Large animals are
needed for such work because a compound that looks like a successful drug in
the petri-dish or on a mouse might not work as well in larger creatures and
humans. E.g. Before clinical trials on people, research on vaccines and
diseases including glaucoma, myopia and HIV infection is carried out on monkeys
such as macaques, which are genetically similar to humans.
Pigs, with their
physiology and anatomy relatively similar to humans, are used to test new drugs
and medical devices such as artificial knee joints and dental implants, and for
surgical training. Generally, rats,
mice and fish are used in experiments, although rabbits, dogs, pigs and monkeys
are also used in some. Most are euthanised at the end of a trial.
But scientists say
that while they continue to develop alternatives to animal testing, in many
cases it is still impossible for a computer or test tube to substitute a
complex biological system when studying a disease, vaccine or drug for efficacy
and side effects. "Monkeys are
more similar to us than mice, and pigs are closer in size. Sometimes, it's a
necessary evil and there's no way around it."
“Such a facility
will enhance Singapore's overall capability in translating discoveries to the
clinic . It will increase our strength
in pre-clinical research such as drug discovery, drug development, testing of
biomarkers and medical technology, prior to first-in-man studies” said Professor Wong Tien Yin, group director
of research at SingHealth , who is also executive director of the Singapore Eye
Research Institute.
But research using animals has long been condemned by animal welfare groups. Thank goodness this is spore, we are probably more practical.....hahha... do we even have such groups active here?
