Alternatives to Animal Experimentation

 by Alice Collins

Experiment On A Bird in an Air Pump (1768) 
(artist: Joseph Wright of Derby; source: National Gallery)

Replacing animal testing does not have to compromise human health. In fact, advancing away from these old-fashioned methods could be beneficial to the medical world.

Experimentation on animals has existed for thousands of years. The first recorded testing dates back to the years of Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) and Erasistratus (304 – 258 BC) so there is no wonder why it is still considered a common practice in the modern world. Testing is a vital step in the development of medical products such as drugs and treatments as well as the creation of cosmetic products, however this testing does not need to be carried out on animal subjects. Not only is this testing cruel and harmful, it is only successful to some extent. For example skin allergy tests on guinea pigs only predict human reactions up to 72% of the time because their skin is only partially similar to ours. This is just a fraction of the evidence that new methodologies are the way forwards in the development of medical research and that animal experimentation has not been successful enough.

One alternative to animal experimentation is through the use of cell cultures. Almost every type of cell can be grown in a laboratory which can lead to more reliable results for testing because not only can animal cells be cultured but human ones too. This is more accurate because there are obvious differences between the genetic makeup of animals and the genetic makeup of us. Our genetics are significantly different to any other species which leads to the reliability of testing on other species unreliable.

Another substitute for animal testing is through the use of technology such as computer models. Technology has advanced at an incredible rate over the past few years and there are now computer models which can accurately represent the human anatomy including all of our organs. This allows for virtual experiments based on existing scientific and mathematical data which requires neither human nor animal subjects. As well as being effective, these experiments are much easier to carry out and can be completed in a much shorter time frame.

Volunteer studies are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to animal testing. The development of sophisticated scanning machines and technology has allowed human volunteers to subject themselves to testing whilst minimising any risks. Studies involving volunteers are usually suitable for comparative studies where patients with the health issue being investigated can be compared to people with good health. For example brain imaging machines can contrast the brain activities of different people and can help researchers understand the causes and effects of particular neurological disorders.

These are just a few examples of the alternatives to animal experimentation but there are many more. Hopefully over the next few years more people will recognise that there are better alternatives and the years of animal testing will be left behind.