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theythembian t1_j4bqyra wrote

Reply to comment by saganmypants in How are animals given specific types of cancer for the purpose of medical experimentation? by InZerSchtinker

Amongst that scientific community, is this considered ethical or a necessary evil?

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saganmypants t1_j4brme8 wrote

I think it depends on who you ask, but most likely the people engaging in this work would believe that it is necessary at the moment to move medicine forward. There are panels that oversee the experimental design of any such study and I can assure you that they take their job very seriously. My PI in grad school was roasted by them during a meeting because he had not adequately outlined a pain management protocol for the mice in our study that were getting an experimental cancer drug. Everything in these studies is done with ethics at heart

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tourniquette2 t1_j4cu2v1 wrote

Ok, the pain management protocol for mice gave me the warm fuzzies. At least they’re not just being tormented. I always considered animal testing only borderline ethical at the best of times, but it’s at least reassuring that their pain is managed and they’re kind of cared for.

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theythembian t1_j4btykt wrote

How interesting! Wow have they always cared to conduct studies while being ethical? Or is this a recent change that scientists intentionally approach these experiments with ethics/compassion in mind?

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itakestressnaps t1_j4ccqe8 wrote

It’s been around for decades now, but i believe they’ve gotten stricter and stricter in the 21st century.

Usually, at least in the US, the institution has an internal committee, which also answers to higher ups outside the university. These internal committees usually have vets, bioethicists, other scientists who can validate that the science is clear and justified, etc. EVERYTHING has to be outlined in detail, prior to procedures, and no deviations can occur. There’s quite literally a strict rule for everything and anything you could think of. And of course, all personnel has to undergo ethics and technical trainings, online and in-person, and get certified and approved to work each protocol.

Any modifications to protocols have to written in detail, with justifications, and has to be approved prior to implementation. At my institution, there are also surprise visits where they drop in and watch you to make sure you’re following everything down to a T. And we have 24 hour animal techs and vets on call.

Animal work is not my favorite, even though I do it for certain things. And there are definitely a lot of people that prefer not to do it themselves, but the biomedical community in general does believe it is necessary. After all, medicine is where it is now because of animal research. It’s saved countless lives and extended our life expectancy by a LOT in many countries.

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_BlueFire_ t1_j4dr0k2 wrote

We're looking for alternatives, but until we'll be able to replicate an entire system in vitro the results won't be as reliable. That would lead to less reliable drugs or a much slower progress, as we would need human testing for more possible drugs.

There are those who see one way or the other as the better, it really depends on your "ethical priorities"

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