THERE IS A HIGH CHANCE YOU WOULD NOT BE ALIVE WITHOUT ANIMAL TESTING
Scientific animal testing alone eradicated multiple deadly diseases and made huge progress forward in others.
According to the foundation of biomedical research, if you have ever taken antibiotics, have had a blood transfusion, dialysis, chemotherapy, an influenza shot, joint replacement, or a bypass surgery then you have largely benefited from the success of animal testing. Major diseases that once killed millions of people a year have now disappeared: polio, diphtheria, mumps, rubella, and hepatitis. All because immunizations were worked on and studied with animals.
One of the arguments is that in this world animals are not necessary to be used for research. However, there is so much that we can learn from the rodent models that we could never learn from a human being. There has been two scenarios discussed with trying to replace the animals with humans. The first of these arguments is to use a sick person instead of an animal. If someone is already sick and close to death then they can offer their body to science and proceed with the testing on that new human subject. However, if they are sick this will interfere with the study. The second argument, is a perfectly healthy person could volunteer to have their body subjected to research, but unfortunately most of the time the research does not end well and is a terminal study. It is not humane to subject a person to go through that even if they volunteer. It is inhumane to give a human a disease and study them, there would never be any medical progress.
Novaritis, a research based company in Sweden, have been currently working on several cures for different medicinal practices. They use animals to further their research. Mice being their primary subjects because they match 99% of humans DNA. According to Novartis’ general safety guidelines, “It is the most efficient and safe way to test vaccines and medicines to make sure they are safe for the general public without harming any humans first”. Novartis has put guidelines in place that they follow. Including, if there is an option to not use an animal they will pursue that first. The other options for research are genomic mapping, cell cultures and computer simulations and modeling. Even though there are some other techniques due to advances in technology, sometimes complex diseases are still best understood when studied inside a living organism.
Mice are one of the most used creatures in research. Other animals are studied as well. Naked mole rats are are studied in only 4 labs throughout the United States and are one of the only organisms that are cancer resistant. Jake Pachter, a researcher I interviewed, is currently a part of a study with naked mole rats. Pachter explained his study, “The research that I do is in two parts. First, the purpose of my independent research is to use tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry to characterize distribution in the naked mole rat brain using a comparative neurobiological approach. Secondly, we are researching the effects on brain plasticity in the event of tooth loss. Neither of these can be done on humans. For the first part we are comparing the somatosensory cortex different mammals and the human atlas is already created along with that of mice, rats, monkeys, and more. For the second part, this can be done on humans but it is a terminal procedure that requires inserting a probe into the somatosensory cortex which in humans is very hard to accurately hit. This is not the case with naked mole rats as the area that we are researching is 3 times as large in their brain than compared to humans.” Pachter’s research is proof that sometimes it is safer to study on an animal in order to prevent harm on a human.
Novartis, Pachter’s lab, and labs filling 9 other countries all have the common goal of research. They all are researching something medicine related for humankind. To make the world better. The number of animals needed for research is slowly declining but at the moment it is just not possible to replace all research involving animals nor would it be smart.
The stigma of scientific animal research is the only thing that’s hurting it. People believe only what the media shows. There is a difference between cosmetic testing and trying to find a cure for alzheimers. The reality is, animal research is saving you, it is saving me, and it is saving the world. It is truly up to us to break that stigma so that the research can continue.
Works Cited
“Animals & Research.” Novartis, www.novartis.com/our-company/corporate-responsibility/reporting-disclosure/transparency-disclosure/animals-research.
“Medical Advances.” Foundation for Biomedical Research, fbresearch.org/medical-advances/.
Cook, Kristina. “Stand Up for Science.” Stand Up for Science: Facts about Animal Research, www.pro-test.org.uk/2006/03/facts-about-animal-research.html.
Pachter, Jake. “Interview.” 28 Nov. 2019.
