Animal Testing and Research Ethics

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02/29/2008

Feb. 29, 2008

Animal Testing and Research Ethics

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One of the most contentious topics in medical research is the issue of experimentation on animals. It's a topic in which middle ground can be hard to find.

Animal models are used in many types of research, from testing new surgical procedures to establishing toxicity levels for chemical compounds. In this hour, we'll talk about the issue of performing medical experiments on animals. How well do animal models predict what might happen in humans? What alternatives to animal testing are there, and how well do they work? Are there times when animal research is clearly justified? Join Joe Palca and guests in this segment for a discussion of animal testing, alternatives to testing, and research ethics.

Produced by Molly Webster

Guests

William Stokes
Director, National Interagency Center
for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods

National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences

Chapel Hill, NC
Jonathan Wolff
Member of the Nuffield Council on
Bioethics

Professor and Department Head, Philosophy

University College London

London, England, UK
Michael Conn
Co-author, "The
Animal Research War"

Associate Director, Oregon National Primate
Research Center

Oregon Health and Science University

Portland, Oregon

Feb. 29, 2008