News
New research could improve outcomes for dogs with common cancer January 11, 2019
Researchers identified genetic changes that occur as canine cutaneous mast cell tumors spread, and the findings, published in PLOS One, could enable veterinarians to better predict metastasis risk and might lead to the development of new treatments. Mastocytomas also affect people, and researcher Mike Starkey says anything scientists discover about canine cancer furthers understanding of the corresponding… read more →
Broad-Range Ebola Drug Shows Promise in Animal Tests January 11, 2019
A drug that combines two antibodies protected ferrets and monkeys against the Bundibugyo, Sudan and Zaire strains of Ebola virus in a single dose, researchers reported in Cell Host & Microbe. The results suggest the drug would continue to offer protection as the virus evolves, says Thomas Geisbert, a professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. https://consumer.healthday.com/diseases-and-conditions-information-37/ebola-969/broad-range-ebola-drug-shows-promise-in-animal-tests-741404.html… read more →
Scientists May Have Cracked Mystery of Tick-Borne Virus January 10, 2019
Scientists have gained a better understanding of a potentially fatal tick-borne virus that emerged in China about a decade ago. They found that aged ferrets with the virus show similar symptoms to older humans infected by it, while young ferrets developed no clinical symptoms. This represents the first time researchers found an acceptable animal model to study the virus and develop possible drugs… read more →
Doctors hail breakthrough in muscular dystrophy treatment August 30, 2018
Doctors in the US have raised hopes of a treatment for muscular dystrophy, the most common fatal genetic condition in children, after mending mutations that cause the disease in dogs. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/aug/30/doctors-hail-breakthrough-in-muscular-dystrophy-treatment read more →
Enlisting Dogs in the War on Cancer January 17, 2018
In the thousands of years they've been domesticated, dogs have helped humans in many ways, from herding sheep and cattle to performing search and rescue duties after disasters. Now dogs have begun aiding us in what might be the most important way yet: finding new ways to fight cancer. http://www.americanveterinarian.com/journals/amvet/2018/january2018/enlisting-dogs-in-the-war-on-cancer read more →
Dogs Help in Breast Carcinoma Research June 7, 2017
Cancer is one of the most frequent diseases not only in people, but in pets as well. Like people, dogs can also suffer from cancer of the mammary glands (mammary tumors). A study performed at the University of Zurich has now shown how similar mammary tumors are in both people and dogs. Research on canine mammary tumors is important for human medicine as well. https://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2017/06/dogs-help-breast-carcinoma-research?et_cid=5981609&et_rid=454969368&type=headline&et_cid=5981609&et_rid=454969368&linkid=https%3a%2f%2fwww.laboratoryequipment.com%2fnews%2f2017%2f06%2fdogs-help-breast-carcinoma-research%3fet_cid%3d5981609%26et_rid%3d%25%25subscriberid%25%25%26type%3dheadline… read more →
Animals: Serving our Veterans on and off the Battlefield May 23, 2017
As Memorial Day approaches, we honor the brave men and women who have given their lives for our country. While honoring the soldiers who gave their lives in service of this country, it is important to recognize our obligation also to the brave men and women in uniform who now require treatment for wounds and scars inflicted during battle. With help from animal research and testing, clinicians and… read more →
NIH Official Educates PETA About the Applicability of Animal Research May 19, 2017
There has always been a debate surrounding how best to use animal models in research. The most recent concerns from PETA have given the National Institutes of Health an opportunity to educate us about the applicability of animal research. http://www.nabr.org/nih-official-educates-peta-about-the-applicability-of-animal-research/ read more →
The “Magic” that Saved Jimmy Kimmel’s Son Made Possible by Animal Research May 4, 2017
The Hollywood comedian, Jimmy Kimmel, got emotional in front of his television audience. He tearfully thanked the doctors and nurses who saved the life of his son, born last week with a congenital heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with Pulmonary Atresia (PA). This rare disease is characterized by four main heart defects that can be corrected by a series of operations over several years—all… read more →
Dogs' similarities boost human cancer research February 3, 2017
Cancer research often involves mice, however, dogs have more physiologic and genetic similarities to humans than mice do. Also, dogs spontaneously develop many of the same cancers as humans. Studying cancer treatments in dogs not only helps the canine patients, but it also provides a greater understanding of the disease, and allows for the collection of valuable data needed for FDA approval of similar… read more →
Improved Heart Transplants Thanks to Greyhounds September 18, 2016
Greyhound dogs have contributed to advances in preserving the heart for a transplants. Despite what biased news sources have stated, the dogs were provided anesthetics so that they would not feel any pain, and the research was approved following rigorous ethical review. This research will contribute to better heart transplants for human patients. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/19/contrary-to-emotive-reporting-scientists-testing-on-greyhounds-are-not-dr-frankensteins… read more →
This Story Changed My Mind about Dog Research May 26, 2016
One blog writer shares her initial struggle with the idea of dogs in biomedical research, but how her thoughts have changed through researching a story about how dogs have contributed to advancements in cancer therapies that benefit both dogs and humans. https://fbresearch.org/story-changed-mind-dog-rese... read more →
A129 and AG129 Mice Valuable for Evaluating Zika Virus April 29, 2016
Several recent publications have demonstrated the value of A129 and AG129 mice for evaluating Zika virus and potential vaccines and treatments. Zika virus has been associated with Gillian-Barré Syndrome as well as the birth defect microcephaly, and the recent spread of the virus in the Americas has caused public health concern. Several groups have characterized Zika virus in A129 and AG129 mice.… read more →
Marshall Has Signed a Statement Supporting European Directive 2010/63/EU (“Directive”) on the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes March 29, 2016
Marshall BioResources, together with leading biomedical research organizations, learned societies, industry representatives, universities and patient groups, has signed a pan-European statement supporting the European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes.The statement highlights that:Research using animals has facilitated major breakthroughs in medicine, and… read more →
FASEB Capitol Hill Briefing Emphasizes Importance of Research with Canines November 20, 2015
Experts spoke on Capitol Hill about the ways in which research with dogs has led to medical advances for both people and animals affected by serious illnesses. These presentations were for the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) briefing on canine research. One presenter described similarities between canine and human cancer, and how researching canine cancers influences… read more →
Beagles Bred with Muscular Dystrophy Offer ‘Hope of a Human Cure’ November 14, 2015
Muscular dystrophy is a devastating disease caused by a genetic mutation that results in an inability to produce the muscle protein dystrophin. This protein is necessary for the building and repair of muscles, and thus those with the disease continue to experience degeneration of muscle tissue. The disease predominantly affects boys, and begins around age 5, by age 12 most individuals must use wheelchairs… read more →
New Procedure Developed Using Pigs Allows Patients to Receive Replacement Heart Valves Without Open-Heart Surgery September 1, 2015
Federal regulators have just approved a device that will allow physicians to replace faulty heart valves without open-heart surgery. The first patients to receive the treatment included a few dozen pigs. As Americans are living longer, aortic valve disease has grown more common. This new procedure offers hope to patients who could not undergo open-heart surgery. The use of pigs helped ensure the procedure… read more →
Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey, FDA Scientist Who Kept Thalidomide off U.S. Market, Dies at Age 101 August 7, 2015
The drug thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women during the late 1950s, and resulted in the births of over ten thousand babies with severe birth defects worldwide, and in the actual loss of several thousand additional pregnancies. However, the tragedy was averted in the United States, as the FDA did not approve thalidomide for use by pregnant women. This was primarily due to Dr. Kelsey's concerns… read more →
Why Testing on Prisoners is a Bad Idea August 5, 2015
It is often asked, why can't research be performed on convicts instead of animals? However, even putting aside the moral, ethical and legal arguments against testing on prisoners, there are several scientific issues as well. The medical history of prisoners cannot be standardized or controlled; there is no way to look at correlations between genes and disease; and even if non-violent prisoners were… read more →
Why People Are Wrong to Oppose the New Beagle Breeding Facility July 21, 2015
"Currently, around 20% of the dogs used in research in the UK are imported from abroad (those involved in 956 of the 4,779 procedures in 2013). This is because the UK breeding facilities cannot provide all the dogs used in the UK. These dogs have to endure long and potentially stressful flights from other countries. Surely it is better to breed them here in the UK, where we have some of the highest… read more →
THE BENEFITS OF ANIMAL RESEARCH
Animals have played a significant role in almost every major medical advance in the last century.