Animal Testing Methods

Over the past few centuries scientists have tried to solve the mysteries of disease through a plethora of different testing methods. The most popular method that is in effect presently is animal based tests. While these tests are the most commonly used, are they the best in terms of morality and accuracy? Animal tests inflict forms of torture upon defenseless creatures in order to discover the solution to medical problems. Testing animals provide, for the most part, inaccurate results, while cheaper and more moral alternatives exist. If the scientific community funded research on alternative testing methods instead of animal tests, we could do away with the inhumane animal tests and move on to more accurate testing methods that do not
If you compare the DNA of humans to the DNA of chimpanzees, you will notice that they are ninety-nine percent similar. Why would scientists pursue alternative methods when test subjects that are very genetically similar are available. Chimpanzees’ bodies react to medical drugs and treatments similarly to humans’ bodies because of these genetic similarities. With that being said, it is reasonable for scientists to think that animals with similar DNA strands will yield accurate results. Scientists use chimpanzees to test drugs because the areas of the body affected are similar to those of human’s. If cosmetics are being tested, other animals are used as test subjects. For instance, rabbits are used to test the effects certain products have on the eyes. This is because rabbit eyes respond similarly to chemicals that irritate the eyes as human eyes do. By using animals with body parts that are similar to the human version of that body part, scientists are able to achieve accurate
Animal testing is not essential for us to test new drugs. There is no definitive proof that animal testing was required to discover some of its finest breakthroughs. For instance, we could test the effects of drugs on human cells in petri dishes instead, and possibly get more accurate results. This method may yield more accurate results than animal tests, simply because it utilizes human cells. Another testing method we have is virtual computer models of human body parts. They are able to predict the possible outcomes a drug could have on a human without endangering an animal to see how it could possibly affect a human. Both of these methods are more cost efficient than animal tests and show great promise. While these are the two best alternatives we have at this moment in time, the future holds great potential in drug testing for mankind. Science is on its way to discovering how to create synthetic organs. Once this is achieved animals will no longer be needed to test drugs. Artificial organs would show scientists exactly how certain drugs affect the human body and if they are safe for people to use. The use of these organs would revolutionize how we test medicines and leave very little, if any room for unreliable