#Evergreen: Opponents of animal research should refuse medical treatment

February 19th 2021 We are in the midst of a global pandemic—with  105.4 million cases and 2.3 million deaths since the start of the pandemic. Fortunately, due to decades of animal research on coronaviruses, various vaccine candidates were expedited, and their safety and efficacy profile evaluated in animals and humans. As a consequence two vaccines … Continue reading #Evergreen: Opponents of animal research should refuse medical treatment

Absolutist Views Crumble As COVID-19 Vaccine Becomes Available

February 16th 2021 Michele A. Basso, Ph.D. Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles I am stunned. Cory Mac (full name Cory Mac a’Ghobhainn), the leader of a group called Progress for Science (P4S) either is a hypocrite, or she is ignorant of how science works, in spite of the name … Continue reading Absolutist Views Crumble As COVID-19 Vaccine Becomes Available

Research with mice paves the way for injectable skin cancer treatment

February 11th 2021 Drug delivery with bioadhesive nanoparticles shows exceptional promise. One in five people in the U.S. will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, with the most common type of malignant skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma or SCC, killing 10,000 people each year1,2. Cases of skin cancer are steadily rising, and in fact, skin … Continue reading Research with mice paves the way for injectable skin cancer treatment

Why 40% of Americans are unwilling to get the COVID-19 vaccine

January 26th 2021 TL:DR Vaccines work. Vaccines save lives. Safety and efficacy will continue to be monitored for the life of any FDA approved vaccine. There are reasonable scientific and ethical concerns which remain with respect to COVID-19 vaccines—however, the benefits of taking either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine outweigh the costs of not doing … Continue reading Why 40% of Americans are unwilling to get the COVID-19 vaccine

#FactCheckNeeded: How are mice and rats accounted for in the balance of science, medicine, and animal welfare?

Faulty assumptions lead to faulty conclusions. Jeremy D. Bailoo, Sangy Panicker & Allyson J. Bennett January 12th 2021 A new entry in the seemingly eternal quest for universal adoption of European approaches to the regulation of research animals appeared today in the journal Scientific Reports. The author, US veterinarian Larry Carbone, estimates from a sample … Continue reading #FactCheckNeeded: How are mice and rats accounted for in the balance of science, medicine, and animal welfare?

Speaking of Research Year in Review 2020

December 31st 2020 This year has been a difficult one to say the least. Like many of you, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us at Speaking of Research in major ways—with re-prioritization of time to child, elder and other care, the switch to online teaching and other major job related decisions, the experience … Continue reading Speaking of Research Year in Review 2020

2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine highlights vital role of animal research

October 6th 2020 The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been jointly awarded to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M. Rice, who have made a decisive contribution to the fight against blood-borne hepatitis, a major health problem that causes cirrhosis and liver cancer in people around the world. Inflammation of the … Continue reading 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine highlights vital role of animal research

2018 German Annual Use Statistics

In accordance with EU guidelines the Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft produces annual statistics showing the number of procedures on animals in German research. This includes many types of research including basic and translations studies, animal testing for safety, and the breeding of GM mouse lines. EU guidelines demand that all vertebrates and Cephalopoda be … Continue reading 2018 German Annual Use Statistics