Ethics of Research involving animals
Summary
11.36 In this chapter we have explored the concept of the Replacement approach, and its current and future applications. We differentiated between complete Replacement, which relates to alternative methods that do not involve any use of animals, or animal tissue or organs, and incomplete Replacement, where either early developmental stages of animals or animal tissue, for example of humanely killed animals, is used. We argued that the concept of Replacement is best understood in a broad sense. We also discussed several different ways in which non-animal methods can be used: on the one hand, they can replace existing tests; on the other they may displace or avoid animal experiments altogether. Non-animal methods may also function as advanced methods, or as adjuncts to animal experiments.
11.37 The public debate about the potential for replacing animals usually focuses on what is or is not possible with animal experiments in general. This is not particularly helpful or constructive. We observed that the potential for achieving Replacement of animals depends on the nature of the specific scientific question being addressed and therefore has to be evaluated on a case by case basis rather than in general terms. Similarly, claims about whether or not Replacements are more economic, faster or produce more reliable scientific data need to be assessed in the same way. Accordingly, we considered a range of approaches where Replacements are currently being used, including computer studies, in vitro methods and human studies.
11.38 There is a tendency for discussion on the potential for replacing animals to focus solely on toxicity testing required by regulation, and it appears that most progress has been made in this area. In order to explore the potential for replacing animals elsewhere, scientific and non-scientific barriers that can influence the implementation of Replacements need to be considered. These include the high degree of complexity of human biological processes, which is relevant where animals are used for the study of human disease; possible reluctance by regulators to accept new alternative methods; access to human tissue; and the scientific standing of research that aims to develop Replacements. We return to ways of overcoming these obstacles in paragraphs 15.57–15.62 and now turn to the current state and future potential of Refinement and Reduction.
Footnotes21 ECVAM Scientific Information Service, available at: http://ecvam-sis.jrc.it/. Accessed on: 6 May 2005.
22 German Institute of Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI) Center for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternative
Methods to Animal Experiments (ZEBET) Animalt-Zebet, available at:
http://www.dimdi.de/static/en/db/dbinfo/dbmemo/zt00eng.html. Accessed on: 6 May 2005.
23 National Library of Medicine ALTBIB: Bibliography on Alternatives to the Use of Live Vertebrates in Biomedical Research and Testing, available at: http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/altbib.html. Accessed on: 6 May 2005.
24 Jukes N and Chiuia M (2003) From Guinea Pig to Computer Mouse, 2nd Edition (Leicester: International Network for Humane Education).
25 European Resource Centre for Alternatives in Higher Education (EURCA) website, available at: http://www.eurca.org. Accessed
on: 6 May 2005.
26 Norwegian Reference Centre for Laboratory Animal Science & Alternatives (NORINA) website, available at:
http://oslovet.veths.no. Accessed on: 6 May 2005.