Reasons for using animals in research in 2005

1
What is research?
EXAMPLE
TYPE OF RESEARCH
Testing a weed killer on rats and dogs
Advancing scientific knowledge
Breeding animals with specific characteristics
needed for research
Studying disease and developing medicines
Destroying a gene in mice and studying how this
affects their development and behaviour
Assessing the safety of chemicals
Breeding
Developing a vaccine for polio using mice
2
Type Advancing scientific knowledge Example
Destroying a gene in mice and studying how this
affects their development and behaviour
Type Assessing the safety of chemicals Example
Testing a weed killer on rats and dogs
Why?
Why? To gain an understanding of how genes work.
This might help develop treatments for genetic
disorders
Why? So chemicals dont do any harm to people who
use them
Why? So lots of animals with the same
characteristics are available for research
Why? So vaccines can be developed to protect
people from illness
Type Studying disease and developing
medicines Example Developing a vaccine for polio
using mice
Type Breeding Example Animals need to be bred
with special characteristics for use in research
3
Number of animals used for different types of
research
Breeding 37
Other 2
Assessing the safety of chemicals 4
Studying disease and developing medicines 26
Advancing scientific knowledge 32
These figures are for 2006