The British Pharmacological Society and Understanding Animal Research have produced an animation explaining why animals are used in pharmacology. This under-three minute video is a great way of getting across the importance of animal research to those who are less aware of the science behind biomedicine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWqygetGFVA It's not the first animated video that we … Continue reading Animating Animal Research
Month: November 2013
Jerry the Beagle and the “Liberation” that Wasn’t
On Monday, Nov. 4, Jerry, a six-month old beagle allegedly "rescued from a laboratory" at UC Davis, gamboled on the grass outside California's state capitol as news cameras looked on. But campus veterinarian, Vic Lukas, was puzzled. He wasn’t aware of an animal being "rescued." More concerning, one of the people in the photos with … Continue reading Jerry the Beagle and the “Liberation” that Wasn’t
Successful gene therapy for hemophilia A in dogs – humans next!
On Wednesday we were saddened learned that double Nobel laureate Fred Sanger had died, so it was fitting that yesterday also saw the announcement of an important scientific advance that owes everything to the molecular biology revolution he helped to launch – one that may improve the lives of many thousands of people with Hemophilia A. … Continue reading Successful gene therapy for hemophilia A in dogs – humans next!
Mice and Mustard Gas: A History of Chemotherapy
We write a lot of articles about the role animal research is playing in promising upcoming research. Sometimes it results in a breakthrough, sometimes it doesn't - but it often takes years to find out. Chemotherapy is an older example of how decades of research and testing - including with animals - can build into … Continue reading Mice and Mustard Gas: A History of Chemotherapy
Global Trends in Animal Rights Activism 2013
In 2011 I wrote a post about the number of animal rights incidents posted on the Bite Back website (warning: AR extremist website) which logs many incidents of animal rights extremism around the world. The analysis only looks at the July - September period as it was too cumbersome to get all the figures for … Continue reading Global Trends in Animal Rights Activism 2013
Animal research and diabetes: Now the truth must be told – Part 2
In yesterday's post we described how animal research contributed to the understanding and treatment of diabetes – most importantly with the discovery of insulin. In this post we address some of the common misinformation that activists are circulating on social media about the role of animal experiments in diabetes research. a) One of the most valuable … Continue reading Animal research and diabetes: Now the truth must be told – Part 2
Animal research and diabetes: Now the truth must be told – Part 1
Today we will take a look at the series of discoveries and innovations that led to the development of insulin therapy for type 1 diabetes, and tomorrow we will take a closer look at some of that claims made about this by animal rights activists. With the World Diabetes Day coming up on 14th November, … Continue reading Animal research and diabetes: Now the truth must be told – Part 1
Don’t let PeTA bullies control the direction of medical research, education and training
What do you know? PeTA is at it again. This time their rage is directed at “RoboRoach” — a science project aimed at introducing students to sensory neurophysiology and brain-machine interfaces. Backyard Brains is selling an experiment for educational purposes that illustrates one of the fundamental scientific tools that allow us to restore function in patients … Continue reading Don’t let PeTA bullies control the direction of medical research, education and training
Speaking of Research 