Animal welfare groups have been campaigning for similar commitments for decades. But the lack of alternatives has made it difficult to stop animal testing. Advances in medical science and biotechnology are changing the situation.
Animals used in scientific research for thousands of years. Experiments on animals have led to many important discoveries about how the brains and bodies of animals work. And because regulatory agencies require drugs to be tested on experimental animals first, it has played an important role in the development of drugs and devices for both humans and other animals.
Today, countries such as the UK and the US regulate animal research and require scientists to hold multiple licenses and follow animal welfare and care regulations. However, millions of animals are used in research every year. Many scientists I don't want to take part in animal testing. And some question whether animal research is justified, especially given that about 95% of treatments that look promising for animals do not reach the market.
In recent decades, we have seen significant advances in technologies that offer new ways to model the human body and test the effects of potential treatments without experimenting on humans or other animals.
Take, for example, “organs on chips.” Researchers are creating miniature versions of human organs inside tiny plastic cases. These systems designed to contain the same mixture of cells as in the adult organ and receive a supply of nutrients to keep them alive.
Today, several teams have created models of the liver, intestines, heart, kidneys and even the brain. And they are already being used in research. Heart chips were sent into space observe how they react to low gravity. FDA Used Lung Chips for evaluate vaccines against covid-19. Gut chips are used for study the effects of radiation.
