Introduction:
Experiments on animals are widely used for the development of new medicines and to test the safety of scientific research. Using animals in research has long been the subject of heated debate for decades. Many of these experiments directly harm the animals or reduce their quality of life. So many people consider it morally wrong to use animals solely for human benefit. On the flip side, if animals are completely removed from the research, it will hinder the understanding of health and disease and affect the development of new treatments. To protect against animal cruelty, many criteria and regulations are formulated by the government. So, the research will be detailed, and animals will be protected.
Why Is Animal Use Crucial in Medical Research?
Animals play a crucial role in medical research. About 70 % of Nobel prizes for physiology or medicine are contributed by animal research, which brings hope to many people with life-threatening diseases and conditions such as heart failure, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. Many indispensable inventions in medical histories, like antibiotics, vaccines, organ transplantation, insulin, and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) treatment, have all succeeded with the help of animal experiments. There are multiple reasons for using animals for biomedical research:
- Animals are biologically similar to humans. Mice share more than 98 %of their DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) with humans.
- Animals also have the same health problems as humans, like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.
- Animals have shorter life spans than humans, so the whole life span of the animal model can be studied by covering several generations. An understanding of how a disease processes and its interactions will be beneficial.
What Is Animal Ethics?
Animal ethics assesses the use of animals in research, the moral consideration of animals, and how nonhuman animals are to be treated. The general opinion is even animals have a moral status, and so experimental treatment of animals should be subjected to ethical considerations, which are reflected in the following:
- Even animals possess an intrinsic value that must be respected.
- Treatment of animals, like using them in research, expresses human attitude and influences humans as moral actors.
- Even animals have sensations, and they can feel pain. Hence, the experiment on animals should therefore be taken into account.
What Is the Guideline for Undergoing Animal Testing?
Respect for the Animals:
Researchers must respect animal life, regardless of their value, and for animals' interests in living. Researchers must choose their topic and methods cautiously and respectfully when disseminating their research. Proper care should be provided for each laboratory animal, and the needs must be met.
Consider Other Options if Available (Replace):
Researchers are responsible for checking if alternatives to animal experiments are available. Priority should be given to alternative options if the same knowledge can be gained without utilizing animals. Also, if no alternatives are available, researchers should try to consider postponing the experiment until alternative methods have been developed.
The Principle of Proportionality:
The laboratory animals experience pain and suffering while undergoing experiments. To counterbalance the pain and suffering, the research should benefit the animals, people, or the environment. Researchers should assess whether the experiment may result in animals, people, or environmental improvement. Also, the benefits of the study must be specified in both the short and the long term. The scientific quality of the experiments and relevant scientific benefits should be considered. Research institutions should provide suitable study models to analyze the benefits and outcomes when planning experiments on animals.
Reducing Animal Numbers:
The researchers must make maximum efforts to reduce the number of animals for the experiment plans. It is necessary to utilize only the required number to maintain the scientific quality of the experiments and the results. So the researchers must consider alternative experiment designs, conduct literature studies, and perform design calculations before starting the experiments.
Reduce Animal Suffering and Improve Their Welfare:
The expected effect on laboratory animals should be assessed before. And the risks should be minimized and provide good animal welfare. The animal may suffer from pain, hunger, thirst, abnormal cold or heat, fear, stress, injury, malnutrition, illness, and restricted ability to behave naturally or normally. The animals that suffer the most should be given priority. The indirect suffering before and after the experiments should also be noted and checked.
Maintaining Biodiversity:
The researchers should be careful not to endanger biological diversity by using them in research. This means the consequences to the species and the ecosystem as a whole should be taken into account. The use of endangered and vulnerable species must be reduced to the maximum.
Sharing of Materials and Data:
There should be transparency about research findings and facilitate sharing of materials and data from experiments on animals. This will help to avoid unnecessary repetition of experiments. Also, transparency will keep the public informed about the researcher's responsibility. Disclosing negative results will notify other researchers of information about the experiments that are not worth pursuing and help reduce animal use in research.
Knowledge About Animals:
Researchers and other members who handle animals must have adequate knowledge of animals, including the biology of the animal species undertaken in the experiment and the ability and willingness to care for animals.
What Are the Alternatives for Animal Testing?
Budding medical science innovations have begun replacing animal testing in many areas, such as toxicity testing, drug development, and neuroscience. Alternative methods can help to reduce cruelty towards animals. The methods include:
Cell Cultures:
All types of human and animal cells can be grown in the laboratory. Even miniature 3D structures have grown to provide more practical test methods for new therapies. Human cells can be used to create small chip-like devices called organs-on-chips. These devices can be used instead of animals for research. Cell culture is utilized in cancers, kidney disease, sepsis, and AIDS and is routinely used in drug development.
Human Tissues:
Healthy and diseased tissues donated by humans can be used in studying human biology and disease rather than using animals.
Computer Models:
Computers can produce models or replicate the human body. Computer models of the heart, kidneys, lungs, skin, musculoskeletal, and digestive systems exist. They can be used for experiments based on mathematical data and existing information.
Conclusion:
Animal testing was a boon to medical science, but not the same for animals. They undergo many sufferings throughout the process. The researchers should be extremely careful while conducting experiments on animals and follow all the guidelines provided by the higher authorities. Also, choosing other available options over animal testing is often recommended.
