Problems with Animal Experimentation Nearly 26 million animals around the world are used every year for scientific experimentation. Numerous procedures are performed on animals to test the safety of certain products that are intended for humans. Several of these procedures can cause the animal pain and suffering. The Animal Welfare Act, also known as AWA, regulates animal testing in the United States. The AWA describes an animal as "any live or dead dog, cat, monkey, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, or such other warm-blooded animal", while excluding birds, rats and mice, cold-blooded animals, and farm animals. Many people support animal testing believing that it has allowed the advancement of many life saving treatments. While on the other hand, numerous
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Several scientists still like to use animal testing because they believe that it is effective; however, there are several alternatives that have been confirmed to be much more dependable. Scientists have developed new and improved procedures for testing products and studying illnesses. Studies that replace animal testing include in vitro testing, computer modeling, and studies with human volunteers. In vitro testing uses “organs on chips” which contain human cells that are grown in a lab to mimic the function of real human organs. Computer modeling, also known as in silico modeling, uses computer models that imitate human biology and the advancement of diseases. It can also foresee how certain drugs will react in the human body. Lastly, micro dosing is exercised on human volunteers. Micro dosing provides information on the safety of a trial drug. Volunteers are typically given a small one-time drug dose, and imaging techniques are then used to monitor how the drug behaves in the body. All of these different testing methods are much more reliable, and take less time and money to complete. (In text citation) It is obvious that the best way to
Several scientists still like to use animal testing because they believe that it is effective; however, there are several alternatives that have been confirmed to be much more dependable. Scientists have developed new and improved procedures for testing products and studying illnesses. Studies that replace animal testing include in vitro testing, computer modeling, and studies with human volunteers. In vitro testing uses “organs on chips” which contain human cells that are grown in a lab to mimic the function of real human organs. Computer modeling, also known as in silico modeling, uses computer models that imitate human biology and the advancement of diseases. It can also foresee how certain drugs will react in the human body. Lastly, micro dosing is exercised on human volunteers. Micro dosing provides information on the safety of a trial drug. Volunteers are typically given a small one-time drug dose, and imaging techniques are then used to monitor how the drug behaves in the body. All of these different testing methods are much more reliable, and take less time and money to complete. (In text citation) It is obvious that the best way to