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Cell Cultures & Animal Testing Alternatives

The extent to which humans should be able to test cosmetic and medical products and procedures on animals is a difficult ethical question to answer. On the one hand, we are concerned with the survival and well-being of our own species and want to make sure that our medical and cosmetic products and procedures are safe. On the other hand, animals are sentient creatures that should be free from needless suffering. While there are alternatives to animal testing available, at this time, we are unable to eliminate it entirely.

  1. Epidemiological Studies

    • Epidemiological studies focus on populations of people and observe the relationship between lifestyles and diseases. Lifestyle factors may include diet, vices, occupation and exercise. The aim of these studies is to draw reliable statistical relationships between lifestyle and disease. With this approach, no testing on animals or any living tissue is required.

    Computer Modeling

    • Advances in computer technology allow us to create complex computer models of diseases and their underlying components. Using this approach, scientists can test various potential treatments through a trial and error process without having to test on living tissue. However, concerns may be raised about the ability of these computer models to accurately simulate the intricate human body.

    Cell and Tissue Cultures

    • One alternative to testing cosmetic and medical products and procedures on animals is to perform tests on human cell and tissue cultures grown inside a petri dish. This is an attractive alternative to animal testing because it is low-cost and provides information related directly to humans. However, since cell and tissue cultures are grown outside of an organism, the environment in which products and procedures are tested is artificial. It does not allow scientists to see how the tissue behaves when it is in a complex living body, which is vital to ensuring human health and safety.

    Minimizing Animal Testing

    • Since we do not want to test on human individuals, and since we sometimes need to know how a product or procedure will behave inside a living creature, the above alternatives are unable to eliminate the need for animal testing altogether. However, organizations concerned with animal welfare, such as the Canadian Federation of Human Societies, insist that these alternatives can be used in conjunction with one another to minimize the amount of animal testing that needs to be done.

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