Animals in Biomedical Research

(Tierversuche​)

By: Brooklyn Stromberg

November 19, 2019

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Statement of Topic: ​The topic I am researching is animal experimentation in biomedical

research. The term “animal testing” refers to procedures done on live animals. Scientists

experiment on animals to research biology as well as diseases that afflict humans and animals.

They also test the effectiveness of new products and medicines. Animal testing has been in use

since before 300 BC. In recent years it has become a constriverstal issue. Animal rights agencies

have worked to put laws in place to make testing more humane. ​Annually, over 115 million

animals are used worldwide in experimentation or to supply the biomedical industry​. Most of the

animals are purpose bred. Some institutes take their animals from the wild or shelters. Almost all

animals are killed at the end of the experiment, but some are re-used in other studies.

Purpose: ​The benefits to humans do not outweigh the torture that is inflicted on animals.

I am researching this topic because I feel passionately about animal welfare. Since I was a kid I

have been passionate about animals. I think that all animals deserve the right to be free from

tourture and experimentation. I also think people have the right to know how their products are

made. I want to raise awareness about the injustice that happens in laboratories. I hope this essay

will help my readers so they can be better informed about the cruelty. I believe that people would

stand up to animal testing if they knew more about it.

Scope:​ I will be covering the positives and negatives of animal experimentation. My

essay will cover the effectiveness of alternatives that can replace the animals that are

experimented on. I will also describe the effectiveness of animal welfare laws. The focus of my

essay will be on animal testing in the United States. My essay will not focus on other countries

procedures. I will research about biomedical experimentation. I will not explain produces from
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safety studies or cosmetic testing. I will not include information about other animal exploitation

such has factory farms or entertainment.

Research Section:

Viewpoint One:

Over 115 million animals are used every year to supply the biomedical industry. The

number of animals used in testing has increased to almost 73% in the last 15 years (Cruelty).

There are only a few regulations that protect lab animals from harmful experiments. The

outcomes of animal experimentation have become increasingly less reliable in recent years. New

technologies have began replacing animal and are proven to be more effective. Researchers

should not use animals in their experiments because it is unethical, ineffective and can be

replaced with technology.

The unethical treatment of animals in research has become a growing issue in the United

States, yet there are few regulations regarding it. ​United States law allows animals to be burned,

shocked, poisoned, isolated, starved, drowned, addicted to drugs, and brain-damaged. There are

no experiments, no matter how trivial, that are prohibited and painkillers are not required. Even

when alternatives are available the​y are not required by law, and often not used (Cruelty). There

are few restrictions on what type of experiment can be done. Some researchers get biomedical

studies funded that are not related to medical research. Emily Trunell, a Research Associate and

IACUC Liaison, explains how studies can be pointless and still receive funding from the

government. She writes, “Many animal experiments aren’t about medical breakthroughs at all.

Eric Nestler and his team torments mice for days by repeatedly shocking their feet, hanging them

by their tails, and squeezing them into small tubes. Nestler has received $130 million in federal
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funding for these and other experiments” (Trunell). The experiments seem to have no legitimate

purpose and yet are funded millions of dollars to execute. “Analyses of experiments on animals

revealed that ninety-three percent of the studies examined

should never have been approved, because of the high

levels of harm to the animals and outcomes that generated

little to no benefit to humans” (Trunnell). There is a lack of

regulation in animal experiments and it causes avoidable

suffering and death to animals. There discordance is also (What)

present in the laws regarding animal welfare. Rats and mice make up ninety-five percent of all

animals used in research yet the Animal Welfare Act excludes them. They are denied all of the

basic protects (Trunnell). In fact the Animal Welfare Act fails to provide protection to 90% of all

animals used (Monitor). Not only are animals not being protected but facilities aren’t being

inspected. “​As for the more than 11,000 facilities that the USDA does regulate, only 120 USDA

inspectors are employed to oversee their operations. Reports have repeatedly concluded that even

the minimal standards set forth by the AWA are not being met by these facilities, and the

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees have failed to carry out their mandate” (Cruelty).

There are virtually no laws that are truly protect animals from unethical treatment.

In recent years the effectiveness and reliability of an animal experimentation in research

has become more known. Many major issues have proven testing to be ineffective. Laboratory

procedures and environments alter the experiments and can confound data. A study done at

Cambridge found that cortisone levels rise in monkeys when they watch other monkeys being

held down for blood withdrawal. Rats blood pressure and heart rates rise when they see other rats
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being decapitated. Even routine procedures, like removing an animal from his or her cage can

significantly change their stress levels (Akhtar). The study states “​These stress-related changes in

physiological parameters caused by the laboratory procedures and environments can have

significant effects on test results. A variety of conditions in the laboratory cause changes in

neurochemistry, genetic expression, and nerve regeneration” (Akhtar). The stress that lab

animals endure can completely alter results and confound data. Stress in lab animals can also

disrupt brain development. A group from Harvard University studied the effect that stress had on

mice’s bacteria in their guts. To induce stress on the mice the researchers handled them by

picking them up and holding them. Then

they recorded fecal samples from the

control and treatment groups. The main

goal was reducing psychological

perturbation because the gut bacteria,

bifidobacteria, is reduced after stress

exposure.

(Allen-Blevins)​ Bifidobacteria is critical in

neurodevelopment and without it organisms’ brains will not develop correctly. The report stated

“From our results, we conclude even handling pups for experimental purposes, without gavage,

may induce enough stress to alter the murine gut microbiota profi​le” (​Allen-Blevins​). ​In other

words, even handling the young mice causes enough stress to alter the bacteria in their gut in turn

damaging the development of their brain. The light blue color in the graph above represents the

Bifidobacteria, it is apparent that it is completely gone after handling. Animals natural reaction to
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normal lab procedures can have drastically change the genetics in animals, confound data and

make experiments ineffective.

The problem of discordance between human and animals is also present. There is a lack

of similarities between animal models making most experiments ineffective. In 2006, the

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences​ did a study for a CD28 superagonist antibody TGN1412

and tested it on six human volunteers. The drug was previously tested on monkeys with a 500

fold higher dosage. When it was given to the humans, within two hours, they were experiencing

life threatening effects including organ failure and brain swellin​g (​Attarwala​). ​Since animals

have a different ​patterns of gene expression than humans it can make failure in experiments quite

common. Researchers at over a dozen different institutions explored the accuracy of

experiments using mice as models for humans they found, “About 150 treatments for

inflammatory disorders had been tested in humans after succeeding in mouse experiments. Every

one of those treatments has failed. Their research offered a simple but fundamental explanation

for those failures, localizing to differential gene expression in mice and humans” (​Latham).

According to former National Cancer Institute Director Dr. Richard Klausner, “We have cured

mice of cancer for decades, and it simply didn’t work in humans​” (Latham). ​Animals don’t

naturally develop the same diseases that humans do therefore scientists have limitations

mirroring those diseases. Even if the there is congruence between the animal and human there is

still the i​nterspecies differences such as behavior, pharmacokinetics, genetics and physiology.

These differences limit the significance of animal testing. As more problems arise from animal

testing need for new alternatives has become imperatitve.

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As technology advances researchers are coming up with new ways to find alternatives to

animal testing. Using animals in experiments is time consuming and wastes money. New

alternative technologies allow scientists to get more accurate reports without causing suffering.

The technology was used when the Deepwater Horizon rig spewed billions of gallons of oil into

the Gulf and the United States leaders asked the EPA to run experiments to test the safety of the

oil dispersants. A report released from the Humane Society International about the incident

states, “Within 6 weeks, the agency tested the eight substances in a number of high-throughput

assays that probed a variety of biological pathways and produced a report identifying the toxicity

profiles of dispersants. If these studies had been conducted in animals, the testing and reporting

would have taken years, and would likely have produced results no more conclusive than those

obtained from the cell systems in a matter of weeks” (Avoid). These alternatives have proven to

be faster and more cost effective. Vitro technology is a fast growing effective alternative. It

allows researchers to run experiments “outside the body” using cells or tissue instead of live

animals. A normal animal test involving rats in a 24-month cancer bioassay costs $700,000. The

same test with vitro requires a syrian hamster embryo SHE cell costs $22,000 (​Mauthe​). Using

animals for biomedical experimentation is archaic form of research. Advances in technology are

making it possible to effectively replace animals in studies.

In conclusion, the use of animals in testing an unethical practice that causes suffering to

millions of animals. Most of the results from the research cannot be used for humans and it is

often times confounded. With new, more accurate technology there is no longer a need for such a

large amount of animal subjects. Removing animals from experimentation would save lives, end

wasteful research and save institutions money.

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Viewpoint Two:

Almost all basic medical produces that are standard in hospitals today can be attributed to

animal research. Diseases that once killed millions of people are now treatable, cured or

completely eradicated. Without the help of animal research these achievements would have been

impossible. Animal subjects a vital part of research that machines cannot replace them. Most

major medical breakthroughs have been because of animal experimentation. The animals are

treated humanely and are protected by law. Animals should be used in experimentation because

they are essential for the future of biomedical research.

Over the centuries animal testing has had a huge impact on the development of new drugs

and cures to new diseases. Though new technological breakthroughs have been helpful in

research they do not compare to animal subjects. Animals have been a key part in the scientific

process. Animals allow researchers to have insights into human systems because of their

similarities. According to Foundation of Biomedical Research “There is no complete alternative

to biomedical research with animals. There is still an essential

need to develop surgical procedures, test drugs, medical

devices, and other promising treatments on animals before they

are tested on humans” (National). Even the most

technologically advanced systems are not able to mirror the

cellular interactions that happen in a living organism. Most (N. Addy)

biomedical studies require a living host. A number of things could go wrong within the

organism, making it impossible to tell with a machine. Even when results are found there are still

variables that can change and in these situations technology is not viable. “After elucidating how
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a disease process works, sometimes a vulnerability can be found that could ameliorate or even

cure that disease. This vulnerability can sometimes be exploited in the form of a drug. They

begin in cell cultures, and it is determined if the drug functions as it theoretically

should—targeting the right molecules within a cell.” Without the use of a live subject it can be

impossible to find vulnerabilities in an experiment. Animals are essential to research because

they have biological factors that cannot be replicated or replaced by machines.

A number of medical advancements have been possible solely because of animal

research. Cancer research is one of the biggest benefactors of medical

testing. Advancements in breast cancer, childhood leukemia, chronic

myeloid leukemia and lung cancer have all been made possible because

of animal experimentation. The former PETA (People for the Ethical

Treatment of Animals) member, Alec Baldwin, broke away from the

foundation because of the “importance of animal research for cancer”.

He states “Animal research was essential for the development of

Herceptin and Tamoxifen, two medicines that have saved the lives of

thousands of women and men with breast cancer” (Animal). These

advancements were so vital to medical research that even an animal

rights activist supports them. Not only have animal tests improved

cancer treatment they have made advancements in HIV/AIDS therapies

and major progress in stroke and heart disease treatments. One of the

most promising medical treatments is stem cells. These cells have

(Communication) opened important treatments for humans but they must be tested on
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animals before they are deemed safe for humans. According to the Ethics of Medical Testing

“Stem cells have regenerate cells, tissues and organs, and to serve as delivery tools of important

growth factors. Neural stem cells have been shown to deliver enzymes to brain cells in rats,

penetrating the blood-brain barrier, and pointing to a potential treatment for Alzheimer's” (Bali).

Practically all biomedical research, advances veterinary and human medicine can be attributed to

animal research. Without the use of animal subjects there would not be thousands of drugs and

treatments that exist today.

The condition of animal subjects is important to the scientists running the study. If an

animal experiences pain or distress the results of the experiment will be confounded. According

to the Ethics of Medical Testing “The 2006 USDA Annual Report reveals that fifty-seven

percent of all research procedures with animals involved no more than slight or momentary pain

or distress. Thirty-eight percent of the research procedures employed anesthesia and post-

operative painkillers” (Bali). Restrictions are put in place to protect the animals in the studies.

USDA laws prevent mistreatment of the animals. These laws include the regulation of feeding,

housing, ventilation, cleanliness and medical needs. Research centers are also required to justify

their need for the animals and use the least amount possible. All studies must also go through a

review by the IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee). According to Ross Keller

from​ Scientific Research on Animals Is Vital to Advance in Medicine ​“ Each institution has its

own committee, which includes a variety of people including a lay person not involved in

research. The committee ensures that the study is run properly and follows federal regulations

laid out in the Animal Welfare Act and the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and

Use of Laboratory Animals​.​” Animals are being treated humanely in research centers because it
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is in the scientists best interest. Several laws that have been passed in order to protect animals

from unethical practices.

In conclusion, animal testing has been used for hundreds of years and is provent to be an

effect form of reseach. New technologies are not advanced enough to replace animals in

laboratories because most studies require living beings. Thousands of breakthroughs have been

made possible because of animal research making it that are essential for biomedical research.

Animal research there would not be thousands of drugs and cures. Since the researchers need to

have accurate results they are obligated to have the best care for their animals. Animal research

is vital because it is continually creating new opportunities for advancements in medicine.

Personal Perspective:

​All of my life I have been a firm believer that animals deserve the same rights as

humans. After completing my research I have come to the same conclusion. Animals should not

be stripped of their natural rights for medical experimentation. I don’t think that lab results

outweigh the tourture that animals endure. Research not only wastes animal lives but money as

well. I think that our government should be putting money toward finding more alternatives to

animal testing. In my opinion animal testing is inhumane and a waste of animal life.

The ​English philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, once asked, “The question is not, can they

reason? Nor, can they talk? But ​can they suffer​?”​ Humans have justified the exploitation of

animals because they do not have a voice. The few laws that are put in place to protect animals

are ineffective. Animals suffer just as humans do and they deserve to have the same laws

protecting their rights. Despite the obvious differences between humans and animals, we share
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with them a capacity to suffer. We cannot ignore or discount their interests because we are not

members of their species. Ultimately, the belief that human life has more worth than animal life

is how experiments are ethically justified. Instead, ethically superior beings should have an

obligation to protect the ‘inferiors’ just like an adult would for a child. I believe that we have an

ethical responsibility to animals to protect them from harm.

Not only is animal experimentation ethically wrong, it is unnecessary. Millions of

animals die at the hands of researchers each year. Almost all animals are killed at the end of the

study because they are no longer necessary. The animals that aren’t killed are used in other

studies or are killed as a result of a study. It is extremely rare for a lab animal to be adopted or

sent to a sanctuary. Most animal subjects have no chance of leaving the lab alive. There are

several tests that infamous for the high amount of pain they inflict on animal subjects. Not only

does animal research waste lives it wastes money. The United States wastes almost half its

research funding on ineffective animal experiments. Meanwhile, more than ninety percent of

highly promising basic science discoveries don’t lead to treatments for humans. Billions of

dollars are being paid to unusable studies. It’s cruel that lab animals spend their entire lives being

tortured just to be killed at the end. The amount of lives and money wasted due to animal

experimentation is unnecessary.

Animal testing is an archadic form of experiementation. If the government put a bigger

emphasis on alternatives for animal testing, considering how far technology has advanced it

seems ignorant to continue to use animals. Alternative are proven to be more effective and they

can save institutions thousands of dollars. Vitro testing uses cells instead of live animals. It has

been record saving companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. These alternatives are able to
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provide a more detailed analysis that can’t be done with a live animal.​ ​Just as experiments with

animals replace human trails vitro studies replace animals. I think that if more institutions were

pushed to replace their animal subjects they would have a better results of experiment and of

finance.

Proposal of Action:

I believe the most effective way to better the lives of animals in research is by creating

and passing a new national law. Ideally, the law would completely eradicate animal

experimentation in biomedical research. Since this idea is not feasible in the foreseeable future,

the law will focus solely on restriction. I propose that a law be passed that restricts biomedical

institutions from using animal subjects unless absolutely necessary. This will be a major step for

animal research that hasn’t been taken since 1966 when the last Animal Welfare Act was passed.

The main goal of the law would be to reduce, refine and replace animal experimentation.

The laws main purpose is to remove as many animals from laboratories as possible. Once

the law is in effect, biomedical institutions from each state will have 10 years to remove all

unnecessary animal subjects from their laboratories. No money will be allocated to the

institutions during this 10 year period because most of the alternatives will cut the costs for

experiments, in some cases by hundreds of thousands of dollars. The next step of the bill

concerns a biomedical research approval board. Each state will receive funding to create a board.

This board allows certain experiments to use lab animals if it meets the regulations verifying that

animal testing is essential and there is no technology available that will acheive similar results.

The law also ensures better treatment of the animals if they are approved for research. This

means that a member of the committee will make an annual visit to the institutions to ensure the
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correct treatment of the animals. The final part of the law will provide the animals that are

released from experimentation to with homes either at an adoption center or sanctuary. Each

state will receive funding to prepare a place for the animals.

First, a coalition must be created to help advocate for the proposed bill. Members can be

recruited through contact with local pet adoption centers, pet stores, veterinarian offices and

others who may be interested in advocating for animal rights. The group will gather research and

develop a one-page infographic that identifies research supporting the proposed legislation and

why this change is important. Once the coalition is established with a sufficient membership

base, they can request a meeting with their state representative. Coalition representatives will

share the infographic and other facts supporting how legislation can have a positive impact on

improving the protection of animals while reducing the impact as much as possible on research.

Once they get the representative to agree to support legislation, it will go to the House of

Representatives and Senate to become federal law. This process should take roughly one year.

Once the law is passed each state will have to create a Biomedical Research Approval

Board. This committee will be made up of 10 animal research experts. The law will allocate

$300,000 annually pay the committee members and keep the boards functioning. The purpose of

the board is to approve the need for animals in an experiment. Each biomedical institution will

have to meet before the board and propose their experiment and prove that there are no other

alternatives. Once they are approved they can proceed with the study, but there will be a proctor

from the board that will monitor compliance annually.

The last part of the law concerns the animals that are released from the laboratories. Each

state will be given $600,000 in taxpayers money to use toward sanctuaries for the animals. They
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can put this money into existing sanctuaries to alter services to support animals used in testing or

they can build new facilities. These sanctuaries will allow people to foster and adopt former lab

animals. The animals that cannot be adopted will be housed permanently at the sanctuary. This

section of the law will help care for the animals affected by this proposal.

The proposed law would cost $900,000 per state. In total it would cost $45,000,000. This

money would come from taxpayers and would fund the construction of sanctuaries and creation

of the biomedical approval boards. The total amount of time for this law to be enacted is eleven

years, one year for the bill to get passed and 10 years for the sanctuaries to be constructed and

the laboratories to switch to the alternative technology. Ideally, this law will be another step

toward the full eradication of animal research. The ultimate goal of the law is for thousands of

animals to be saved with limited impact on research.

Conclusion:

I firmly believe that animals should not be used in biomedical research. The lab animals

are treated unethically and there are few laws that protect them. In the past animal research has

done a lot for the advancement of biomedical knowledge. In recent years more and more studies

have shown failures in results and shown inconclusive outcomes. Now, with the emergence of

alternatives many aspects of animal research are unnecessary. Animals should have the right to

be free from suffering that is caused from experimentation.

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Works Cited
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Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics : CQ : the International Journal of Healthcare Ethics
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Allen-Blevins, Cary R, et al. “Handling Stress May Confound Murine Gut Microbiota
Studies.” ​PeerJ​, PeerJ Inc., 11 Jan. 2017,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5234434/.

“Animal Research Is Helping Us Beat Cancer.” ​Cancer Research UK - Science Blog,​

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ancer/.

Attarwala, H. “TGN1412: From Discovery to Disaster.” ​Journal of Young Pharmacists : JYP​,

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Latham, Jonathan. “The Failing Animal Research Paradigm for Human Disease.”
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https://www.independentsciencenews.org/health/the-failing-animal-research-paradigm-for
-human-disease/.

Mauthe, R J, et al. “The Syrian Hamster Embryo (SHE) Cell Transformation Assay: Review
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“What Types of Animals Are Needed for Medical Research?” ​What Types of Animals Are Needed for Medical
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