Publications: Rebutting Animal Experimentation
Explore a collection of Australian research articles that challenge the use of animal experimentation and highlight the effectiveness of non-animal research methods. These articles provide compelling evidence for the advancement of science, showcasing innovative alternatives that are both scientifically sound and ethically responsible.Â
TITLE: “Lost in translation?” Animal research in the era of precision medicine
SUMMARY: Animal testing has long been used to assess the safety and effectiveness of new drugs before they are tested in humans. However, this paper questions how reliable animal research is for studying complex human diseases like cancer, and highlights the ethical issues involved. The authors argue that animals have intrinsic value beyond their use in science and that medical research should move toward fully replacing animal experiments with modern, human-relevant methods. They emphasise that replacing animal testing should be the top priority in developing better, more ethical medical research approaches.
AUTHORS: Hamideh Frühwein & Norbert W. Paul
PUBLICATION: Journal of Translational Medicine
YEAR: 2025
TITLE: Modeling human immune responses to vaccination in vitro
SUMMARY: The human immune system is a complex network of coordinated components that are crucial for health and disease. Animal models, commonly used to study immunomodulatory agents, are limited by species-specific differences, low throughput, and ethical concerns. In contrast, in vitro modeling of human immune responses can enable species- and population-specific mechanistic studies and translational development within the same study participant. Translational accuracy of in vitro models is enhanced by accounting for genetic, epigenetic, and demographic features such as age, sex, and comorbidity. This review explores various human in vitro immune models, considers evidence that they may resemble human in vivo responses, and assesses their potential to accelerate and de-risk vaccine discovery and development.
AUTHORS: Elena Morrocchi, Simon van Haren, Paolo Palma, Ofer Levy
PUBLICATION: Trends in Immunology
YEAR: 2024
LINK: www.cell.com/trends/immunology/fulltext/S1471-4906(23)00256-9#secst5005
TITLE: Human disease models in drug development
SUMMARY: This review highlights a shift in biomedical research towards human disease models due to the frequent failures in drug development. It points out the limitations of animal models, which, while widely used, often fail to accurately predict human responses. To address this gap, researchers are developing bioengineered human disease models that closely mimic clinical conditions. The review discusses the use of these models in preclinical and clinical studies, particularly focusing on organoids, bioengineered tissue models, and organs-on-chips.
AUTHORS: Anna Loewa, James J. Feng & Sarah Hedtrich
PUBLICATION: Nature Reviews BioengineeringÂ
YEAR: 2023
TITLE: Understanding traumatic brain injuries in military personnel: Investigating the dynamic interplay of the cerebrospinal fluid and brain during blasts
SUMMARY: Incidents of TBI among military personnel may arise during or after their service. Due to ethical concerns surrounding animal experimentation, researchers have sought alternative methods for studying TBIs. Computational simulations are increasingly used to study the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injuries among US military personnel. This approach allows for investigation without ethical concerns surrounding live subject testing.
AUTHORS: Frankini E, Basile E J, Syed FÂ et alÂ
PUBLICATION: Cureus
YEAR: 2023
TITLE: The future of Parkinson’s disease research: A new paradigm of human specific investigation is necessary… and possible
SUMMARY: To date, approaches to drug discovery for PD have resulted in symptomatic therapies for the motor manifestations and signs associated with neurodegeneration but have failed to identify preventive or curative therapies. This failure mainly originates from the persistence of major gaps in our understanding of the specific molecular basis of PD initiation and progression. New approach methodologies (NAMs) hold the potential to advance PD research while facilitating a move away from animal- based research. This publication reports a workshop involving NAM experts in the field of PD and neurodegenerative diseases, who discussed and identified a scientific strategy for successful, human-specific PD research.
AUTHORS: M Cassotta et alÂ
PUBLICATION: ALTEX
YEAR: 2022
LINK:Â https://www.altex.org/index.php/altex/article/view/2450/version/2512
TITLE: The role of systematic reviews in identifying the limitations of preclinical animal research, 2000 – 2022
SUMMARY: Evidence from systematic reviews
AUTHORS: Ritskes-Hoitinga M, Pound P
PUBLICATION: JLL Bulletin
YEAR: 2022
TITLE: Biofidelic dynamic compression of human cortical spheroids reproduces neurotrauma phenotypes
SUMMARY:Â Scientists have created a 3D lab model of a human brain, using it to better understand and study traumatic brain injuries. By simulating injury, they found the model showed signs of damage similar to a real brain, which could help them develop future treatments.
AUTHORS: A Shoemaker
PUBLICATION: Disease Models & Mechanisms
YEAR: 2021
LINK:Â https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269881116689260
TITLE: The educational efficacy of humane teaching methods: A systematic review of the evidenceÂ
SUMMARY: Harmful animal use persists in education despite the availability of humane teaching methods, which have legal, ethical, and economic benefits and have been shown to be equally or more effective in improving student knowledge and skills. A systematic review of 50 studies revealed that in 90% of cases, humane teaching methods were as effective or even more effective than harmful animal use, suggesting there is no valid educational reason to continue using animals in this context.
AUTHORS: Miriam A Zemanova & Andrew KnightÂ
PUBLICATION: AnimalsÂ
YEAR: 2021
TITLE: What’s not in the news headlines or titles of Alzheimer disease articles? #InMice
SUMMARY: There are currently no medicines that can really help stop or slow down Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The drugs that are available only treat some of the symptoms in a few patients, and there have been many failed attempts to find new treatments, mostly because the tests on animals didn’t work well for predicting what would happen in people. This has cost an enormous amount of money, and success in developing new drugs for most diseases is very low.
AUTHORS: Marcia Triunfol and Fabio C. Gouveia
PUBLICATION: Plos BiologyÂ
YEAR: 2021
LINK: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001260
TITLE: Are researchers moving away from animal models as a result of poor clinical translation in the field of stroke? An analysis of opinion papers
SUMMARY: Despite decades of research using animals to develop pharmaceutical treatments for patients who have had a stroke, few therapeutic options exist. The vast majority of interventions successful in preclinical animal studies have turned out to have no efficacy in humans or to be harmful to humans. In view of this, we explore whether there is evidence of a move away from animal models in this field.
AUTHORS: Pandora Pound & Rebecca Ram
PUBLICATION: British Medical Journal
YEAR: 2020
TITLE: Ethical and welfare implications of genetically altered non-human primates for biomedical research
SUMMARY: Breakthroughs in gene editing technologies have made it feasible to create genetically altered (GA) non-human primate (NHP) models of disease. This area of research is accelerating, particularly in China, Japan and the USA, and could lead to an increase in NHP use globally. The hope is that genetic models in animal species closely related to humans will significantly improve understanding of neurological diseases and validation of potential therapeutic interventions, for which there is a dire need. However, the creation and use of GA NHPs raises serious animal welfare and ethical issues, which are highlighted in this publication.
AUTHORS: Mark J. Prescott
PUBLICATION: Journal of Applied Animal Ethics Research
YEAR: 2020
TITLE: From mice to monkeys? Beyond orthodox approaches to the ethics of animal model choice
SUMMARY: New genome-editing tools enable increased use of larger mammals like primates, pigs, and dogs in biomedical research. This paper explores ethical concerns about this shift, comparing scientific guidelines and philosophical perspectives on animal use and emphasizing the importance of addressing ethical questions alongside scientific considerations in biomedical research.
AUTHORS: Rebecca L. Walker & Matthias Eggel
PUBLICATION: AnimalsÂ
YEAR: 2020
TITLE: Is it time for reviewer 3 to request human organ chip experiments instead of animal validation studies?
SUMMARY: Animal studies have been used to validate in vitro research results in scientific articles and grant applications. However, recent advancements in human organ-on-a-chip technology have demonstrated their ability to mimic human physiology, disease states, and drug responses more accurately than animal models. This raises questions about the continued need for animal testing in research and its ethical implications, with this article discussing the advantages and disadvantages of organ-on-a-chip models compared to animal models for the scientific community to consider.
AUTHORS: Donald E Ingber
PUBLICATION: Advanced ScienceÂ
YEAR: 2020
LINK:Â https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/advs.202002030
TITLE: The (misleading) role of animal models in drug development
SUMMARY: Animals like mice and rats have long been used in medical research to help understand disease and test potential new treatments before human trials. However, while animal studies have contributed to important advances, too much reliance on animal models can also mislead drug development. This article explains for a general audience how animal research is used to develop new medicines, its benefits and limitations, and how more accurate and humane techniques—alternatives to animal testing—could improve this process.
AUTHORS: Thomas Hartung Â
PUBLICATION: FrontiersÂ
YEAR: 2024
TITLE: How transparent and reproducible are studies that use animal models of opioid addiction?
SUMMARY: This pre-print article examines the reproducibility crisis in psychology, with particular relevance to low translation rates for addition research, through examination of indices of transparency and accurate and thorough reporting in animal models of opioid addiction from 2019 to 2023.Â
AUTHORS: Justine Blackwell, Julia Beitner, Alex Holcombe
YEAR: 2024
TITLE: Revolutionizing developmental neurotoxicity testing – A journey from animal models to advanced in vitro systems
SUMMARY: Developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) testing predicts the hazard of exposure to chemicals to human brain development. Comprehensive advanced non-animal testing strategies using cutting-edge technology can now replace animal-based approaches to assess this complex hazard. These stratÂegies can assess large numbers of chemicals more accurately and efficiently than the animal-based approach. Recent OECD test guidance has formalized this battery of in vitro test methods for DNT, marking a pivotal achievement in the field.
AUTHORS: Lena Smirnova, Helena T. Hogberg, Marcel Leist, Thomas Hartung
PUBLICATION: ALTEX
YEAR: 2024
TITLE: Poor translatability of biomedical research using animals — A narrative review
SUMMARY: The translation of drugs from animal testing to human treatments has a high failure rate of over 92%, primarily due to unexpected safety issues and lack of efficacy revealed in human trials but not in animal tests. Innovative tools like organs-on-chips show promise in predicting safety events before clinical trials and assessing drug efficacy. This review discusses various disease areas where animal models have failed to provide effective treatments and suggests how these more human-relevant approaches can be applied to address this issue.
AUTHORS: L Marshall et alÂ
PUBLICATION: Alternatives to Laboratory AnimalsÂ
YEAR: 2023
LINK: www.altex.org/index.php/altex/article/view/2450/version/2512
TITLE: Animal-derived products in science and current alternatives
SUMMARY: Animals continue to be widely used in basic research. Their use comprises not only in vivo experiments with animal models, but also the production of a variety of supplements and products of animal origin for cell and tissue culture, cell-based assays, and therapeutics. The animal-derived products most used in basic research are fetal bovine serum (FBS), extracellular matrix proteins such as Matrigel™, and antibodies. However, their production raises several ethical issues regarding animal welfare. Additionally, their biological origin is associated with a high risk of contamination, resulting, frequently, in poor scientific data for clinical translation.
AUTHORS: Anna C Duarte et alÂ
PUBLICATION: Biomaterials Advances
YEAR: 2023
LINK: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772950823001516?via%3Dihub
TITLE: The use of simulators for teaching practical clinical skills to veterinary students – A review
SUMMARY: This review examines the available literature regarding the use of simulation and simulators for teaching practical day one competences to veterinary students. Scientific databases were searched and 73 relevant articles were reviewed.
AUTHORS: Helen R BraidÂ
PUBLICATION: Alternatives to Laboratory Animals
YEAR: 2022
LINK:Â https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02611929221098138
TITLE: A framework for establishing scientific confidence in new approach methodologies
SUMMARY: This paper underscores the importance of establishing reliable and efficient processes to instill trust in New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for potential regulatory use in assessing human health effects. It stresses that NAMs should be appropriate for their intended purpose, dependable, and reflective of human biology. The key factors include independent evaluation and transparent communication among NAM developers, regulators, and industry stakeholders. Rather than simply comparing NAM results to traditional animal tests, the focus should be on their biological relevance, mechanistic understanding, and their capacity to guide health-protective decisions. The paper introduces a framework comprising five crucial elements: fitness for purpose, human biological relevance, technical characterization, data integrity and transparency, and independent review. Implementing this framework on a global scale would expedite the development and adoption of NAMs, not only for pesticides and industrial chemicals but also for various other types of chemicals and ecotoxicological assessments.
AUTHORS: Anna J Van der Zalm et alÂ
PUBLICATION: Archives of ToxiciologyÂ
YEAR: 2022
TITLE: Modeling brain development and diseases with human cerebral organoids
SUMMARY: This review discusses the importance of understanding human brain development and neurological disorders in neurobiology. It highlights that current knowledge relies heavily on studies in rodents due to limited access to human and non-human primate brain tissues. However, human-specific aspects of neural development cannot be fully explored using animal models. The review emphasizes the role of brain organoids, which have rapidly advanced thanks to stem cell technologies, in decoding human brain development and uncovering brain disease pathology. It covers recent developments in brain organoid technology, discusses its limitations, potential applications, and future prospects.
PUBLICATION: Current Opinion in Neurobiology
YEAR: 2021
LINK:Â https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959438820301331
TITLE: Replacement strategies for animal studies in inhalation testing
SUMMARY: The lung morphology and physiology of commonly used animal species differs from that of human lungs, and the realistic inhalation exposure of animals is challenging. In vitro and in silico methods can assess important aspects of the in vivo effects, namely particle deposition, dissolution, action at, and permeation through, the respiratory barrier, and pharmacokinetics. This review discusses the limitations of animal models and exposure systems and proposes in vitro and in silico techniques that could, when used together, reduce or even replace animal testing in inhalation testing in the future.
AUTHORS: Eleonore Fröhlich
PUBLICATION: Sci
YEAR: 2021
TITLE: Modeling the human bone-tumor niche: Reducing and replacing the need for animal data
SUMMARY: Understanding the complex interactions in the bone-tumor microenvironment, where cancer often spreads, is vital for developing new treatments. Traditional animal models have been used for this, but alternative systems are emerging that replicate the bone environment, enabling the study of cancer metastasis and tumor growth alongside bone turnover. These alternatives include using synthetic materials, fresh human bone samples, and mathematical modeling, offering non-animal testing options to improve our understanding of the human bone-tumor environment.
AUTHORS: Srinivasa R Rao et al
PUBLICATION: JBMR PLUS
YEAR: 2020
LINK:Â https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jbm4.10356 Â
TITLE: Some reasons why preclinical studies of psychiatric disorders fail to translate: What can be rescued from the misunderstanding and misuse of animal ‘models’?
SUMMARY: The failure of animal models in translating findings to humans is a serious issue in preclinical biomedical research, threatening its credibility. This article discusses the need for urgent attention to this problem, particularly in the context of psychiatric disorders like depression, highlighting common flawed assumptions and the importance of interpreting findings realistically and evidence-based to align with research on human psychiatric problems.
AUTHORS: Clare StanfordÂ
PUBLICATION: Alternatives to Laboratory AnimalsÂ
YEAR: 2020
TITLE: Alzheimer’s disease, and breast and prostate cancer research: Translational failures and the importance to monitor outputs and impact of funded research
SUMMARY: Dementia and cancer are common in Western countries. Scientists have been studying Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, but animal models used in research may not fully represent human diseases. New tools and interdisciplinary approaches are being used, and it’s important to monitor the impact of biomedical research. This publication discusses some of the issues underlying translational failure to these diseases and describes how indicators could be applied to retrospectively measure outputs and impact of funded biomedical research.
AUTHORS: Francesca Pistollato et alÂ
PUBLICATION: AnimalsÂ
YEAR: 2020
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