Education

Science is good.

We all benefit from scientific advances. Scientists and science professionals work everyday to improve our lives, to understand health, disease and injury and to find preventions, cures, and treatments. Research is the foundation of science. Animals are the foundation of biomedical/medical research.

Animal research works.

It works for humans, and it works for animals. Humans and animals both benefit from scientific advances made through research and discovery. Animal research has been responsible, at least in part, for every major medical and veterinary advance made over the past one hundred years.

• surfactant therapy
• surgical techniques
• vaccines
• treatments for Addison’s disease
• treatments for arthritis
• treatments for cardiovascular disease
• treatments for diabetes
• treatments for HIV/AIDS
• treatments for hypertension
• treatments for leukemia
• treatments for neurological disorders

Examples include:

• analgesics
• antibiotics
• anti-cancer drugs
• blood transfusion
• bone grafts
• chemotherapy
• diagnostic tests
• dialysis
• organ transplantation
• skin grafts
• surfactant therapy
• surgical techniques
• vaccines
• treatments for Addison’s disease
• treatments for arthritis
• treatments for cardiovascular disease
• treatments for diabetes
• treatments for HIV/AIDS
• treatments for hypertension
• treatments for leukemia
• treatments for neurological disorders

Animal research is humane.

Science professionals are good people who care for and about their animals. Veterinarians are a part of every research team to ensure animals receive the best of care and that they are treated humanely throughout the process.

Researchers are committed to the 3R’s.

Reduce the number of animals to the minimum required to get valid results; Replace animal models with non-animal models whenever possible; and Refine studies to ensure the most human conditions.

The vast majority of animals studied in research are rats and mice (90% – 95%). Scientists need other animal models as well and major breakthroughs have been made thanks to studies conducted with these animals: non-human primates, cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, woodchucks, pigs, sheep, armadillos, snakes, leeches, zebra fish, squid, horseshow crabs, worms, and fruit flies.

Most research studies don’t cause significant pain or distress. Care is taken to protect animals from undue stress, which can distort study results.

Animal research is regulated.

Federal laws govern animal research in the U.S. The Animal Welfare Act and the U.S. Public Health Service Policy set out the standards for the care of animals in research. All research institutions are required by law to establish an animal research oversight committee (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee – IACUC) and researchers must justify the need, procedures, and protocols for all studies involving animals.

Animal research is necessary.

Animal research is integral to ongoing research.

What is Biomedical Research?

Biomedical research is the broad area of science that looks for ways to prevent and treat diseases that cause illness and death in people and in animals. This general field of research includes many areas of both the life and physical sciences.

Utilizing biotechnology techniques, biomedical researchers study biological processes and diseases with the ultimate goal of developing effective treatments and cures. Biomedical research is an evolutionary process requiring careful experimentation by many scientists, including biologists and chemists. Discovery of new medicines and therapies requires careful scientific experimentation, development, and evaluation.

The use of animals in some types of research is essential to the development of new and more effective methods for diagnosing and treating diseases that affect both humans and animals. Scientists use animals to learn more about health problems, and to assure the safety of new medical treatments. Medical researchers need to understand health problems before they can develop ways to treat them. Some diseases and health problems involve processes that can only be studied in living organisms. Animals are necessary to medical research because it is impractical or unethical to use humans.

Animals make good research subjects for a variety of reasons. Animals are biologically similar to humans. They are susceptible to many of the same health problems, and they have short life-cycles so they can easily be studied throughout their whole life-span or across several generations. In addition, scientists can easily control the environment around animals (diet, temperature, lighting), which would be difficult to do with people. Finally, a primary reason why animals are used is that most people feel it would be wrong to deliberately expose human beings to health risks in order to observe the course of a disease.

Animals are used in research to develop drugs and medical procedures to treat diseases. Scientists may discover such drugs and procedures using alternative research methods that do not involve animals. If the new therapy seems promising, it is tested in animals to see whether it seems to be safe and effective. If the results of the animal studies are good, then human volunteers are asked to participate in a clinical trial. The animal studies are conducted first to give medical researchers a better idea of what benefits and complications they are likely to see in humans.

A variety of animals provide very useful models for the study of diseases afflicting both animals and humans. However, approximately 95 percent of research animals in the United States are rats, mice, and other rodents bred specifically for laboratory research. Dogs, cats, and primates account for less than one percent of all the animals used in research.

Those working in the field of biomedical research have a duty to conduct research in a manner that is humane, appropriate, and judicious. CBRA supports adherence to standards of care developed by scientific and professional organizations, and compliance with governmental regulations for the use of animals in research.
Scientists continue to look for ways to reduce the numbers of animals needed to obtain valid results, refine experimental techniques, and replace animals with other research methods whenever feasible.