Faglige nøgleord: Non-animal testing, alternative models to animal testing
Oplæg tilgængeligt på: Engelsk
Does animal suffering justify their use in science and drug/product development?
This question forms the basis of my research and undying motivation to work in the field of developing alternative models to move away from animal testing, thereby ensuring a safe environment for both humans and animals alike. Over eleven million animals are used every year in the European Union for regular biomedical research, and approximately a million animals are used in safety testing of products. Interestingly, the data generated from research on animals are not relevant to humans, as proved by hundreds of drugs and products that are retracted from the market after outbreaks of toxicity in humans. Therefore, there is an urgent need to move past animal research.
Cosmetic and personal care products like hairspray, deodorants, perfumes, along with several types of cleaning products, are part of our day-to-day lives. Most of these products are applied by spraying, which generates small droplets called aerosols that can potentially be inhaled. These inhaled droplets interact with different parts of our lungs, which might render them toxic to humans, leading to symptoms like coughing, sneezing, and shortness of breath. In order to ensure human health and safety, these products are tested for their toxic effects on animals. This age-old procedure is unethical since animals are forced to undergo and withstand painful procedures. Moreover, data generated from these experiments are unscientific, expensive, and time-consuming.
Therefore, in my PhD project, I aim to develop a model that mimics human breathing to study the effects of inhaled chemicals on the lungs. Successful development and application of the model by regulatory agencies would translate to reducing the use of thousands of animals (such as mice, rats, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, and monkeys), and ensuring their safe use by humans.
Through my presentation, I would like to introduce food for thought into our young minds and motivate them to choose science that is holistic and ethical.