Medical research requires the use of animals to verify whether a new medicine or compound is fatal to use in humans. We would not have any new treatments or drugs if animals were not available. We would be testing in humans and killing unnecessarily. In recent weeks, scientific journals have been carrying horrific stories about the harassment and threats some researchers face from those opposed to the use of animals.

I worked with mice, a heart wrenching part of my dissertation research in which I had to anesthetize and vivisect a special genetic strain we had bred to study where a receptor responsible for blood pressure regulation localizes. It was done to determine the genetic implications in hypertension. And we happened upon a new discovery! One we would never have been able to find had we not had mice to work with. One that hopefully will one day translate into a drug targeting where blood pressure regulation goes awry, adding years onto many people's lives.

There are many regulations in place, and random inspections by regulatory agencies, to insure the proper care, handling, and pain management for the research animals. Before attempting my work we had to have a written plan for each animal we were going to use, an outline of exact procedures that could not be deviated from. The school/facility animal committees had to approve the use of every chemical, drug, and procedure we were going to use. They in turn had to seek approval from the state agency before we could begin. The mice actually had better lives than the researchers; they had constant clean water, food, and clean bedding. They had a normalized light/dark cycle for sleeping that was not allowed to be disturbed and they were not allowed to experience unnecessary pain. Certain studies on stress can not be completed because of this requirement.

The need for animals in research, particularly medical research, is because of the need to determine the toxicity and dangers of new drugs. Researchers start with cell lines then move up to a complex living being such as a rodent. Then depending on the drug being tested they move to a mammal, such as dog or monkey, before testing the drug in human trials. This is to avoid death and illness in people. In recent years the system has been short-cutted, mainly due to the hassle and cost of animal research, and there have been many problems with clinical trials resulting in death or drugs being released before appropriate testing has been done on them. The effect of chemicals in animals does not always directly translate into what the effect will be in people, but it can give an indication of what dangers may be present.

Animals are also wonderful learning tools, for researchers and medical students alike. For basic research, to understand disease, dogs are an excellent mimic of the human cardiovascular system. Before opening up a person for open heart surgery, a surgeon can practice on a dog heart. Diabetic dogs provide tissue samples for learning about genetic or enzyme deviations that lead to the breakdown of the human body as we age. Monkeys provide research models for AIDS and possible treatments for HIV. Without our animal counterparts in research, we would all be at a loss.