Facing the truth about #animalresearch

Back in 2013 Erica Trent wrote an article about animal research and her experience as a MIT student neuroscience.
She tells us how difficult it was for her to do that what was expected of her. Obtain data from a rodent that had to be killed by means of euthanasia. She then realized how much of our current bio medical knowledge came from this emperical data and how this in turn led to medical progress. How many treatments and drugs first started in animal labs and she felt thankfull towards the animals that had been sacrificed. You can read the piece here http://tech.mit.edu/V133/N39/trent.html?comments#comments

It takes courage to do what she did. It takes even more courage to talk about it openly and face the comments, good or bad, from the public.
Every student taking these courses goes through the same struggle, although some a bit more intensely than others, yet all understand that the purpose is not to kill but to save lives.

That doesn't make the sacrifice easier but it does give it perspective. Just as when we prepare ourselves for surgery we know that we will hurt when we wake up and that there is a risk that we may not make it or things dont work out as expected but in the end it is for our good. It is what it takes to heal or cure. We certainly do not yell at the surgeon, nor do we protest at his house or start an e.mail campaign to stop him from hurting us :(!

So why do we allow others to do so against researchers that use animal models? Is this same research not also advancing our knowledge of the animals themselves?

Instead of thanking them for the benefits we now all enjoy, we stand by and let animal rights zealots treat them as garbage. What a shame!  This will not happen in my house I can tell you that much. My children know the hard work it takes to give us cures and treatments.

Talking about zealots, it appears now that the animal rights extremists are starting to smell the coffee and are wondering about their decline. It appears that animal rights isn't natural per Wesley J Smith here in the National Review.

Well it seems after all that we are getting into a good start for 2016!  Let's keep it that way and focus a bit more on donations to those who cure us rather than Peta or Hsus. They have done more damage to animal conservation than they will ever dare to admit, if they ever do. I know because I have worked with Zoo's and Aquaria - they too deserve better.

I want to mention the death of a great man Aït Ahmed, may he rest in peace. Algerians from North to South and East to West have lost a great leader. Azul Hocine lahisahel ou que tu sois

Medical progress needs transportation

Pleased to report my guest post on the Speaking of research blog called Safeguarding Medical progress means supporting animal transport.

You can find it by clicking the following link. Likewise if you work in transportation or an affiliated industry, it is important to know how you can support initiatives that seek to support the continued transportation of laboratory destined animals. Being familiar with the sources for educated information about animal research is equally as important.

If your company or you as an individual are called targets by animal extremists, do not hesitate and contact the appropriate parties.   Unless of course you support PETA campaigns against airlines.
In which case you support the statements that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment (think of zoo's and aquaria or other conservation mechanisms).

With more than one million living species described, the animal kingdom is by far the largest on earth. I can't wait to see PETA's first invertebrate campaign in support of  animal rights for Nematodes (agrilus planipennis). After all, despite their threat to agriculture, aren't they all animals worthy figthing for? What about protection for agricultural plant species many of us depend upon for our  diets? Surely using bees for polination puposes is called slavery by some and exploiting their honey equates to animal cruelty! 

What about you? Is medical progress on your mind? Do the right thing and support animal research. Who knows one day you , or a family member, too may benefit from the many medical advances we are used to. Take a look here.


 

Airlines have a thick skin

The fuselage of an aircraft is that part wherein eventually some of us will sit or as it applies to animals, will be carried. It is usually made of aluminium to keep operating weight , the related fuel consumption and carbon footprint down to commercially exploitable levels. It is an assembly of several sections that are welded together. As you can see from the pics below.

Boeing B747-8 Forward Fuselage Source: Aviation news.eu

Whilst most of us do enjoy a flight to our  favoured holiday resort, some are out there telling the airlines what to do or what not to do. Coming from an aviation background that is a biased opinion, admittedly. We do live in a democratic society and criticism as well as free speech is a generally admitted right. No problem there whatsoever. Now do take a look at this petition by the buav.  You'd have to agree with me that airlines must have a thick skin to resist these ongoing petitions. This one in particular has reached the fifty six thousand mark and is aiming at seventy five thousand. The airlines being petitioned are Air France, Vietnam Airlines, Philippine airlines, Continental Airlines (now UA).

Airbus A350 aft fuselage source aviation brief.com

Scenario: I should be the lucky manager to whom this petition is addressed, for I would have to explain to upper management why we are being targeted and what it is we should do moving forward.  Keeping in mind of course that eventually these very 56000 potential or existing customers may decide not to use our services any longer. I am known to keep my temper. The same can not be said of my VP, let stand my CEO.

The petition updates tab provides readers with information on other campaigns and those airlines and other transporters that have decided to stop carrying primates.  Cruel cargo ? I don't think so. It would be if we all keep silent though. It is the very reason why I created this blog for research and medical advancement matters to all of us. Our communities must work together towards a commercially viable alternative and I am not talking about alternative use animals. Let's talk about animal research and saving lives!

A world apart

Sometimes taking a step backwards is necessary. Looking at what is happening in animal research I have said it before, is fascinating. One such institution involved in animal research in the US is the Washington National Primate research Center. It does research on AIDS and related diseases, Non human primates systems biology, neuroscience, evolutionary emergence of infectious diseases and more.

Take a look at their  web pages:

Washington National Primate Research Center

Not all of us fully understand the use of non human primates in research but looking at the various articles and the fields the researchers are involved in, sheds light on what it is they are trying to achieve and how research improves human health. Of course science is not providing an immediate answer to what are complex questions but instead it tries to unravel bits and pieces, the answers of which together in a collaborative effort over time lead to the understanding of mechanisms and processes that affect humans and animals alike.

When in the eighties people started to die from an unknown disease later called AIDS and caused by the human immunodefeciency virus, there were more questions than there were answers. Many died of the disease, whereas now when treated that is, they no longer do.  It is easy to in a few paragraphs jump from where we were to where we are at now. Nevertheless it took many scientists, a lot of money, time and work to answer such questions as the causes of AIDS, symptoms, infection, diagnosis and treatment.  And Yes animals were used to find answers. If you were involved in this research you as a member of this community would have had to live with the pressures of understanding the disease, finding treatments and establishing pathways to potential cures such as through vaccines, whilst being asked to reduce the amount of animals used in research. I take my hat off to you. For more information on primate use in research, you can go to
Macaque


For us members of the general public, it is therefore important to make the link between animal research and the process that leads to drug discovery and the bringing to market of  drugs.
This site gives you an excellent overview of the drug development process.
The drug development process

And then there are people like this that are a world apart. I will let you make your own opinion.

south Florida smash hls  or this negotiation is over and airsouffrance or BUAV cargo cruelty campaign

Mine is made. My vote goes to research!

Lack of animal transporters challenges research

Animal rights groups may choke off UK research

Last March a series of interventions were made by Lord Drayson (previously science minister in the UK) alarming the general public to the fact that there are almost no transporters left that are willing to bring research destined animals into the country.




http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/mar/14/animal-rights-activists-research-transport

Now that of course causes several problems. It is important to say that in the UK it is a legal requirement to test on at least two animal species, for safety reasons understandably. Transport companies are now being challenged to stop transporting animals or face the multiple campaigns that animal rights groups set up. Should we really worry? I think so. Especially now that there are only a handfull of air transporters left that are willing to transport laboratory animals, not just to the UK but worldwide. It is a big problem, not only for research but also for other communities that rely on air transport. Choking off supply has the same effect as stopping animal research. Moreover it is potentially done at the cost of drug discovery or the finding of new cures for mankind or animals.

Some animal rights group have very explicit materials on their web sites calling for actions one can take to stop any kind of animal use. It does not stop there for they also name individuals involved in research at Universities and cite companies involved in ancilliary activities such as transportation, as targets. A google search will quickly generate a list of such sites. Research should not be aplogetic about its activities. Instead more people should stand up and voice their concerns about these tactics !

Health care has improved our lives and it will continue to do so but only if and when it is allowed to function as it is supposed to. It matters to you and I. To those involved in institutions, research labs, Universities , pharmaceuticals and hospitals etc I say thank you for your commitment and dedication.