Why animal research?
The future of human and veterinary medicine is bright. Scientific advances are leading to the discovery of newer, better, more targeted medicines that will help treat diseases.
Novartis needs animal research to find innovative, safe and life-saving medicines for patients. Novartis would rather see the end of medical research involving animals. Unfortunately this is not possible today. There are two reasons for that:
- Often, animal studies are needed to better understand complex disease mechanisms.
- Governments and regulatory authorities require that medicines be tested in animals before they are tested in humans.
This is why we must continue with animal research as we look for new medicines for patients.
For more information and a range of views on animal research visit EFPIA'sThe European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations Animal Testing Perspectives website.
Past, present and future of animal research
Animal research helps us develop breakthrough medicines. Advances in science are also helping us to reduce and eliminate, where possible, the use of animal research.
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Past
Role of animals in medical innovation in the past
Animal research has played a crucial part in bringing medicines to the millions of people who benefit from them every day.
Just how big an impact have these medicines had?
One example: In 1952, there were 58,000 cases of polioa viral infectious disease that crippled thousands of people, mostly children, until a successful vaccine was developed in the 1950s. caused by infections with the poliovirus in the US. By 2010, due to new vaccines developed with the help of animal research (alongside a dedicated effort to vaccinate children and eradicate the disease) only 1,352 cases were reported worldwide.
Animal research was critical for scientists like Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin to develop vaccines against polio. These vaccines have saved millions of people from the disabling damage that can result from this disease.
Animal research has also been instrumental in many other medical breakthroughs throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first.
During 2011, medicines, vaccines and other products from Novartis were used to treat and protect more than 1.1 billion people worldwide, according to internal estimates.
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Present
Role of animals in medical innovation today
Animal research is an essential part of modern research and development (R&D). Pharmaceutical companies are required to test new medicines in animals before they can be safely and ethically tested in human beings.
At present, there is no reliable, systematic alternative to animal testing. Although much research and development can be done in a "test tube" (in vitro), complex disease mechanisms can often only be better understood through the use of animal studies.
Some recent scientific breakthroughs at Novartis in some of the most devastating diseases, such as tuberous sclerosis complex and multiple sclerosis, have benefited in a very direct way from animal research.
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Future
Role of animals in medical innovation in the future
The future of medical research is bright with many new types of scientific advances leading the way to the discovery of newer, better, more targeted medicines. The number of animals needed for this research is certainly declining but their importance to the process of medical research is as great as ever.
Some of the new technologies and advances include:
Studying particles in cell cultures, not full living organisms
Cell and tissue "cultures" are groups of cells that are grown outside of the living organism. Using these cell culturescells grown under controlled and reproducible conditions, usually in a laboratory., scientists create an artificial environment for experiments. One area where cell cultures are proving very useful is in experiments on skin. Scientists can test potential medicines that will be applied to the skin to see if they are irritants.
However, using cell and tissue cultures does have its limitations – for example, it does not allow a researcher to see the effect of a substance on the skin on a living body interacting with all its complexities.
Using powerful computer simulations to find pharmacokinetic data
Increasingly advanced computer software programs can now simulate various effects of medicines on the body. These programs are based on criteria that are input into the program about the medicine (for example the absorption rates of a particular medicine).
Using the results of these simulations, scientists are able to see what kind of impact a medicine may have without using animals.
Using transgenic animals
Researchers are now able to use genetic engineering to raise transgenic animalsan animal that has a gene from another animal specifically inserted into its genome. This is done to better understand disease pathways and to find new treatments. that allow the study of gene function in a living organism.
Transgenic animals are developed by transferring specific genes, including human genes, into animals. In addition to studying normal gene function, transgenic animals are an excellent model to study a gene's role in a disease. They can also serve as in vivoscientific tests done in a living organism, such as animals or humans. models to test potential new medicines that target a specific gene.
Transgenic animals are a unique and indispensable part of modern medical research for which there are no alternatives.
Reverse vaccinology
Conventionally, vaccinea medication that is given to boost immunity to certain diseases; vaccines are often made from dead or weakened forms of the disease germs. development requires cultivation of a virusa microscopic organism that causes disease. It can only multiply in a living host cell. Some well-known viruses include the common cold, the flu and chicken pox. or bacteriasingle cell organisms that are found everywhere on earth. Some bacteria may cause diseases. in animals, followed by its dissection to identify the components important for immunity.
However, in reverse vaccinology, being studied now at Novartis, scientists use gene sequencingdetermining the order of the nucleotides in DNA. With this understanding, scientists can determine which genes work in a specific way. to identify certain proteins that are expressed at low levels and during specific circumstances – for example during an infection. These “virulence genes” can then be used to identify candidate vaccine antigens. The use of animal models to test immune response further refines the list of proteins likely to be of use as vaccine antigens. This means that the use of animal studies is greatly reduced and is much more targeted and precise.
