What s Biomedical Research?
Biomedical Research-
Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from "Basic Research", involving fundamental scientific principles that may apply to a preclinical understanding – to clinical research, which involves studies of people who may be subjects in clinical trials. Within this spectrum is applied research, or translational research, conducted to expand knowledge in the field of medicine.
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Biomedical research is the broad area of science that involves the investigation of the biological process and the causes of disease through careful experimentation, observation, laboratory work, analysis, and testing. Biomedical research requires the input and participation of many individuals from both the life and physical sciences, with many different backgrounds and skills. Such a research team might include medical doctors, veterinarians, computer scientists, engineers, technicians, researchers, and a variety of scientists from the different fields of the life sciences.
Utilizing biotechnology techniques, biomedical researchers study biological processes and diseases with the ultimate goal of developing effective treatments and cures. Biomedical research is an evolutionary process requiring careful experimentation by many scientists, including biologists and chemists. Discovery of new medicines and therapies requires careful scientific experimentation, development, and evaluation.
Both clinical and preclinical research phases exist in the pharmaceutical industry's drug development pipelines, where the clinical phase is denoted by the term clinical trial. However, only part of the clinical or preclinical research is oriented towards a specific pharmaceutical purpose. The need for fundamental and mechanism-based understanding, diagnostics, medical devices, and non-pharmaceutical therapies means that pharmaceutical research is only a small part of medical research.
Why are Animals Used in Biomedical Research?
The use of animals in some types of research is essential to the development of new and more effective methods for diagnosing and treating diseases that affect both humans and animals. Scientists use animals to learn more about health problems, and to assure the safety of new medical treatments. Medical researchers need to understand health problems before they can develop ways to treat them. Some diseases and health problems involve processes that can only be studied in living organisms. Animals are necessary to medical research because it is impractical or unethical to use humans.
Animals make good research subjects for a variety of reasons. Animals are biologically similar to humans. They are susceptible to many of the same health problems, and they have short life-cycles so they can easily be studied throughout their whole life-span or across several generations. In addition, scientists can easily control the environment around animals (diet, temperature, lighting), which would be difficult to do with people. Finally, a primary reason why animals are used is that most people feel it would be wrong to deliberately expose human beings to health risks in order to observe the course of a disease.
1) How many animals are used each year in U.S. laboratories for biomedical research?
It is estimated, more than 25 million vertebrate animals (animals with a skeleton made of bone) are used annually in research, testing, and education in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture does compile annual statistics on the number of dogs, cats, primates, rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs (as well as some wild animals and, more recently, farm animals) used in research in the United States.
2) What is the most commonly used species of animal in biomedical research?
Animals used for research include (in decreasing order of frequency): mice, rats, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, farm animals (including pigs and sheep), dogs, primates (including monkeys and chimpanzees) and cats. Frogs and fish are also widely used, but current statistics on their use are unavailable. It is important to note the most common laboratory animals—rats and mice bred for research, who make up 85–90 percent of all animals used—are not counted in the annual statistics that the USDA collects on the use of animals in the United States; nor are they covered under the Animal Welfare Act.
3) Where do animals in biomedical research laboratories come from?
People who sell purpose-bred animals are categorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as class A dealers. Some of the dogs and cats used in laboratories are purchased from brokers known as class B dealers, who acquire the animals at auctions, from newspaper ads, or from various other sources including some animal shelters (a practice known as "pound seizure"). Pound seizure laws vary from state to state with a few states requiring shelters to give up their animals for used in experiments and some prohibiting the seizure of shelter animals for research. Some states have no laws at all, leaving it up to the individual shelter or locality. Finally, some animals used in experiments are taken from the wild—including monkeys, mice, rats and birds.
4) Are there laws and that protect birds, mice and rats bred for biomedical research?
Rats, mice and birds bred for biomedical research are not covered by the Animal Welfare Act; nor are they counted in the annual USDA statistics on animal use in the United States. There are two main laws that apply to animals in laboratories: The Animal Welfare Act and the Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
5) What is being done to find alternatives to animal use?
Federal funding for alternatives has historically been very low. Some companies have put substantial resources into finding alternatives. In the context of animal research, "alternatives" include not only the replacement of animals altogether, but reduction in the number of animals used and refinement of research so that it causes less pain, distress and suffering. Therefore, there are a number of alternatives currently available and can include something as simple as housing social animals.
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