Animals in Research

Research Animals

Research

·      Is the act of making extensive extensive investigations in order to discover or revise facts, theories or applications

·      Clinic Corner: Because initial research of a medicine product, etc. cannot be conducted with humans, animals with similar traits to humans are utilized

Animal Research

·      Is the use of non-human animals in experiments

·      Most commonly focuses on disease treatment and prevention

-      Assesses the safety and effectiveness of medication and cosmetics

·      Clinic Corner: Animal research has played an important role in the development of penicillin, blood transfusions, insulin for diabetics and many other medical advancements.

·      Utilizes the Three Rs, which include:

-      refinement

·      minimizing animal distress or pain

-      reduction

·      reducing the number of animals used in experiments

-      replacement

·      replacing animal experiments with non-animal experiments

·      Clinic Corner: For the last 50 years, the Three Rs have been used by scientists before conducting any experiments in order to protect the welfare of animals

Common Animals Researched

·      Include:

-      mice/rats

-      rabbits

-      cats

-      Dogs

-      non-human primates

-      pigs

Mice/Rats

·      Are the most commonly used in research due to the following:

-      small size

-      low Cost

-      prolific

·      Share more than 90 percent of genes with humans

·      Clinic Corner: Mice and rats are prolific, meaning they have a short gestation period, which results in having babies quickly and very often

·      Are often used in research of the following:

-      cancer

-      product testing

-      toxicology

-      virology

Cancer

·      Is a disease caused by the division of abnormal cells, which spread into tissues throughout the body

·      Is researched using mice and rats in order to understand the development, prevention and curing of the disease

Product Testing

·      Is performed on mice/rats to measure the safety of household items, such as:

-      food additives

-      Fabric treatments

-      cosmetics

Toxicology

·      Is the science or the study of chemical substances and their effects on living organisms

·      Testing is performed on mice/rats for the following reasons:

-      to study short to long term effects

-      monitor continuous and accidental exposure

-      examine if irritant to skin or eyes

Virology

·      Is the science or the study of viruses and the diseases in which they cause

·      Is used in pre-clinical studies to determine effects of various vaccines

·      Clinic Corner: Pre-clinical is defined as a study which tests a drug, procedure or other medical treatment on animals

·      Studies on mice/rats have led to the development of several vaccines, which have combated the following diseases:

-      influenza

-      polio

-      yellow fever 

-      rabies

Rabbits

·      Share similar physiology to humans and often suffer from the same diseases

·      Are often used in research of the following:

-      cancer implementation

-      cholesterol

-      Eye disorders

-      toxicology

·      Clinic Corner: Half of a million (i.e. 500,00) rabbits are used annually for scientific research.

Cancer Implementation

·      Is the process in which cancer cells are injected into rabbits

·      Is used in rabbits  to study the following:

-      chemotherapy and immunotherapy

-      prevention of cancer

·      Clinic Corner: Chemotherapy is the treatment of disease by the use of chemical substance

·      Immunotherapy is the prevention or treatment of a disease with substance which stimulate the immune response

Cholesterol

·      Is a waxy substance created in the liver which is then circulated through the blood

·      Is used to produce steroid hormones required for normal development and functioning

·      Is harmful to the body if there are excess amounts

·      Levels are monitored and studied in rabbits

·      Clinic Corner: A medicine called Probucol was tested on rabbits and was found to lower cholesterol and slow the hardening of arteries.

Eye Disorders

·      Are often studied in rabbits and include the following:

-      entropion

·      a disorder when eyelashes are turned inward

-      glaucoma

·      a disease which damages the optic nerve and leads to vision loss

Toxicology

·      Testing on rabbits is performed to test the following:

-      cosmetics

-      household products

-      personal products

Cats

·      Account for less than one percent of animals used in research each year

·      Contract similar diseases as humans and are used to study the following:

-      AIDS

-      leukemia 

-      type II diabetes

-      breast cancer

AIDS

·      Is an immune system disorder which heightens susceptibility to opportunistic diseases and infections

·      Is studied in cats and has led to the creation of a vaccine which is being researched as a model for a human AIDS vaccine

Leukemia

·      Is cancer of the bone marrow which inhibits the normal manufacturing of red and white blood cells as well as platelets

·      Is studied in cats to understand the disease and may eventually lead to a cure

Type II Diabetes

·      Is a disorder in which the body does not produce enough insulin or cells ignore the insulin

·      Is studied in cats to understand proteins which decreases insulin production and may eventually lead to a cure for the disease

Breast Cancer

·      Is any type of cancerous growth in the breast tissue and is the greatest killer in women

·      Is studied in cats to understand the disease which may eventually lead to a cure

Cats

·      Are also used to research the following:

-      nervous system

-      anticoagulants

Nervous System

·      Is a network of nerves and cells in the body which carries messages to and from the brain

·      Studies in cats led to the understanding of how neurons function and how humans recover from the following:

-      Strokes

-      traumatic injuries

·      Studies in cats allows for the exploration of gangliosidosis, which causes the following:

-      human skeletal disorders

-      mental retardation

Anticoagulants

·      Are used to prevent the clotting of blood

·      Were first discovered after being studied on cats

Dogs

·      Represent less than one percent of animals used in research each year

·      Resemble the human respiratory and cardiovascular systems

·      Have been used to study the following:

-      surgical procedures

-      diabetes

Surgical Procedures

·      Were often studied first in dogs and include the following:

-      heart surgeries, which include:

·      coronary bypass surgery

·      artificial heart valve surgery

·      pacemaker installation

-      hip replacements

·      Studied in dogs also include:

-      Transplant of the heart, limbs, liver and kidneys

-      angioplasty

·      the unblocking of coronary arteries

Diabetes

·      Is a metabolic disease where the body is unable to produce enough insulin resulting in elevated levels of glucose in the blood

·      Has been researched in dogs and resulted in the discovery of the following:

-      an insulin deficiency causes diabetes

-      insulin-cells can be transplanted to the pancreas

Non-Human Primates

·      Share more behavioral and biological traits with humans than that of any other animal

·      Include the following:

-      gorillas

-      chimpanzees

-      macaques

·      Have been used to research and study the following diseases:

-      poliomyelitis virus

-      HIV

-      hepatitis

-      Malaria

-      Acute respiratory disease

The Poliomyelitis Virus

·      Is also known as polio and is a highly contagious viral infection which can lead to paralysis, breathing problems and even death

·      Was studied in non-human primates to research the production and testing of the polio vaccine

HIV

·      Stands for human immunodeficiency virus and is the virus which causes AIDS

·      Is related to the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) which effects non-human primates, whose:

-      vaccines are administered to stop viral progression which are being researched to apply to humans with HIV

Hepatitis

·      Is the inflammation of the liver caused by various infectious agents or toxins, including alcohol

·      Includes the following strains:

-      A, B and C

Hepatitis A

·      Is an acute infection transmitted through fecal contamination of infected animals

·      Has a vaccine which was created after researching and testing on non-human primate

Hepatitis B

·      Is a more serious infection transmitted through bodily fluids

·      Has a vaccine which was created after researching and testing on non-human primates

Hepatitis C

·      Is also a serious infection transmitted through bodily fluids 

·      Does not have a vaccine, but non-human primates are still being used for research to find one

Malaria

·      Is a life threatening blood disease caused by parasites and is transmitted through mosquito bites

·      Vaccinations are being tested on infected non-human primates, although a cure has not been found

Acute Respiratory Disease

·      Is an infection which interrupts normal breathing and often leads to a viral infection of the respiratory system

·      Affects both humans and chimpanzees and vaccines are being tested on chimpanzees

Pigs

·      Are often used for research because they are closely related to humans in the following ways:

-      skin

-      body systems

-      anatomy

·      Have been used to research the following:

-      xenograft

-      CAT scan

Xenograft

·      Is the transplantation of living tissue from one species to another

·      Is often completed on human burn victims using swine tissue

·      Procedures have been so successful that xenograft transplantation is now being looked at in swine, which will allow organs to be transplanted into humans

CAT Scan

·      Is a special x-ray test which makes cross sectional images of the body

·      Was developed by using swine as models for humans

Animal Research Laws, Policies & Regulations

Federal Agencies

·      Enforce the protection, safety and well-being of research animals

·      Include the following:

-      U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

-      U.S. Public Health Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

·      Is a U.S. federal executive department whose responsibilities include governing policies of farming, agriculture, forestry and food

·      Includes the following:

-      Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

-      Institutional Animal Care & Use Committees (IACUC)

Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

·      Is a branch of the USDA and is responsible for protecting and promoting U.S. animal health, administering license and registration of regulated research facilities and regulating the following:

-      Animal Welfare Act

-      The Chimpanzee Sanctuary Act

Animal Welfare Act

·      Was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1966

·      Protects animals from inhumane treatment

·      Requires minimum standards of treatment and care

·      Guarantees research animals the following:

-      veterinary care

-      Anesthesia or pain relievers

-      opportunity to exercise daily

·      Requires Institutional Animal Care & Use Committees at research institutions

The Institutional Animal Care & Use Committees (IACUC)

·      Are required at research institutions by the Animal Welfare Act

·      Are used to oversee and evaluate the institution’s animal care and use program

·      Responsibilities include:

-      reviewing the facility’s animal care and use program

-      inspecting the animal labs at least twice a year

-      monitoring research protocols

-      responding and acting upon complaints 

-      reporting improper use and care

The Chimpanzee Sanctuary Act

·      Guarantees lifetime care for chimpanzees used, purchased or bred for research at the following facilities:

-      Food and Drug Administration

-      National Institutes of Health

-      other U.S. agencies

U.S. Public Health Servies (PHS)

·      Provides federal funding for animal research facilities and certifies facilities adhere to the following:

-      Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care & Use of Laboratory Animals

-      Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals

Public Health Service Policy on Human Care & Use of Laboratory Animals

·      Provides guidelines and principles, which includes the following:

-      government Policies

-      animal welfare assurance

-      Record Keeping and reporting requirements

-      ethical conduct

Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals

·      Provides research institutions animal care and use protocol which is scientifically and humanely appropriate

·      Includes scientific, humane and ethical principles to follow

Animal Research Founders, Supporters & Activists

Animal Research

·      Includes the following founders and supporters:

-      Aristotle

-      Charles Darwin

-      Louis Pasteur

-      Rudolph Jaenisch

-      Ivan Pavlov

Aristotle

·      Is known as the father of biology

·      Was a Greek philosopher and scientist who was among the first to experiment on animals

·      Divided organisms into two groups

-      plants and animals

·      Divided animals into three groups based on how they moved

-      walking, flying or swimming

Charles Darwin

·      Created the Theory of Evolution in 1859

-      supported testing of animals for advancements in physiology and medicine

·      Clinic Corner: The Theory of Evolution is the process by which organisms change over time due to heritable physical or behavior traits and became the scientific reason for using animal experiments to learn more about humans.

Louis Pasteur

·      Was a French chemist and biologist who experimented on the origins of bacteria

·      Proved the germ theory by using anthrax in sheep and invented the process of pasterurization

·      Explained the importance of prevention by vaccination

·      Developed the rabies vaccine

Claude Bernard

·      Was a French physiologist and was known as the “Prince of Vivisection”

·      Studied the physiology of digestion, metabolism and contributed to discovery of homeostasis

·      Argued the effects of experimenting on animals is vital to the health of humans

·      Clinic Corner: Vivisection is defined as performing operations on live animals for experimentation or scientific research

Ivan Pavlov

·      Experimented on dogs, in the late nineteenth century, to evaluate their “conditioned ” responses (salivation), which also led to the study of behaviorism

Rudolf Jaenisch

·      Is a scientist who used mice to produce the first transgenic mammal which lead to a more advanced understanding of cancer, neurological and connective tissue diseases and developmental abnormalities

Animal Research

·      Activists want an end to all animal research, regardles of the consequences

·      Includes the following activists:

-      Peter Singer

-      People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

Peter Singer

·      Wrote against animal experimentation  with his book “Animal Liberation”

·      Suggested primates were capable of human emotions

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

·      Was founded in 1980

·      Is the largest animal rights organization in the world

·      Focuses on factory farms, clothing trade, laboratories and the entertainment industry

·      Believes animals are not meant to:

-      eat

-      wear

-      experiment on

-      use for entertainment

-      abuse

-      exploit