{"id":445,"date":"2018-06-22T13:57:44","date_gmt":"2018-06-22T13:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/nobel-laureates-along-with-hundreds-of-u-s-researchers-sign-letter-to-defend-animal-research\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T12:54:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T07:24:22","slug":"nobel-laureates-along-with-hundreds-of-us-researchers-sign-letter-to-defend-animal-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/nobel-laureates-along-with-hundreds-of-us-researchers-sign-letter-to-defend-animal-research","title":{"rendered":"Nobel Laureates along with hundreds of U.S. researchers sign letter to defend animal research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Around 600 members of U.S. scientific community, including 4 Nobel Laureates, have signed a letter<\/a> that urges research institutions in the country to be more transparent and open with their animal research. The open letter was posted by Speaking of Research<\/a>, a science advocacy group, based in the U.S.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The main intent behind this initiative is to respond to the backlash that animal studies are facing. According to Amanda Dettmer, a behavioral neuroscientist and Speaking of Research spokesperson, \u201cMedical research, which relies in great part on responsible, highly-regulated research on animals, has been under siege in the United States for decades.<\/a>\u201d Further, according to Dettmer, public opinion on animal research is polarized and animal activists are obstructing critical research. Therefore, she and supporters of this move want to bring awareness to the crucial role animal studies play in research. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As reported by Science<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Carol Greider<\/a>, who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2009 for her discovery of the enzyme telomerase, says, \u201cAnimal research is very important to understanding fundamental biological mechanisms.\u201d Explaining why she chose to sign the open letter, Greider says that her research relied heavily on animal models, and she believes in the efficacy of animal research in expanding our understanding of diseases and treatment methods. Greider has been joined by three other Nobel Laureates, William Campbell<\/a>,\u00a0Mario Capecchi<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0Torsten Wiesel<\/a>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals<\/a> (PETA), a group\u00a0that is fighting to end animal research globally, has responded favorably to the open letter. PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said, \u201cWe ask them to [\u2026] explain why they still use animals in drug research<\/a>.\u201d Presenting a case against the continuation of animal research, Guillermo says that a large percentage of new drugs \u2013 as high as 95% \u2013 that are effective in animal studies fail to clear human clinical trials. Therefore, research institutions should clarify the need to use animals in research. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The clash between animal activists and the research community over the use of animals in scientific studies has been a longstanding issue. It remains to be seen whether this step to defend animal research gains more traction and brings about a change in the perception toward animal research. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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