Foundation for Biomedical Research

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The Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR) is an American nonprofit organization, 501(c)(3), located in Washington, DC. Established in 1981, the organization is dedicated to informing the news media, teachers, and other groups about the need for lab animals in medical and scientific research. The organization, together with its partner, the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR), argues that promoting animal research leads to improved health for both humans and animals. [1]

Contents

Its founding president is Frankie Trull.

Animal research

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the total number of animals used in that country in 2005 was almost 1.2 million, [2] excluding rats and mice. [3] [4] Some animal rights supporters believe that alternatives exist for animal models in research; however the vast majority of scientists believe there are no adequate alternatives which truly replace the roles which research animals play. [5] [6] [7] In fact, recent research shows that 98% of the current drug pipeline relies on either dogs or non-human primates.

According to the Foundation for Biomedical Research, animal research has been responsible for every medical breakthrough over the past century, although this position has been disputed by some animal rights activists and organizations. [8] [9] [10] [11] It cites animal research as leading to advances in antibiotics, blood transfusions, dialysis, organ transplantation, vaccinations, chemotherapy, bypass surgery, joint replacement, and methods for prevention, treatment, cure and control of disease, pain and suffering.

Nonhuman primates

This graphic depicts several advances made with nonhuman primate research and a series of pie charts which show the percentages of total lab animals by species. The-Critical-Role-of-Monkeys-in-Medical-Research-Infographic.gif
This graphic depicts several advances made with nonhuman primate research and a series of pie charts which show the percentages of total lab animals by species.

Nonhuman primates have been at the forefront of animal research controversy over the last several years even though they represent less than one percent of all animals models used. [12] [13] In August 2016, to counter criticism from animal rights' groups, a white paper coauthored by nine of the most premier scientific groups and titled The Critical Role of Nonhuman Primates in Medical Research was released. [14] Because of their incredible similarity to humans, primates such as rhesus macaques and chimpanzees, up until the National Institutes of Health ended public funding for chimpanzee research, [15] have greatly contributed to many areas of medicine. Some specific advances, according to the white paper, are: the development of the MMR vaccine, the treatment of leprosy, HIV medication, a vaccine for hepatitis B, and improvements in cancer treatment. [16] [17] One of the most recent advancements has been the development of a highly effective vaccine against the Zika virus, which should soon be protecting both the people and primates that are most at risk of infection. [18]

Dogs

Dogs have been used in research for decades and have been invaluable for treating many human and canine illnesses. Dogs contract many of the diseases humans do, from heart disease to cancer and they are also exposed to the same environment as humans. Canine research has led to many significant breakthroughs such as hip replacements, development of cancer treatments, and research in stem cells, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. [19] Treatments for heartworms, parasites, and vaccinations against parvovirus, rabies, and canine distemper have also come from canine models. [13]

Cats

Cats, like dogs, have also proven to be extremely helpful for developing treatments for both human and feline diseases. Cats have been a mainstay in research studies of neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases and the immune system. In particular, they have been valuable models for understanding the function of the neuron, the chemical transmission of nerve impulses, and the functional organization of the brain. Neuroscientists studying cats have provided a map of the circuitry of the vertebral cortex revealing the major pathways that send signals from the eye to the brain. [20] Cats have also been invaluable for the treatment of leukemia and both feline and human breast cancer. [20] Feline leukemia used to be one of the most common killers of cats and about 85% died within three years of their diagnosis. However, with their help, scientists have developed a vaccine for feline leukemia and now more beloved pets get to spend more time with their families.

Rodents

In the U.S., the numbers of rats and mice used in animal research is estimated at 20 million a year, or 95% of the total number of lab animals. [4] [12] Other rodents commonly used are guinea pigs, hamsters, and gerbils. Mice are the most commonly used vertebrate species because of their size, low cost, ease of handling, and fast reproduction rate. [21] Mice also have genomes that are very similar to the human genome. This similarity allows researchers to recreate human diseases, such as breast cancer, in mice in order to understand how genes affect the development of disease. [13] The Foundation advocates the highest quality of animal care and treatment, stating that the use of animals in research is a privilege, and that animals deserve our respect and the best possible care.

Activities

The Foundation for Biomedical Research conducts educational programs for the news media, teachers, students and parents, pet owners and other groups.

FBR publishes a subscriber-based daily news service called Total E-clips featuring biomedical research news, medical breakthroughs, political and legislative and activism news.

Since 1981, the FBR has monitored and analyzed the activities of animal rights organizations relating to researchers and institutions.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Model organism</span> Organisms used to study biology across species

A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Model organisms are widely used to research human disease when human experimentation would be unfeasible or unethical. This strategy is made possible by the common descent of all living organisms, and the conservation of metabolic and developmental pathways and genetic material over the course of evolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canine distemper</span> Viral disease affecting some mammals

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a viral disease that affects a wide variety of mammal families, including domestic and wild species of dogs, coyotes, foxes, pandas, wolves, ferrets, skunks, raccoons, and felines, as well as pinnipeds, some primates, and a variety of other species. CDV does not affect humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal testing</span> Use of animals in experiments

Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals, such as model organisms, in experiments that seek to control the variables that affect the behavior or biological system under study. This approach can be contrasted with field studies in which animals are observed in their natural environments or habitats. Experimental research with animals is usually conducted in universities, medical schools, pharmaceutical companies, defense establishments, and commercial facilities that provide animal-testing services to the industry. The focus of animal testing varies on a continuum from pure research, focusing on developing fundamental knowledge of an organism, to applied research, which may focus on answering some questions of great practical importance, such as finding a cure for a disease. Examples of applied research include testing disease treatments, breeding, defense research, and toxicology, including cosmetics testing. In education, animal testing is sometimes a component of biology or psychology courses.

Neutering, from the Latin neuter, is the removal of a non-human animal's reproductive organ, either all of it or a considerably large part. The male-specific term is castration, while spaying is usually reserved for female animals. Colloquially, both terms are often referred to as fixing. In male horses, castrating is referred to as gelding. An animal that has not been neutered is sometimes referred to as entire or intact.

<i>Carnivore protoparvovirus 1</i> Species of parvovirus

Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 is a species of parvovirus that infects carnivorans. It causes a highly contagious disease in both dogs and cats separately. The disease is generally divided into two major genogroups: FPV containing the classical feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV), and CPV-2 containing the canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) which appeared in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canine parvovirus</span> Contagious virus mainly affecting dogs

Canine parvovirus is a contagious virus mainly affecting dogs and wolves. CPV is highly contagious and is spread from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their feces. Vaccines can prevent this infection, but mortality can reach 91% in untreated cases. Treatment often involves veterinary hospitalization. Canine parvovirus often infects other mammals including foxes, wolves, cats, and skunks. Felines (cats) are also susceptible to panleukopenia, a different strain of parvovirus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canine influenza</span> Influenza occurring in canines

Canine influenza is influenza occurring in canine animals. Canine influenza is caused by varieties of influenzavirus A, such as equine influenza virus H3N8, which was discovered to cause disease in canines in 2004. Because of the lack of previous exposure to this virus, dogs have no natural immunity to it. Therefore, the disease is rapidly transmitted between individual dogs. Canine influenza may be endemic in some regional dog populations of the United States. It is a disease with a high morbidity but a low incidence of death.

Epilepsy in animals is a group of neurological disorders characterized by seizures, caused by uncontrolled, abnormal bursts of electrical activity in the brain. They can start and stop very abruptly and last any amount of time from a few seconds to a few minutes. Canine epilepsy is often genetic but epilepsy in cats and other pets is rarer, likely because there is no hereditary component to epilepsy in these animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lymphoma in animals</span> Type of cancer in animals

Lymphoma (lymphosarcoma) in animals is a type of cancer defined by a proliferation of malignant lymphocytes within solid organs such as the lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver and spleen. The disease also may occur in the eye, skin, and gastrointestinal tract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mammary tumor</span>

A mammary tumor is a neoplasm originating in the mammary gland. It is a common finding in older female dogs and cats that are not spayed, but they are found in other animals as well. The mammary glands in dogs and cats are associated with their nipples and extend from the underside of the chest to the groin on both sides of the midline. There are many differences between mammary tumors in animals and breast cancer in humans, including tumor type, malignancy, and treatment options. The prevalence in dogs is about three times that of women. In dogs, mammary tumors are the second most common tumor over all and the most common tumor in female dogs with a reported incidence of 3.4%. Multiple studies have documented that spaying female dogs when young greatly decreases their risk of developing mammary neoplasia when aged. Compared with female dogs left intact, those spayed before puberty have 0.5% of the risk, those spayed after one estrous cycle have 8.0% of the risk, and dogs spayed after two estrous cycles have 26.0% of the risk of developing mammary neoplasia later in life. Overall, unspayed female dogs have a seven times greater risk of developing mammary neoplasia than do those that are spayed. While the benefit of spaying decreases with each estrous cycle, some benefit has been demonstrated in female dogs even up to 9 years of age. There is a much lower risk in male dogs and a risk in cats about half that of dogs.

Texas Biomedical Research Institute, located in San Antonio, Texas, is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution, specializing in genetics and in virology and immunology. Texas Biomed is funded by government and corporate grants and contracts, and donations from the public.

A vaccine-associated sarcoma (VAS) or feline injection-site sarcoma (FISS) is a type of malignant tumor found in cats which has been linked to certain vaccines. VAS has become a concern for veterinarians and cat owners alike and has resulted in changes in recommended vaccine protocols. These sarcomas have been most commonly associated with rabies and feline leukemia virus vaccines, but other vaccines and injected medications have also been implicated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaccination of dogs</span>

Vaccination of dogs is the practice of animal vaccination applied to dogs. Programs in this field have contributed both to the health of dogs and to the public health. In countries where routine rabies vaccination of dogs is practiced, for example, rabies in humans is reduced to a very rare event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of animal testing</span>

The history of animal testing goes back to the writings of the Ancient Greeks in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, with Aristotle and Erasistratus one of the first documented to perform experiments on nonhuman animals. Galen, a physician in 2nd-century Rome, dissected pigs and goats, and is known as the "Father of Vivisection." Avenzoar, an Arabic physician in 12th-century Moorish Spain who also practiced dissection, introduced animal testing as an experimental method of testing surgical procedures before applying them to human patients. Although the exact purpose of the procedure was unclear, a Neolithic surgeon performed trepanation on a cow in 3400-3000 BCE. This is the earliest known surgery to have been performed on an animal, and it is possible that the procedure was done on a dead cow in order for the surgeon to practice their skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal testing on non-human primates</span> Experimentation using other primate animals

Experiments involving non-human primates (NHPs) include toxicity testing for medical and non-medical substances; studies of infectious disease, such as HIV and hepatitis; neurological studies; behavior and cognition; reproduction; genetics; and xenotransplantation. Around 65,000 NHPs are used every year in the United States, and around 7,000 across the European Union. Most are purpose-bred, while some are caught in the wild.

North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine is an American educational institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina that offers master's and doctorate-level degree programs; interdisciplinary research in a range of veterinary and comparative medicine topics through centers, institutes, programs and laboratories; and external engagement through public service programs and activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat health</span> Health of domestic cats

The health of domestic cats is a well studied area in veterinary medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Association for Biomedical Research</span>

The National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) is an American nonprofit organization, 501(c)(6), located in Washington, DC. NABR was formed in 1985 when the Association of Biomedical Research merged with the National Society for Medical Research The NABR advocates for the continued use of animals in biomedical research albeit in as humane a manner as possible.

Rise for Animals is a national, registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rights organization which aims to end nonhuman animal experimentation. It has been described as "one of the oldest and wealthiest anti-vivisection organizations in the United States".

Theory of mind in animals is an extension to non-human animals of the philosophical and psychological concept of theory of mind (ToM), sometimes known as mentalisation or mind-reading. It involves an inquiry into whether non-human animals have the ability to attribute mental states to themselves and others, including recognition that others have mental states that are different from their own. To investigate this issue experimentally, researchers place non-human animals in situations where their resulting behavior can be interpreted as supporting ToM or not.

References

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