Why Animals Are Used in Biomedical Research? I need to know...?

...The importance of biomedical research and how animal models contribute to medical breakthroughs or scientific discoveries.





Recent new findings using animal-based methods in a specific area of biomedical research and how these findings have contributed to progress in medical therapy.





The benefits of animal-based biomedical research for the general population, as opposed to the individual.





How animal research has helped or has the potential to impact the following: vaccines, infections, antibiotics, the environment, drug and medical therapy.





How animal-based research has aided the understanding of risks from chemicals in our environment, such as: pollutants, drugs, food additives, etc.





The laws and regulations governing the use of animals in research and they are important.





Why animal-based research is necessary and what are the limitations of alternative approaches.





How biomedical research has helped a friend, family member, pet, livestock, or endangered species

Why Animals Are Used in Biomedical Research? I need to know...?
1. To Understand How Our Bodies Work


Before they can treat disease, scientists and physicians must know how the healthy body works. Only then are they able to discover what went wrong and how to correct the problem. Animals are like people in that their bodies perform many of the same functions; for example, breathing, food consumption, movement, sight, hearing and reproduction. And many basic cell processes are the same in all animals. Because of these similarities, researchers use animal models to study how the normal body works. In fact, much of the knowledge of the body's anatomy and functions can be traced to scientific findings from animal research. Through studies of animals, researchers seek fundamental biological knowledge which may later be applied toward improvements in the health of humans and animals.





2. Humans and animals share hundreds of common illnesses. Consequently, animals can act as models for the study of human illness. For example, rabbits suffer from atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), as well as diseases such as emphysema, and birth defects such as spina bifida, hydrocephalus and cleft palate. Dogs suffer from cancer, diabetes, cataracts, ulcers and bleeding disorders such as haemophilia, so naturally they are part of this research. Cats suffer from some of the same visual impairments as humans. From animals, we learn how disease works within the body, how the immune system responds, who will be afflicted, and much more.





3. Once researchers have some knowledge of a particular disease, treatment plans are devised and animals are used to test these potential therapies. Data from animal studies are essential before new therapeutic techniques and surgical procedures can be tested on human patients. From new drugs to innovative surgery, medical treatments are tested in animals to ensure our safety. Diagnostic tools such as the X-ray and implants such as heart pacemakers and artificial hips are safe and effective only because they were tested first in animals.





4. Identifying new drugs for treating disease requires animal testing because researchers must measure the compound's effects--both beneficial and harmful--on the organs and tissues that comprise the whole organism. Data documenting efficacy and safety are required before any new drug is approved for testing in clinical trials on human beings. Testing on animals also serves to protect consumers and workers from the harmful effects of chemicals found in our environment--in the air, water and soil; in fields and factories; in food; and in household and personal products.