Ethics of Research involving animals
Introduction to Section 2
In Section 2 we describe a range of different scientific uses for animals. We begin in Chapter 5 with basic or curiosity-driven research, which seeks to understand how animals develop and function.
We refer to a number of examples, drawn from behavioural, physiological, developmental and genetic research. We then address the use of animals to study disease processes and consider two cases: rheumatoid arthritis and transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in Chapter 6.
We also discuss the role of animal research in the discovery of the hepatitis C virus, the development of polio vaccine and diseases for which progress in producing treatments and cures has been more difficult (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and cancers).
We then turn to the use of GM animals for the study of disease, and explain the importance and relevance of comparative genetic research (Chapter 7). We go on to describe the use of animals in the development of medicines and vaccines by the pharmaceutical industry (Chapter 8) and then review the use of animals in toxicity testing of potentially hazardous compounds for humans, animals and the environment (Chapter 9).
In each chapter, we consider welfare implications for the animals involved and aim to illustrate the predictability and transferability to humans of data gained from animal research by reference to specific examples.
A summary of Chapters 5–9 is provided at the end of Section 2 in Chapter 10. The application of the Three Rs in animal research and testing is discussed in Chapters 11 and 12.