Ethics of Animal Testing

Question 1

What are animals used for in research?

Answer 1

• experimental procedures and creation/breeding of genetically alt animals

Question 2

How is no. animals being tested on changing?

Answer 2

• no. procedures on normal animals decreasing (23% in 10 years)
• but no. where breeding genetically mod animal has increased
• so overall stayed the same

Question 3

What are the most common animals to be tested on?

Answer 3

• mice, then fish/rats/birds

Question 4

What animals are the most commonly genetically engineered?

Answer 4

• mice

Question 5

What are the 3 R’s?

Answer 5

• replacing (if can do w/o animal, then have to by law, also use smallest animal as poss)
• reducing
• refining the use of animals in scientific research

Question 6

What licenses are needed to work on animals?

Answer 6

• establishment license, project license and personal license

Question 7

What can be tested on w/o a license?

Answer 7

• fish embryos up until a certain point in gestation, but would have to kill after used

Question 8

What are some arguments in support of animal testing?

Answer 8

• vital role in many scientific/medical advances of past century
• aid understanding of various diseases
• allowed many to live better qol
• hard to mimic complex physiological systems of whole living organisms
• kill animals for other purposes (eg. eating, and this is far more)
• most experiments non invasive and minimal pain
• lots of animals used are grown specifically as models (genetically altered)
• imperfect model better than no model
• suffering v carefully reg –> killed if suffering

Question 9

Can physiological systems be mimicked w/o animals?

Answer 9

• some progress imitating single organs, such as liver

- but need further refinement in order to be suitable model, and even then cannot represent whole body system

Question 10

Do drugs that work in animals usually work in humans?

Answer 10

• no, 94% that pass animal tests fail in humans

Question 11

What are some arguments against animal testing?

Answer 11

• cruel and unnecessary, regardless of benefit
• no animal model ever perfect –> not same at humans
• animals and humans don’t always react same way
• drugs that pass animal tests not always safe, eg. thalidomide
• some chemicals toxic to some animals but not to humans, eg. aspirin
• most animals killed during or after procedure
• certain harm vs potential harm
• genetically mod animals is prod animals just to have low qol –> is this fair?
• we shouldn’t do anything to animals we wouldn’t do to ourselves

Question 12

What alts are there to animal testing?

Answer 12

• in vitro testing on human cells, artificial human skin –> can prod more useful results
• computer modelling (becoming v advanced)
• imitating organs

Question 13

What is illegal to test on animals in the UK?

Answer 13

• cosmetics/their ingredients

- tobacco/tobacco products

Question 14

What animals are illegal to test on in the UK?

Answer 14

• apes

Question 15

What animals require a home office license?

Answer 15

• all vertebrates

- fish/octopus/squid

Question 16

How could use of animals be reduced (not replaced)?

Answer 16

• non-animal tests used for pre-screening compounds before animal testing –> useful