by Emma Walker

Created on: January 24, 2009

Animal testing is an emotive subject which has been surrounded by controversy and ethical debate since the 17th century. Ethically the question is: does the benefit to humans obtained through animal testing justify the harm it causes to animals?

Over the past 30 years or so vast improvements have been made in technology and scientific research techniques, this has led to the development of some alternatives to animal testing.

Cell culture is a technique for growing cells under laboratory conditions. A test to detect potential fever causing agents (pyrogens) in drugs used to be performed on rabbit's cells, today as a result of cell culture this test can now be performed on human blood cells obtained from voluntary blood donations.

Tests with simple micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, yeasts and algae can be used as early indicators of chemicals which are likely to be harmful.

Statistics can be used to look at the incidence and effects of various diseases in humans; it can also be used to make greater use of data which has already been collected in the past from animal experimentation.

Collection, research and analysis of data on the affects of lifestyle, diet and occupation of humans has already revealed a great deal about cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and birth defects.

Computer models can be used to carry out simulated experiments. They are increasingly being used to model the structure and actions of new drugs and predict their safety. In addition to this computer modelling can sometimes be used to predict a range of responses across a population, by simulating the variation in physiological and metabolic parameters within populations.

Physiologically based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) modelling and other computer based modelling techniques; model the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of chemicals in the human body.

Improved computer models are still being developed.

Volunteers can be used to test new treatments being investigated in a clinical study, but the treatments have to undergo extensive, meticulous testing and research in a laboratory before being considered safe to be tested with humans.

New scanning and imaging techniques are making it increasingly possible to study the whole human being without causing harm. MEG scanners are being used to study epileptic patients, and MRI scanners are being used to research pain in patients.

New methods for rapidly analysing DNA samples from human's are in the process of being developed, they can used

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