How Can Animal Testing Be Used For Biomedical Research

As of 2015, 200 to 225 million animals are said to used in laboratory research for the biomedical industry annually worldwide. Typically defended by arguments of reliability and human health benefits, recently the question of ethics and values placed on animal testing have caused it to become a relevant and pressing topic that has been more widely discussed and debated. First off, the laboratory conditions that are instigated upon millions of animal models for the sake of medical research has been said to be unethical and cruel. Additionally, it has been debated that the results of animal experimentation are unreliable across a wide range of areas. Lastly, animal testing not only leads away from the direction of resources from more effective testing methods but also prolongs the duration of time humans may need to wait for an effective cure. Therefore, the potential benefits of animal experimentation are greatly outweighed by the risks and collective harm of humans and animals which is why resources should be directed towards more human-based testing procedures.

Around the world, millions of scientists conduct their studies by testing their research on animals. Many people believe that experimenting on animals is crucial to the advancement of medical discoveries. Studies show however, that animal experimentation is brutal and unnecessary. There are alternatives though: “replacement, reduction, and refinement” (Howard 2).

The harmful use of animals in experiments is not only cruel and inhumane but also often ineffective. Animals do not get many of the human diseases that people do, such as major types of heart disease, many types of cancer, HIV, Parkinson’s disease, or schizophrenia. There have been past occasions where drugs passed on animals weren’t even safe. There is no excuse for animal testing in today’s techy world, there are now many alternatives for animal testing that would put an end to the pain and suffering endured by these innocent animals during human testing.

Animal experimentation also known as animals testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments that seek to control the variables that affect the behavior or biological system under study (Wikipedia). Animal experimentation is a highly controversial topic as many debate between whether it is ethical to use animals for such experiments or research and if the use of animals is really necessary. Many argue that there are other methods that we can use to test out certain studies and products while others argue that the use of animals is crucial because it is inhumane to use people. I personally feel that we need to use animals for animal experimentation for many reasons such as there just isn’t a functioning system quite the same as ours, everyone including animals has benefitted from the tests and many other reasons that will be further discussed. But I do however, feel that animals should be treated better and put in better living conditions prior to being experimented on. I understand both sides of the argument and am prepared to advocate for both sides in this paper.

Experimentation is a vital aspect of all sciences, as it validates hypothesis and furthers scientific development. However, many believe that science crosses the line when animals become subjected to experimentation as a way to further research. This is a controversial topic, as it examines what to us, as humans, is more important, morality or science? These animals are forced to endure pain and suffering, in an attempt to prolong and ease the lives of humans. Animal vivisection is unethical, and there are alternatives that can be utilized, therefore, it should be lessened, and ultimately eradicated.

Animal experimentation goes back to the 17th Century; its purpose is to use conscious animals as experiments where they practice the advances in medicine to assure a product’s safety before it is released to the market. For example, with the help of animal tests, scientists study new treatments for diseases in humans and animals. Must be remembered, laboratories in the U.S kill more than 100 million animals of different species a year when doing these experiments.

But “ they are not relevant to human health, they do not contribute meaningfully to medical advances and many are undertaken simply out of curiosity and do not even pretend to hold promises for curing illnesses” (Animal rights,2015) Many of the “…animals died in vain because no direct benefit to human occurred.” (Murnaghan, 2001, page 59) They tell the public that the experiments is to benefit us that is why many scientific members of the communities support it. It also ensures the safety of drugs and many other substance the humans are exposed to. On the other hand our bodies compared to an animal are quite very different this is why it is unreliable testing. The animal’s reaction to the drugs could be very different, they could consume it and be fine but maybe when we use the same drug we could have a different reaction. For example, DES and Reserpine are drugs that have been tested on animals and is safe to them but when tested on humans became proven harmful. Acetaminophen is toxic to cats and penicillin will kill guinea pigs and hamsters. Also classroom dissection could be replaced with computer programs. ”Medical research can be achieved through in vitro (test tube) techniques on human cells and tissues, mathematical modeling, biochemical analysis, and computer simulation.” (Spiegel, 2011,

In the early 1920’s animal experimentation was crudely developed for testing and evaluating products and medicines. Animals, such as rodents, are injected with certain medicines or fed specific ingredients found in these products. Many results from these testings include pain and suffering for the animal experimented on. I believe that animal experimentation should have restrictions. These experiments can be important in discoveries relating to cures for diseases and other medications, but many animals are being harmed for the cause and treated as objects that can be used and disposed of.

If you've ever taken antibiotics, had a vaccine, a blood transfusion, dialysis, an organ transplant, or a joint replacement, you have benefitted from animal testing and research (“Humane society”). It's true there are medical breakthroughs however, if you use an alternative to testing animals such as genetic testing methods than animals wouldn't have to suffer (“11 facts about animal”). Over 115 million animals a year die from being tested in lab experiments. During animal experimentation mice get tumors the size of their own bodies and kittens are purposely blinded to test makeup (“11 facts about animal”). Testing animals are not 100% accurate for humans because their bodies are different than humans (Woodward kay

For centuries animals have been using by researchers as tools for human medications. Researchers admit that they are getting closer to find the cure for the terminal illnesses like cancer or AIDS. But in fact the cure for cancer that researchers found by using mice, did not work in humans as it did in mice. Animals have different biological systems than humans do and they do not suffer from the diseases as the way humans do. Therefore the tests cannot be accurate. “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has noted that 92 percent of all drugs that are shown to be safe and effective in animal tests fail in human trials because they don’t work or are dangerous. And of the small percentage that is approved for human use, half are relabeled because

Animal Experimentation for scientific research is a contentious issues and the subject of much debate. On one hand it is considered morally wrong to use animal solely for human benefit. On the other hand, removing animals, completely from the lab would impede any understanding of health, disease and consequently affect the development of new and vital treatments. Two essential questions needed to be asked is does it work and is it ethical?

Chanita, I enjoyed reading your post and found it to be very informative and interesting. We have slightly conflicting viewpoints but both see the need for balance regarding animal testing in biomedical research. As you suggested, “it is best to weigh the benefits of the trials and conclusions that could help humankind.” Therefore, there are specific circumstances where animal testing is necessary to help mankind. The same idea can be seen in both arguments from Singer and Cohen. According to Singer, “researchers should be required to demonstrate that the benefits of their research will outweigh the suffering of the animals involved” (Munson, 2012, p. 197). Likewise, Cohen suggest “we have a strong duty to conduct such experiments to alleviate

Every year, millions of animals suffer through painful and unnecessary tests. Animals in laboratories all over the world live lives of deprivation, pain, isolation, and torture. Even though vast studies show that animal experimentation often lacks validity, leading to harmful human reactions, we still continue to use this method of experimentation, while many other less-expensive and more beneficial alternatives exist. Going beyond the issue of animal experimentation being morally wrong, this form of research is also hindering medical progress. Although the use of animals in laboratories is said to be necessary for the welfare and health of humans, people mistakenly believe that this immoral and unscientific method of experimentation is

We should not stop using animals in medical experiments. Otherwise, people would die and suffer under such a policy. Historically, almost all new drugs that are introduced each year after much animal testing. Even though the number of animal lives expended is a huge cost, the benefits that each drug brings confirm that cost. New drugs approved for medical use have the potential to relieve human pain and suffering not only for current patients, but also for future generations.

Animal experimentation has been in practice for over centuries. Years ago, it was extremely relevant for new scientific discoveries and advances in medicine. In fact, it has lead to some of society’s major medical advancements; such as organ transplant techniques, anti-transplant rejection medications, the heart-lung machine, antibiotics, and the whooping cough vaccine. Animal testing started as rarely conducted tests and procedures, but the practices have skyrocketed in recent years. As the experiments increased, so did the controversy. Although it may have been beneficial and relevant in years past- society’s morals have changed. The first animal protection law was enacted in 1822; the reasoning behind it was specifically to regulate animal testing. A group called antivivisectionists, meaning those who are against the act of surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, gained popularity in the late 1800’s. These activists believed that in order to achieve a peaceful society, mercy was needed and vivisection was putting a stop to this. However, this antivivisectionist movement started to decline in the 1920’s. It was thought that this was because of the achievements made in medicines in that era and the leading factor being animal testing. Since then, it has still not been completely banned; however it is still an ethical issue to this day. “Almost all states actively research on animals at present. The total scale of all research on vertebrates is