At Speaking of Research we recently commented on the self-contradictory positions of Dr. Lawrence Hansen. We think it is problematic for Dr. Hansen to be a PeTA member who publicly and vociferously protests the use of animals in medical research and, simultaneously, to engage in, provide funding for and support animal research himself. We questioned how … Continue reading A Pathetic Defense of Dr. Lawrence Hansen
Month: August 2013
Animal Research Saved Both My Dogs
By Michael Brunt Recently a post was written to dispel the myth that animals do not naturally suffer from the same diseases as humans. I thought it appropriate to address another commonly held myth: that animals do not benefit from animal research. The medications and therapies people use could only have been developed through … Continue reading Animal Research Saved Both My Dogs
Do animals suffer from human diseases?
A common argument heard against the use of animals in research is that animals do not naturally suffer from the same conditions as humans do. Thus, the argument goes, it makes no sense to study human disease in animals. However, my UCLA colleagues Barbara Natterson-Horowitz MD and Kathryn Bowers, authors of Zoobiquity, explain that the opposite is … Continue reading Do animals suffer from human diseases?
The Double Life of Dr. Lawrence A. Hansen
Dr. Lawrence A. Hansen has a double life he is proud to publicize in his writings and interviews. On one hand, he is a neuroscientist at one of the finest institutions in the country -- the University of California at San Diego. On the other hand, he is a member and a mouthpiece for People … Continue reading The Double Life of Dr. Lawrence A. Hansen
Why animal research is done humanely — Reason 1: Stressed Animals Yield Poor Data
When we are run down or stressed we often find ourselves more prone to getting coughs and colds. Stress changes us physiologically; it puts pressure on our autonomic nervous system, changing how drugs react inside of us. The same is true of animals. Writing in the Huffington Post, Aysha Akhtar notes that when you catch … Continue reading Why animal research is done humanely — Reason 1: Stressed Animals Yield Poor Data
Pictures Paint A Thousand Words
Pictures paint a thousand word, and Paint can put a thousand words onto a picture. This is what Understanding Animal Research (UAR) have been doing recently with a series of infographics. The first example is this wonderful Resume of Laboratory Mice, which notes their contribution to medical advances, including the Nobel Prizes won. UAR also … Continue reading Pictures Paint A Thousand Words
Advancing Medicine through Experiments on Animals: Room for Improvement?
Several recent articles have discussed problems that have arisen in translating findings from animal studies into clinical treatments.[1],[2],[3] Some have interpreted this limited translational success as evidence that animal studies are not useful in generating treatments for disease. We challenge that conclusion in light of all the medical advances that have stemmed from animal experiments. … Continue reading Advancing Medicine through Experiments on Animals: Room for Improvement?
A bad week for medical research in Italy – but science is fighting back!
The approval on Wednesday by the Italian Chamber of Deputies of the amendments to directive 2010/63/EU - referred to as Article 13 - was a very sad day for science in Italy (and there have been far to many of these lately). While some of the provisions in Article 13 are quite innocuous, even rather pointless … Continue reading A bad week for medical research in Italy – but science is fighting back!
Speaking of Research 