Robots replace animals in toxicology testing
Someday, this lab bunny could be out of a job. (Credit: Benny Mazur. Some rights reserved.)
In the future, robots might replace animal testing in screening for environmental toxins.
Chris Austin: We do believe that over the course of the next five to ten years that this approach will refine, reduce, and ultimately replace the number of animals that are used in toxicology testing.
Chris Austin is director of the Chemical Genomics Center for the National Institutes of Health. Austin explained how animals are now used to test some toxins, such as household cleaning products, pesticides and herbicides.
Chris Austin: That process is slow, it’s expensive, it is not necessarily predicative of human toxicity, and it’s become increasingly discouraged by the public.
He said the new method grows cells on small trays. Each tray may have over 1,500 different chambers, each chamber holding just a few cells to be tested. Robots working 24/7 quickly handle and process the information, which translates to whether a chemical might be harmful to a human being.
Chris Austin: So we’re talking about the same number of chemicals that have been tested over the last 20 to 30 years, being tested now in a single day.
Austin said the new process works, and should be widely used in the next few years. That’s good news for those who feel for the plight of animals that undergo testing.
Dear Professor Austin,
This is indeed a good way to reduce the animals used in the experiments. However, we can not deny that the impacts on cells and animals by those chemicals or toxins are different. This also explained that we still need clinical trials for testing new drugs.
Sincerely,
Chih-Cheih
A noble idea, I guess. But one that will be very expensive and will generate suspect results. We ahve no computer models that are particularly predictive that I have seen involving physiology. The idea that we can build a robot that will duplicate the physiological reactions of any animal seems a bit far fetched to me. And the purpose? Rabbits, mice and rats are cheap and readily replaceable.
Folks, animals are not humans. They are here to eat, work and use. While I don’t believe that there is any reason to needlessly torment anyone or anything, using animals in research to further the knowledge and heaalth of humanity is a great enterprise and should be continued.
I think it’s a good idea to develop new testing methods to replace these animals. Yes, rabbits, mice and rats are cheap and readily replaceable, but it doesn’t mean we have “power” to deprive them of rights to live. I also admit that nowadays the robots may not exactly represent the real reactions to toxins, we still need animals for clinical trials, but at least we are on the right track, we can reduce the amount of testing animals now. We cannot abuse our authorities over these animals in the name of “research” to further the knowledge and health of humanity.
Jerry
Great article
We think that animal testing is horrible and sdhould be against the law. If you look at some websites you will see how they test the animals and how cruel it is.