11. Misconceptions Surrounding Animal Research

Lab Rat Chat - Episode 11 with Dr. Dale Cooper, board-certified laboratory animal veterinarian
 
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In this episode of Lab Rat Chat, Dr. Dale Cooper, speaks to us about some of the common misconceptions surrounding the use of animals in research.  We’ve all heard the argument that animals aren’t useful models for drug development, so take a minute and listen to Dr. Cooper break down the facts on this one and tell us why they are indeed the absolute best model for this and why they are still 100% necessary. Go check out Dr. Cooper’s guest article from a couple years back for Speaking of Research titled, “Predictability and Utility of Animal Models”.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Dr. Cooper’s extensive background and experiences throughout his education and career.
• A brief overview of the drug development process and alternatives that are utilized before ever testing a drug in an animal.
• The ability of animals to successfully predict potential toxicities and safety of a drug before testing it in humans.
• Whether or not the use of animals for drug development and testing could be skipped altogether, going straight into human testing instead.
• How a drug obtains approval to move from an animal model into human testing and ultimately on to the market.

Notable quotes:

“Some people will think about drug development in a particular animal research as if you one run study on one drug, and that gives you all your answers, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

“The vast majority of people, even if they won’t admit that they’re okay with animal research, they are driving the demand that essentially is there asking us to develop drugs, develop within a certain timeframe, within a certain cost, and with a certain level of safety.”

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Resources & Links:

• Dr. Cooper’s Guest Post: Predictability and Utility of Animal Models (https://speakingofresearch.com/2017/07/25/predictability-and-utility-of-animal-models/)
• Americans for Medical Progress (https://www.amprogress.org/) 
• PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/phs-policy.htm)  
• Animal Welfare Act (https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/animal-welfare-act) 

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