Evergreen: Statistics out of context, predictability, and utility of animal models

March 18th 2022 In a recent letter to the US National Institutions of Health (NIH) , Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-CA) and Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) called for the NIH “to discontinue animal experiments and find alternatives to animal testing.” They write: “As Members of Congress, we are concerned the National Institutes of Health (NIH) … Continue reading Evergreen: Statistics out of context, predictability, and utility of animal models

#Evergreen: Predictability and Utility of Animal Models

March 26th 2021 Yesterday we highlighted one of the myths that those opposed to #AnimalResearch often spend their time propagating—that #AnimalResearch is only performed in benefit to humans—usually alongside the myth that #AnimalResearch fails to translate to humans. It is thus timely to highlight another of our posts debunking another prevalent and sensational claim—that 99% of drugs … Continue reading #Evergreen: Predictability and Utility of Animal Models

Guest Post: Predictability and Utility of Animal Models

This is a guest post on the utility of animal models in drug development, misconceptions about animal models, and alternative methods of drug development, by Dale M. Cooper, DVM, MS, Diplomate, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Dr. Cooper has over 20 years of veterinary experience in private practice, and as a laboratory animal veterinarian … Continue reading Guest Post: Predictability and Utility of Animal Models

Animal Testing and Human Trials: Alternatives or Complements?

The Animal Justice Project, a British-based animal rights group, is no stranger to misinformation. Previously we have debunked their factual errors regarding malaria studies in Sweden and eye injury studies. There was also the time they produced a press release which suggested 52oC (125oF) was the same as boiling water (which admittedly might be true … Continue reading Animal Testing and Human Trials: Alternatives or Complements?

Defeating diseases of the developing world: tuberculosis and Chikungunya fever

Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers and stomach cancer, may also play a protective role against tuberculosis, according to studies in both humans and monkeys by a team from Stanford University, UC Davis, the University of Pittsburgh and Aga Khan University in Pakistan (1). One-third of the world's population is infected with TB, … Continue reading Defeating diseases of the developing world: tuberculosis and Chikungunya fever

Basic science is fundamental science

I continue my series on some of the misconceptions of biomedical science (previously looking at the limits of fMRI and computer simulations) with a look at what basic science is. Some scientists devote their entire lives to understanding and describing key experimental phenomena in their fields of study: that is, they engage in “basic science”.  … Continue reading Basic science is fundamental science

92% of statistics are taken out of context…

A better response to the "92%..." argument has been written by Robin Lovell-Badge and can be found on our website here. I thought I'd dedicate an entire post to a certain statistic which has been repeatedly misused and misunderstood by animal rights groups. 92% of drugs that test successfully in animals fail during human trials … Continue reading 92% of statistics are taken out of context…