Transcript Animal Research and Disease

Answers to key questions about
animal research
For more information, visit the FASEB web site
http://www.faseb.org/opa/animal/default.html
Don’t we violate animals’ rights by
doing experiments on them?
Some philosophers argue that animals have the
same rights as humans and should not be used
even to preserve human life or cure human
disease.
 Nuremberg Code mandates that animal studies
precede and support human studies.
 Declaration of Helsinki mandates that medical
research on humans must be supported by
preceding animal research.
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Don’t we violate animals’ rights
by doing experiments on them?

“Two animal rule” – FDA mandates that all
vaccines must be tested for efficacy and
safety in two animal species (typically
rodent and non-human primate) before
introduction in humans.
How can results from animal
studies be applied to humans?

There are many similarities between animals
and man. Examples include:
– Immune function in mice
– Cardiovascular function in dogs
Medical advances of the past century started
with research in animals.
 Animal studies help uncover dangers of
treatments before their use in humans.

Results from animal studies also
benefit animal health
Newer anti-inflammatory drugs effectively
treat arthritis in aging dogs and humans.
 Insulin is used to treat diabetes in dogs and
cats as well as humans
 Newer drugs to treat heart failure are effective
in dogs as well as humans.
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Animal Research and Disease
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Polio
Landsteiner and Popper proved it infectious;
able to transmit disease to monkeys.
Salk and Sabin developed their vaccine through
work with chickens and monkeys.
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Diabetes
Banting and Best showed importance of insulin
in dogs.
Animal Research and Disease
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High Blood Pressure (HBP)
Goldblatt linked HBP to kidney in rats, cats, and
dogs; led to diuretics and angiotensin converting
enzyme inhibitors to treat high blood pressure.
Cushing linked HBP to brain in dogs; led to
understanding sympathetic nervous system influence on
blood pressure and drugs to treat it.
Animal Research and Disease
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Obesity
– Major risk factor for diabetes mellitus, high blood
pressure, heart attack, stroke and certain cancers.
– Epidemic in the United States: 64% of adults are
overweight and 25% are obese.
– Mouse models of obesity shedding new light on
causes of overeating and ways that obesity leads to
disease.
Animal Research and Disease
 Infant
Mortality
– Studies in sheep and lambs led to use of steroids in
treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (formerly
hyaline membrane disease), a major cause of death in
premature infants.
– Advances in understanding and treatment of sudden
infant death syndrome (SIDS) came from studies in
rats, mice, dogs, and sheep.
Animal Research and Disease
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Cystic Fibrosis
– A major killer of young adults.
– Mouse models led to understanding role of
chloride channels.
– Genetic therapies on the horizon are an outgrowth
of work in mice.
Animal Research and Disease
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AIDs
– Numerous animal models in studies to understand the
disease and how it attacks the immune system.
– Current anti-AIDS treatment developed in animal
models have greatly extended life expectancy and
quality of life for AIDS victims.
– A feline virus in cats is a valuable model of AIDs in
humans.
– AIDS vaccines being developed in monkeys.
Animal Research and Disease
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Stroke
– Kills over 150,000 people in the U.S. each year
– Causes major disability: paralysis; loss of speech;
loss of vision; loss of cognitive function.
– Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA)
» new treatment for acute stroke
» can reverse disability due to stroke
» first studied in rats with experimental stroke.
– Other potential treatments, even cures, for stroke are
now being studied in experimental animals.
Animal Research and Disease
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Bioterrorism
– Smallpox vaccine from calves
– Botulinum antitoxin tested in mice and non-human
primates
Why can’t computers and cell
cultures replace animal research?
Animal and non-animal models both used
to answer biological questions.
 Animal studies may pave way for computer
models. They and cell cultures may extend
what is learned in animals.
 These methods don’t reflect the complexity
and dynamics of a living organism.
 A complete answer requires animal studies.
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Why do we use animals to study
product safety?
Animal studies show how a product affects the
whole organism; indicate danger of product.
 The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
passed in 1938 after a cough syrup caused death
in 100 children and a mascara caused blindness.
 “Cruelty-free” companies may contract with
other firms to test their products or use
chemicals tested previously in animals.
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Do lab animals suffer?
Laws require minimizing pain and
distress and providing safe, comfortable
living conditions for animals.
 Animal use plans are reviewed carefully,
particularly if they might cause pain.
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Do lab animals suffer?
Ethical committees called “Institutional
Animal Care and Use Committees”
(IACUCs) review animal research proposals.
 Without IACUC approval no animal research
may proceed.
 IACUCs review what steps will be taken to
limit pain and avoid distress.
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How are lab animals protected?
The 1966 Animal Welfare Act (AWA) was the
first law to set standards for animal research.
 The AWA applies
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– To certain animals (dogs, cats, primates, guinea
pigs, hamsters, rabbits, and several other species).
– In certain settings (research, education, and
exhibition).
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The AWA also sets standards for buying,
selling, and transporting animals.
How are lab animals protected?
All vertebrate animal research that is funded by
the NIH and other government agencies must
meet requirements specified in the Public
Health Service Policy on Humane Care and
Use of Laboratory Animals.
 The PHS Policy requires compliance with the
Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory
Animals, which is the “gold standard” for
running an animal research program.
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How are lab animals protected?
Many public, private, and government research
labs also volunteer for independent review of
their animal care programs by the Association
for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory
Animal Care (AAALAC), International.
 AAALAC assures that the facility follows the
Guide, has a well-run care program, and meets
requirements of the AWA, PHS Policy, and other
guidelines.
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Could my dog end up in a lab?
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Very few dogs and cats are used in research.
– At least half of these dogs and cats are bred for
research.
– About 95% of research animals are mice and rats.
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The AWA has safeguards so that lost pets do
not become research subjects.
Why are increasing numbers of
animals being used in research?
The number of cats, dogs, and primates
used has actually dropped.
 The number of rodents, particularly mice,
has increased because of their contribution
to genetic models of disease.
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What activists are saying…
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People for Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) advocates abolishing all animal
research.
– Ingrid Newkirk, PETA Director
» “Even if animal research resulted in a cure for
AIDS, we'd be against it.”
» “I wish everyone would get up and go into the labs
and get the animals out and burn them down.”
What activists are saying…
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Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty (SHAC)
– Jerry Vlasak, antivivisectionist and advisor to
SHAC
» “I think violence is part of the struggle against
oppression.”
» “I don't think you'd have to kill too many [researchers].
I think for five lives, 10 lives, 15 human lives, we could
save a million, 2 million, 10 million non-human lives.”
More from activists…
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“There is no rational basis for saying that a
human being has special rights: A rat is a
pig is a dog is a boy. They are all
mammals.”
- Ingrid Newkirk, co-founder, People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals
More from activists…
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“If abandoning animal research means that there
are some things we cannot learn, then so be it. . . .
We have no basic right. . .not to be harmed by
those natural diseases we are heir to.”
- Tom Regan (Philosopher), The Case for
Animal Rights (1983)
What activists are saying…
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“An animal experiment cannot be justifiable
unless the experiment is so important that
the use of a brain-damaged human would be
justifiable.”
- Peter Singer, (Philosopher) Animal
Liberation: A New Ethic for Our Treatment of
Animals, 2nd edition (1990)
Conclusions
Research using experimental animals is vital
for advances both in human and veterinary
medicine.
 Scientists seek and utilize non-animal models
whenever they are available and will provide
valid results.
 Many scientific questions cannot be answered
with such non-animal models.
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