Should Animals Be Used for Medical Research?

Should Animals Be Used in Medical Research
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Abstract
Use of animals for medical research has led to numerous benefits for humanity and animals as well. Continuous search and study of animals as experiments in laboratories through scientific inquiry has enormously reduced cases of human diseases and suffering, while substantially increasing life expectancy. The majority of achievements in medicine and biology have been achieved through experimenting with animals as illustrated by some examples in this paper. There remains a lot to be learned and discovered through the use of animals and studies in areas such as the development of vaccines and diagnosis of Cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, epilepsy, dementia, AIDS, and many other diseases will be understood better through the use of animals.
Keywords: vivisection, T-Lymphotropic lentivirus,
Introduction
According to Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (2008), experimenting with animals for medical research has been in use for several centuries, with the earliest records having been done in Greece more than 2000 years ago. The significant advances in medicine and the knowledge gained on how organisms work has been through the experiment with animals. However, there has been concerns raised about animals used in the laboratory for experimental purposes, and it is equally as old as the use of animals for experiment. The antivivisectionist groups and animal welfare activists have been around from 19th century, and now there are regulations and legislations governing the use of different animals for medical research.

All medical research practitioners using animals now have guidelines to follow to ensure humane treatment and use of laboratory animals, and therefore animals should be used for medical research.
The earliest studies that involved the use of animals were done by Aristotle who showed the difference in the anatomy of different animals through the dissection he carried out. Galen, a Greek physician, argued that experimenting with animals would lead to scientific advancement and he performed the first experiment with live animals. He used pigs in his experiments and was later extended to other species the practice was known as vivisection. It was around the 16th century when animal experiments were recorded, and William Harvey published his studies on the flow of blood and the heart in animals. In the 1800s, France became the leading country in experimental biology and medicine of animals as witnessed by the works of notable scientists like Louis Pasteur in immunology and microbiology. Through the study of experimenting with animals, several strides were made in research starting in the mid 19th century through the works of scientists such as Virchow who came up with the science of cellular pathology. His studies led to more understanding of the diseases processes. Koch began a chain of studies that led to the development of inoculation of rabies and immunization for anthrax, and by 1902 laboratory tissue culture had been developed (Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, 2008).
Research Using Animals
Using animals for medical research has been a contentious issue for many years, but the overriding fact to note is that research with animals has saved lives throughout the world and has reduced human suffering while enhancing scientific and medical understanding. Although such experimentation with animals often lead to suffering and finally the death of the animals, and therefore raising several questions that generate strong emotions. Experiment using animals has now become a crucial part of biomedical research, an essential element of the efforts to treat, cure, and prevent a broad range of diseases. As it were in the past, scientists are now using animals to gain deeper knowledge and understanding of the common and widespread diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and to acquire more knowledge in genetics and other areas of life science. Animals will be required if new diseases are to be combated such as AIDS. Experimental animal studies have helped in understanding more about the primary causes of human suffering like mental illness, senility, and drug addiction. It is crucial to realize that animals are now an essential part of scientific research and different countries have legislations touching on animal welfare, trying to minimize animal suffering (Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, 2008).
Legislation in Different Countries
Different legislation in many countries is aimed at ensuring quality research that would benefit humanity and at the same time taking into consideration the welfare of the animal not to cause unnecessary suffering. Balancing the two gives a strong argument why animals should always be used for medical research and the balance differ slightly with countries depending on culture, religion, social factors and economy. Regulations of animals for research in Europe have a long history dating to early 19th century when the first animal welfare legislation became operational in countries like Germany and UK. The legislation set the minimum standards for all the member states and provided for a more strict national level legislation. The legislation was revised in 2002, 2010, and 2013, which included limiting the number of individual animals and animal exposure to pain and reuse of animals. The revision aimed at regulating the species that can be used for experiment and greater transparency among the institutions using animals for experiments. The main argument from those against the use of animals for medical research is that research is done in secrecy and leads to extreme suffering of the animals. All these legislations are enough to show that it is ethical and beneficial for animals to be used for medical research (Pankevich, Wizemann, Mazza, & Altevogt, 2012).
In the US the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) is an oversight body that stipulates the conditions for institutions and individuals have to meet to get funding. Commitment to the procedure and regulations are part of the general commitment to excellent research and academic excellence. The Animal Welfare Act of 1966 authorizes the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop regulations. The USDA legislation does not cover animals such as birds, mice, and rats kept for research, but Public Health Service (PHS) Act includes such animals and other vertebrates. The two bodies give an oversight of animal care issues. Other countries in different parts of the world also have legislations that govern the use of animals in a laboratory or for medical research, which ensures the procedures are ethical and do not cause extreme suffering of the animal (Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, 2008).
The Benefits of Using Animals for Medical Research
Using animals for medical research has considerably improved the and significantly increased scientific knowledge and has had the greatest impact on human health. For instance, in the US, use of animals for medical research has led to a significant increase in average life expectancy from 25 years in the early 20th century. As early as 1600s animals were used to study how the cardiovascular functions and other related diseases. The heart and lung machines use in open-heart surgery were developed with animals before they were possible to be used with human beings. As much as 80% of congenital diseases that were initially fatal are now curable because of surgical experiments on animals. Other drug treatments and different surgical techniques that were perfected in animals are now used safely on humans and have extended the lives of millions of Americans and other people around the world (Pankevich, Wizemann, Mazza, & Altevogt, 2012).
Organ transplants were first performed on animals, and it is now safely done on humans. Presently, there are more than 30,000 Americans who are living comfortable lives after receiving an organ transplant, without which they would not be alive, or they would be undergoing the uncomfortable and laborious procedure such as dialysis to stay alive. Many other Americans are alive as a result of liver or heart transplant or their lives have improved immeasurably after receiving skin or cornea transplant. Knowledge gained in organ transplants have significantly contributed to the understanding of immunology, with far-reaching implications for treatment of a broad range of diseases. It was research based on animals that gave the limelight of the nature the virus causing polio and this has helped drive the disease almost to extinction all over the world. In the 1900s, saw the first ever successful transfer of the polio virus to monkeys by the scientist and subsequently testing the various altered forms of the virus in apes. Finally, the scientist discovered they could immunize the monkeys without infecting them with the diseases. A significant milestone was achieved when scientist demonstrated that the virus could be produced in a cultured cell not necessarily from the brain cells leading to a mass production of the virus for vaccination. The vaccine reduced case of paralytic polio in the US and other countries around the world. Use of animals in medical research is still paramount in providing a further understanding on how to combat a host of other diseases (Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, 2008).
Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV)
Using animals for biomedical research is critical to understanding the new and emergent diseases and how to control them. For instance, scientists have discovered simian AIDS virus in rhesus monkeys and other animals that closely resemble the virus causing HIV and AIDS in human beings. This virus found among the primates has been isolated and studies on its infectability carried out. Preliminary experiments show a possibility of developing a vaccine. These animals offer an opportunity to study them as models for possible treatment and development of vaccines for Human HIV. This type of animal model would be helpful in assessing the safety and efficacy of the vaccines and their therapeutic agents developed to safety to check or treat human diseases. There has been a virus that has been discovered that known as the feline T-Lymphotropic lentivirus, which also closely resembles the HIV morphologically though different antigenically. The infected cats would be useful in understanding certain aspects of Human AIDS (Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, 2008).
Cardiovascular and Renal Systems
Dogs have been used to study and understand the functions of cardiovascular-renal systems because their size which make easy for experimental procedures. Other animals that have contributed significantly to the understanding of renal functions include the Brattleboro rat, a mutant rat that diabetes insipidus and has to drink water equivalent to 70% of its body weight every day. The rat cannot produce the hormone Vasopressin that enables the kidney to regulate blood pressure and excretion of water. Research on this mammal has improved the appreciation of the role of vasopressin in cardiovascular and the kidney task, and this could lead to the improvement of better drugs that has minimal side effects for conditions like diabetes (Pankevich, Wizemann, Mazza, & Altevogt, 2012).
Open-heart surgery is one of the techniques that were developed through an experiment with animals in a laboratory. Gibbon developed the first working and forerunner of the modern day heart-lung machine. The research was carried out in the 1930s that involved clamping off the vasculature of the animal and creating a detour of blood through the machine. Debakey later developed the appliance and improved it more to incorporate roller pump that made the circulation of blood through the machine and mixing blood and oxygen. The pump was designed using animal experiments and currently an essential element of the heart-lung machine. These developments have enabled the more than 80% of children with congenital cardiac problems to receive treatment through a surgical procedure and can now lead normal lives that would otherwise not be possible. Implanting artificial heart valves and some sections of the large arteries while treating valvular heart disease was only possible through the research and studies done on dogs in the 1940s and 1950s. Before replacing the diseased valves of the heart of patients, studies had to be carried out about their design, and this was only possible through the animals, and just like any drug, it would not be possible to apply it to patients without until it was established it was effective in animals (Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, 2008).
The Nervous System
The brain of human beings is complex organ neurons with billion of neurons that work in connection with other neurons and organs. Scientists have studied different parts of neuronal developments through tissue and cell cultures from brain slices of simple invertebrates. Such understandings have been possible because there is no another substitute for the animal brain studies, which has opened a new horizon in understanding the cognitive functions of the brain complex behavioral patterns. The knowledge on the nervous system and its disorders would not have been possible without the studies on animals. Such studies demonstrated how the motor reflex in the spinal cord work in animals and the same were extended to human beings. According to Committee on the Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical and Behavioral Research (1998), neurosurgeons can remove tumors from the brain without the damage to the motor system. Diseases like epilepsy can be treated and diagnosed by neurologists and neurosurgeons through examining of the electrical signals from the brain. These signals help in studying the level of consciousness, diagnosing multiple sclerosis, localized brain tumor, and understanding learning disabilities among children. Other clinically valuable procedures such as the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Axial Tomographic (CAT) scans were first tested and perfected with animals before they were used on humans. Using animals in medical research has led to exploring the functions of the of the brain this has led to understanding the movement, memory, vision, drug addiction, nerve cell regeneration, pain, and learning.
Benefits to the Animals
According to Pankevich, Wizemann, Mazza, and Altevogt (2012), using animals for medical research is not solely for the purpose of understanding diseases affecting human beings only, but it also helps in understand better animals and their diseases as well. For example the studies on Potomac disease that affects horses and improvement of ivermectin to get rid of diseases brought by the parasites in different animals. Research targeting human diseases has also had numerous advantages for the animals. Various types of immunizations and development of antibiotics have shown to have therapeutic applications of animal diseases. Kidney transplant, chemotherapeutics, and cardiovascular treatments are also applicable to animals similarly knowledge gained from research in genetics has wider application in animal breeding. One example that medical research has benefited animals can be seen in the proliferation of the threatened species. Transferring of embryos eliminates parasites, treat diseases, and use of anesthetic has significantly improved the health and increase survival of the species (Pankevich, Wizemann, Mazza, & Altevogt, 2012).
Reference List
Committee on the Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical and Behavioral Research,
Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council, Institute of Medicine (1998). Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical and Behavioral Research. Washington, DC.
Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (2008). Animal Research in a Global Environment:
Meeting the Challenges: Proceedings of the November 2008 International Workshop. Washington, DC.
Pankevich, D. E., Wizemann, T. M., Mazza, A.-M., & Altevogt, B. M. (2012). International
Animal Research Regulations: Impact on Neuroscience Research: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: National Academic Press.