Are There Alternatives Animal Research?

Biological processes are complex. Understanding them requires asking a series of questions that build upon each other. At each step, researchers must decide how a particular question can best be answered.

Some questions can be answered using computer models or new technologies such as organs-on-a-chip—approaches based upon what is already known about a biological process.

Other kinds of questions can be answered by sequencing genes or looking at what happens when isolated cells or tissues are exposed to certain conditions. These approaches provide a great deal of information, but they can’t answer every question.

Researchers study animals when they need to understand the stages of a normal biological process or the course of a disease. Animals are biologically similar to humans in many important ways. Studying animals provides insight into what is happening throughout the body. Whole animal studies also allow researchers to determine whether potential new treatments are effective and whether they have harmful side-effects on other parts of the body.