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The Use of Animals in Research
Published in Rebecca A. Krimins, Learning from Disease in Pets, 2020
Research developments over the past few decades have provided additional advantages for using laboratory animals for studies. Technological advancements, particularly genetic modification of full organisms, allow investigators to create animal models of human or animal disease to examine how specific mutations contribute to the pathogenesis of a disease or effect a potential drug treatment. Engineered endonuclease technology, particularly CRISPR-Cas9, which allows for precise and efficient targeted genome editing, has resulted in an explosion of genetically modified animal models over the last 5 years, from fruit flies to zebrafish to mice to dogs to nonhuman primates (Lee, Sung, and Baek 2018). Targeted genome editing allows a disease to be studied or treatments identified and evaluated in multiple animals in a much more time-efficient manner than can be done by identifying sporadic cases in the pet population. Inducing disease in laboratory animals is also a commonly employed method in animal research, whether through inducing diabetes through streptozotocin administration in mice or performing a partial hepatectomy in dogs to study liver regeneration. These controlled experimental methods using laboratory animals allow the investigator to evaluate the clinical condition as early or as late in the process as desired, whereas in spontaneously occurring conditions in pets, the disease can only be studied after it is diagnosed, usually well into the course of disease.
Institutional Approaches to Healthful Eating
Published in Emily Crews Splane, Neil E. Rowland, Anaya Mitra, Psychology of Eating, 2019
Emily Crews Splane, Neil E. Rowland, Anaya Mitra
While GM plants have been part of our food supply for nearly two decades now, this has not been the case for GM animals. However, in order to meet food demand, GM animals will likely enter our food supply in the coming years; there is already significant research that is being done to produce virus-resistant animals (McColl, Clarke & Doran, 2013). In 2015, Atlantic salmon became the first genetically modified animal to have been approved for consumption by the US Food and Drug Administration (Ledford, 2015). This salmon (known as AquaAdvantage® salmon) has been genetically modified so that it matures faster, reaching market size in half the time taken by conventional Atlantic salmon (Clifford, 2014).
Pharmacological screening of Ayurvedic drugs by experimental studies
Published in C. P. Khare, Evidence-based Ayurveda, 2019
Some toxicities cannot be detected with the help of animal studies, such as psychosis, drugs causing idiosyncrasy, and certain hematological toxicities like thrombocytopenia, due to variability in protein pattern in man and animals. To solve this problem, genetically modified animal models are being prepared, known as transgenic animals, in which new genes are inserted in DNA allowing them to mimic human disease. Now, one can take a human gene for a given protein and swap it for the original protein so as to make the mouse or any other animal model similar to a human being. Thus differences in the binding sites seem not to be a problem.
What to Expect When Expecting CRISPR Baby Number Four
Published in The American Journal of Bioethics, 2019
Christopher Thomas Scott, Cynthia Selin
Policymaking that can better anticipate and prepare for these challenges is urgently needed, and the He experiment underscores that we do not have the luxury of another 6 years of wait-and-see. More than 30 years ago, David Collingridge described a procedural paradox associated with social control over new technologies (Collingridge 1980). During the early phases of development, it is difficult to predict the impact of emerging technologies. But during the later phases, after undesirable consequences have been discovered, the new inventions have already become locked into specific trajectories, making it extremely difficult to manage future applications or alter course. In response to this problem, various strategies to help steer new genetic technologies have been attempted, such as the response to engineered, superinfective strains of flu virus or public acceptability of field trials of genetically modified animal vectors. However, these strategies can suffer from a lack of institutional leverage, sluggish policymaking, a reactionary stance, and a failure to effectively engage citizens with scientists early in the technology development process (Jasonoff 2015; Juengst 2017; King et al. 2017) A structured and replicable approach is needed to better prepare the institutions governing emerging technologies for the consequences of human genome editing.
Comparison of renal impairment post-myocardial infarction with reduced and preserved left ventricular function in rats with normal renal function
Published in Renal Failure, 2020
Zhuzhi Wen, Zun Mai, Xiaolin Zhu, Yangxin Chen, Dengfeng Geng, Jingfeng Wang
In conclusion, post-MI rats with left ventricular dysfunction suffered from substantially more severe renal impairment, especially over a long period of time following MI. Renal fibrosis and podocyte damage were significantly indicated as important manifestations. Local activation of angiotensin II receptors, increased oxidative stress, and enhanced inflammatory reaction may be potential modulators contributing to the renal parenchymal injury that occurs post-MI. We observed significant podocyte injuries at 9 weeks, rather than at 3 weeks, and blood cystatin C and serum IGF-1 displayed the reverse changes at 9 weeks post-MI, suggesting that the long-term decrease in the level of serum IGF-1 might account for the increased renal impairment post-MI, regardless of left ventricular dysfunction. The pathological changes resulted from renal injury post-MI observed in the present study may bring clinicians insight into the mechanisms and modulators involved in cardiorenal syndrome. However, renal damage and the potential mechanisms that drive it were not tested in genetically modified animal models with relevant pharmacological agents, both of which are important limitations of the present study. The surgical MI models are not equivalent to atheroscherotic ones in the clinical settings and the underlying pathology in MI rats do not quite fit in with humans. Measuring certain markers does also not mean to determine potential mechanisms involved in MI-induced renal impairment. Furthermore, the changes of blood pressure after using losartan during 3 and 9-week treatment period might be important regarding cardiac function, renal function and inflammation. Therefore, further research using gene modified animal models and relevant pharmacological agents may help further elucidate the related mechanisms.
Chronic orofacial pain animal models - progress and challenges
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 2018
Heitor G. Araújo-Filho, Erik W.M. Pereira, Adriana Rolim Campos, Lucindo J. Quintans-Júnior, Jullyana S.S. Quintans
The development of genetically modified animal models seems to be an even more promising tool, although it has yet to be fully explored and, so it is not yet well developed in COFP animal models. Several studies have shown that the study of genetics provides a novel research field to identify targets for the development of individually tailored approaches in orofacial pain medicine, such as diagnostic and prognostic kits and novel drugs that would prevent pain chronicity in susceptible individuals or alleviate it once it had developed.