Understanding Animal Research

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Understanding Animal Research provides plenty of information to keep you up-to-date with news and comment about animal research. We cover the major media stories, research advances, health & medicine, politics, antivivisection campaigns and animal rights protests.

Tapeworm vaccine helps pigs and humans

A new vaccine successfully blocks tapeworm infection in pigs, helping to break the cycle of infection between pigs and humans.

Tapeworm is a parasite that can grow up to 10 metres, and can live inside the human body for several years. However, the tapeworm eggs, which hatch in the intestine and travel to the brain, can cause the brain disease neurocysticercosis. This disease may make a person more prone to seizures and epilepsy.

Journal: International Journal for Parasitology
DOI:
Publication date: 9 Mar 10

FoI and lessons for records management

Freedom of Information (FoI) requests have recently been in the news, as many UK Universities have received a request for information from Luke Steele, an animal rights activist based in Yorkshire.

However, in the last month there has been a more interesting development relating to another FoI request, made by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV).

In response to the developments UAR is recommending that universities review their records management policies for project licences. We recommend that universities clarify who holds project licences, and formalise what happens to expired project licences.

UK public attitudes - not much change

Posted by Zebedee under blog's category : Communications & media

Public opinion research released this week shows that UK public attitudes to animal research haven't changed much over the last few years. As was the case in 2008, nine in 10 (87%) accept the idea of animal research to some degree, with three in five (60%) accepting it unconditionally.

There are signs that the public became slightly more neutral or sceptical last year, especially on regulation. This may simply reflect the lower importance that people place on animal research as an issue.

This opinion research is the latest poll in a series that goes back 10 years. Most of the movement towards increased support for animal research occurred between 1999 and 2005. It is interesting to consider possible reasons for this.

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Mouse model develops human liver

Mice could be more useful in the study of hepatitis than previously thought, as research into the possibility of growing a human liver in a mouse has proven successful.

In the past, hepatitis research has been limited to a small number of animal models. Now scientists have created a mouse with a human liver suitable for studies on conditions which affect the liver.