolutely necessary.  These include regulatory requirements for lab licensing, training, and ‘impartial’ peer review of any proposals to use animals in research.  Despite this, the use of animals in research remains controversial.

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