![]() ![]() ![]() What was the role of animals in past scientific and medical breakthroughs? (This is not an easy question to answer. What kind of basic research can be performed without using animals and what are relative benefits and costs? There are many additional questions that can and eventually should be addressed. This entire topic is very emotional and contentious and has many facets. The authors started this discussion along with Niall Shanks in the article, " Are animal models predictive for humans?" This essay is part two of our examination of the issue of using animals in research and in science in general. If basic research is defined as research that is not designed to predict human response to drugs or disease and is curiosity-driven, then what is purpose of taking the readers' time to explore the use of sentient animals in basic research? Is not the outcome already known? In reality, the previous points are very contentious, as is the conclusion, and thus the point of this essay is to take the reader through the major considerations. IF society is not comfortable, or does not condone, using sentient animals in research that does not lead to cures and IF basic research is just that kind of research THEN society does not condone using sentient animals in basic research. In this essay, we show that: 1) basic research by definition is not designed to lead to cures 2) in a vast majority of cases it does not and 3) we show that society is not comfortable with this situation. We fully understand the contentious nature of our statement that animals cannot predict human response to drugs and disease but our defense of that statement is in references 1 and 2, not in this paper.) As a result, the questions that arise are: "What of using sentient animals in research that is recognized as curiosity-driven rather than goal-oriented? What factors should be considered when using sentient animals in such an endeavour? What would an informed society think justifies the use of sentient animals in research in general?" See references 3-27 for analysis of selected examples. (See references 1 and 2 for reviews that include the theory behind this position and the empirical evidence supporting it. ![]() However, such use is not scientifically tenable, as animals cannot predict human response. (We realize humans are animals but will use the word animal to mean nonhuman animal in this review.) We ask the question, "Is the use of sentient animals in basic research justifiable?" The reason we ask the question this way is that there is evidence that society has decided that if sentient animals can be used to predict human response to drugs and disease, then using them is acceptable. The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of sentient animals in basic research. ![]()
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