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Running head: ANIMAL RESEARCH IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

Medical Research on Animals


Erik Alarcon
RWS 1301

ANIMAL RESEARCH IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

Abstract
The use of animals in medical research is often seen as animal cruelty. The public is misinformed
about the importance of animal testing. This report will review how animal testing is vital for
humans after tragedies happened, regulations called the Three Rs that are followed in the
laboratory during research, the medial improvements that were helped discovered due to animal
research, why animals are subjects to testing, and other alternatives for animal research and how
they are not as effective. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of El Paso conduct
animal research in their laboratories. As many El Paso citizens suffer from diabetes, animal
research played an important role of the discovery of treatments for diabetes.

ANIMAL RESEARCH IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

Medical Research on Animals


Throughout history, animals are widely used in different fields. The practice of using
animals for medical research has come under criticism by animal protection and animal rights
groups. This report will talk about why animal research in the medical field is important, the
regulations that must be followed when conducting animal research experiments, the medical
improvements, how it benefits animals, why scientists and researchers use animals, and other
alternatives that were made possible by animal testing.
Animal Testing in Medicine Importance
Drug testing using animals became important in the twentieth century. In the fall of 1937,
more than 100 US citizens died after consuming Elixir Sulfanilamide. A pharmaceutical
company in the USA created a preparation of sulfanilamide, using diethylene glycol (DEG) as a
solvent. DEG was poisonous to humans, but the company's chief pharmacist and chemist, Harold
Cole Watkins, was not aware of this. Watkins added raspberry flavoring to the drug, which he
had dissolved in DEG, and the company marketed the product. The preparation led to mass
poisoning causing the deaths of more than a hundred people, mostly children. No animal testing
was done. The public outcry caused by this incident and other similar incidents led to the passing
of the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requiring safety testing of drugs on animals
before they could be marketed. Another similar incident was during the 1950-60s. Thalidomide
was used to reduce morning sickness during pregnancy. However, thalidomide had defects.
Many babies died and 15,000 were born with malformed limbs. Thalidomide was tested in
animals, however not all the necessary tests were performed. The Food and Drug Administration
in the US did not approve the sale of thalidomide because of these incomplete tests. After the
problems with Thalidomide were discovered, the full range of tests were carried out and it was

ANIMAL RESEARCH IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

shown to cause birth defects across a wide range of species. Because of this incident, it is now a
requirement to carry out tests on pregnant animals.
Research Regulations
Regulations are in place to secure that animals are carried out in a humane way. To help
minimize the harm animals may experience while being studied in the laboratory, researchers are
required to follow a set of principles called the Three Rs. The Three Rs are: replacement,
reduction, and refinement. Replacement refers to methods that replace or avoid the use of
animals during research such as computer modelling or human volunteers instead of animals.
Reduction refers to minimizing the number of animals used. This can be done by sharing
information with other researchers so that they are not doing the same experiments or by
improving experimental techniques. Advances in science and technology are helping reduce and
replace the use of animals. The last R, refinement, refers to minimize pain, suffering, and
distress that may be experienced by the animals. An example of refinement would be using
appropriate anesthetics and/or painkillers. All research using animals in the United States, such
as at universities, is regulated by the Animal Welfare Act. The Laboratory Animal Resource
Center (LARC) provides oversight for the care and well-being of all animals used for research,
teaching, and testing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of El Paso. The LARC is
accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care
(AAALAC) in animal housing facilities and provides animal husbandry services, veterinary care,
training, and technical services to TTUHSC El Paso researchers and instructors. The Three Rs
are implied in the AWA and any scientists planning to use animals in their research must first
demonstrate why there is no alternative, that the number of animals used and any suffering
caused will be kept to a minimum.

ANIMAL RESEARCH IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

Medical Improvements
Decades of medical studies has made several diseases treatable and medical
breakthroughs such as diabetes. In El Paso, 50% of all patients admitted to local hospitals have
diabetes-related complications. Dogs were crucial to the research that identified the cause of
diabetes, which led to the development of insulin. In diabetes, the pancreas doesnt make enough
insulin or the body cant respond normally to the insulin that is made. As 85,281 citizens in El
Paso suffer from diabetes, this research helped scientists discover insulin which helps lowers the
level of glucose in the blood. There has been many new medicines and treatments that depended
on animal research and over 70 percent of Nobel prizes in medicine have depended on the use of
animals. Animal research has contributed to a whole range of medical breakthroughs. Research
on rats and mice have created many improvements for medical purposes in the last century.
Testing on the rodents has help create penicillin antibiotics, antidepressants, and asthma inhalers.

Not only that but animals such as sheep, pigs, and monkeys have helped discover hip
replacements, MRI scanning and HIV antiretroviral.
Animal Testing Benefits Animals
Medical research has also benefited animals. The same methods that have been developed
to prevent and treat diseases in humans have improved the lives of animas. Vaccines, anesthetics,

ANIMAL RESEARCH IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

antibiotics, surgical procedures, and other approaches developed in animals for human use are
now commonly employed throughout veterinary medicine. Through techniques like embryo
transfer and artificial insemination species that are endangered, such as pandas and white tigers
can now be managed or maintain. In many cases, treatments have been developed specifically for
animals. The research of HIV/AIDS has helped with the discovery of the cat leukemia vaccine.
Treatments for heartworms infestation, which is a painful and even a fatal affliction in dogs, is
now available because of animal research.
Why Test on Animals
Scientists use animals to learn more about health problems that affect both humans and
animals and to assure the safety of new medical treatments. Results from animal studies are
crucial for closing knowledge gaps about health and disease in both humans and animals.
Medical researches need to understand the health problems before they can develop ways to treat
them. Animals are necessary to medical research when it is impractical or unethical to use
humans. Animals make good research subjects for many reasons. Animals are biologically
similar to humans. According to Dr. Simon Festing (2010), a former chief executive of
Understanding Animal Research, mice are very similar to humans, we share 98 percent of our
genes with a mouse and many of the biological system in an animal, from digestion to
cardiovascular system, work the same way as humans. Many human symptoms of human
conditions can be replicated in mice and rats. According to Jenny Haliski a representative for the
National Institutes of Health Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, rats and mice share many
similarities with humans and are appropriate to answer many research questions (as cited in
Melina, 2010). In El Paso, TTUHSC uses mice to conduct their testings. Rodents are small,
easily housed and maintained. They also reproduce quickly and have a short life-cycles so they

ANIMAL RESEARCH IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

can be studied throughout their who life-span so several generations of mice can be observed in a
short period of time. Mice and rats are inexpensive and can be bought in large quantities from
commercial producer that breed rodents specifically for research. Per Diem rats at TTUHSC for
mice range from $0.17 per mouse to $0.39 per mouse. Rats range from $0.38 per rat (non-sterile)
to $0.48 per rat (sterile).
Other Alternatives
Even though computer models are valuable, they are limited by what is already known
about a process or disease. Data for computer models often comes from animal studies. In turn,
computer models reveal gaps for further study in living organisms. Thus, medical research with
animals and computer modeling studies work together to increase our understanding of health
and disease. According to Dr. Festing (2010), researchers make good use of alternatives and most
research is done with computers, cell cultures, or human volunteers, but there are times when
they need to use animals because they cannot study a beating heart in a test tube and they cannot
get a computer to cough. Complex disease research can only be better understood when studied
inside the living body.
Conclusion
Before one can label animal research as cruelty, they should get informed on what animal
research is. Animal testing is important because it avoids human tragedies. Regulations are
practiced in the laboratory as researchers must follow the Three Rs. There have been medical
breakthroughs in the last century. Animal testing can also benefit other animals as well. Animals
are used for medical purposes as they are similar to humans and have more accurate results.
There are other alternatives to animal testing, however they are not as efficient.

ANIMAL RESEARCH IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

References
Benefits of Animal Research. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.aalasfoundation.org/outreach/About-AnimalResearch/benefits_to_people_and_animals
F. Trull. (2015). Animal Testing and Its Gifts to Humans. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved
from http://www.wsj.com/articles/animal-testing-and-its-gifts-to-humans-1429831936
Hajar R. (2011). Animal testing and medicine. Heart Views. Retrieved from
http://www.heartviews.org/article.asp?issn=1995705X;year=2011;volume=12;issue=1;spage=42;epage=42;aulast=Hajar
Isselbacher, K. J., Barger, A. C., Cuatrecasas, P., Loew, F. M., Purpura, D. P., & Thompson, R. F.
(1991). Science, Medicine, And Animals. Retrieved from
https://www.nap.edu/read/10089/chapter/7
Medical Benefits. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://speakingofresearch.com/facts/medical-benefits/
Medical Research with Animals. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/air/AnimalResearchFS06.pdf
Melina, R. (2010, November 16). Why Do Medical Researchers Use Mice? Retrieved from
http://www.livescience.com/32860-why-do-medical-researchers-use-mice.html
Supporting Biomedical Research. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.amprogress.org/animalresearch/
Why Animal Research? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.novartis.com/our-work/researchdevelopment/animals-research/why-animal-research
Why are animals used for testing medical products? (2016, March 4). Retrieved from
http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm194932.htm

ANIMAL RESEARCH IN THE MEDICAL FIELD


Why Do Scientists Use Animals in Research? (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.theaps.org/mm/sciencepolicy/animalresearch/publications/animals/quest1.html
Why do we use animals in research? [Video file]. (2010, November 26). In YouTube. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RL_KZ2bAQE

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