If the results of the animal studies are good, then human volunteers are asked to participate in a clinical trial. If the new therapy seems promising, it is tested in animals to see whether it seems to be safe and effective. Scientists may discover such drugs and procedures using alternative research methods that do not involve animals. 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.Īnimals are used in research to develop drugs and medical procedures to treat diseases.
In addition, scientists can easily control the environment around animals (diet, temperature, lighting), which would be difficult to do with people. 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. Animals are biologically similar to humans. Animals are necessary to medical research because it is impractical or unethical to use humans.Īnimals make good research subjects for a variety of reasons. Some diseases and health problems involve processes that can only be studied in living organisms. Medical researchers need to understand health problems before they can develop ways to treat them. Scientists use animals to learn more about health problems, and to assure the safety of new medical treatments. 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. Why are Animals Used in Biomedical Research? Discovery of new medicines and therapies requires careful scientific experimentation, development, and evaluation. Biomedical research is an evolutionary process requiring careful experimentation by many scientists, including biologists and chemists. Utilizing biotechnology techniques, biomedical researchers study biological processes and diseases with the ultimate goal of developing effective treatments and cures. This general field of research includes many areas of both the life and physical sciences. Biomedical research is the broad area of science that looks for ways to prevent and treat diseases that cause illness and death in people and in animals.