Ethics of Research involving animals
Summary
6.40 Certain animal models have played significant roles in the study of particular diseases and have led to the development of effective interventions. For RA, polio and hepatitis C successful treatments. In the case of TSEs, animal models have been essential for increasing our understanding of the nature of the diseases and in the development of public health measures to limit their spread. The animals involved in this type of research usually suffer from the characteristic symptoms of diseases such as hepatitis C, RA or scrapie. Where possible, animals are euthanised at humane endpoints, although this may not always be the case if the long-term implications of the disease are under study.
6.41 We have also noted that certain animal models of human disease have their limitations, and that there are examples where treatments that are effective in animal models fail to have the same effect in humans. This is primarily because of the complex pathogenesis of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and cancer which have many different sub-types in humans and animals. Scientists involved in this type of research believe that further refinement of models that are more closely related to humans, especially primate or GM animal models, may accelerate the process.
6.42 The research summarised here has provided significant knowledge about disease processes and helped to identify strategies for interventions. Although the development of treatments for some cancers has been slow, there have also been successes in the case of breast and prostate cancer. Knowledge about basic biological processes in other forms of the disease has increased. Such insights are likely to improve understanding of similarities and differences in disease processes in humans and animals which may contribute to increasing knowledge about the development of preventatives and cures. Similarly, the failure to develop a fully effective cure or treatment for specific diseases, especially for complex multisystem diseases such as AIDS, does not by itself imply that existing animal models are generally invalid. Rather, these observations should invite reflections on how research methodology and existing animal models can be improved.