Animals and Scientific Research

NAVS Science Initiatives

NAVS is very proud of our many science initiatives. We believe that it is vitally important to keep the dialogue between the animal community and the scientific community open.  If we merely criticize each other, we will never accomplish anything.  When we communicate with one another and find common ground, then we begin to see real change for the animals.

Americans for Medical Advancement (AFMA)

Dr. Ray Greek serves as the Science Advisor for NAVS, and is also the President of Americans For Medical Advancement (AFMA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the risks of extrapolating the results of animal experimentation to humans. NAVS is proud to be a major sponsor of AMFA, through a NAVS grant.

Americans for Medical Advancement (AFMA), founded by Drs. Ray and Jean Greek, is a mainstream science-based research and educational group dedicated to improving policy and decision-making regarding the use of the animal model in biomedical research.

AFMA opposes animal-modeled or animal-based research as a modality for seeking cures and treatments for human disease based on overwhelming scientific evidence that findings from animal models cannot be reliably extrapolated to humans.

They seek to demonstrate, through rigorous research and analysis, that reliance on animal-modeled research prolongs, rather than eases, human suffering by inhibiting medical progress and diverting funds from more effective research modalities.

In addition to conducting research programs, AFMA communicates through books and other publications, as well as articles in peer-reviewed literature, the urgent need to focus on research modalities that truly advance the knowledge necessary to prevent and cure human disease and promote human wellness.

As students in veterinary and medical school, Drs. Jean and Ray Greek were struck by how differently they treated the same diseases in animals and humans. Some medications that caused birth defects in animals could be given to humans. In light of these and other differences between humans and animals, they began to question how animal models could ever hope to cure human disease.

As they progressed through their respective residencies in anesthesiology and veterinary dermatology, the differences between humans and animals became even more pronounced. Some tumors that are lethal in humans go away without intervention in animals. Anesthetics that are used daily in human patients must be avoided in some animal patients.

The Greeks became alarmed by the realization that slight differences between animals and humans in anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology made the application of the results of experiments on animals dangerous when extrapolated to humans. The money wasted on animal experimentation disgusted them. Their disgust changed to horror as they learned that wasted money was the smallest transgression; humans were actually being harmed when their physicians tried to apply what had been learned in the lab to their patients. So, they wrote Sacred Cows and Golden Geese. The next logical step seemed to be starting a not-for-profit that continued to communicate the message that animals, on the cellular level, are not just furry-looking humans.

Drs. Greek like to point out that the data and message AFMA is presenting results in a win-win situation for everyone; animal lovers, patients, research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, people with unusual diseases, countries with established research programs, and countries that are just beginning biomedical research. Too often society is divided unnecessarily on controversial issues such as the use of animals in research. When all the facts are presented, many times, the controversy dissolves.

For more information about AFMA, please visit:  http://www.curedisease.com/

International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER)

NAVS is very proud to be one of the only groups that supports the development of non-animal alternatives in product testing, education and research.  NAVS is the major sponsor of The International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER). 

IFER’s sole purpose is to award grants to scientists who are developing the alternatives that will one day completely replace the use of animals in research, education and product testing.  To date, NAVS has provided IFER with over $1,000,000 to support the scientists developing animal alternatives.

While the use of animals in biomedical research, product testing and classroom education has long been a standard practice, questions about scientific limitations, as well as ethical considerations, have sparked increased interest in nonanimal alternatives.

Yet, even as a growing number of concerned people call for an end to animal research, the reality is that until scientifically valid alternatives to live animals are available to researchers, animal experimentation will remain the standard methodology.

The International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER) was established to provide a practical, long-term solution to this dilemma. By funding the development and implementation of scientifically valid nonanimal alternatives, IFER is meeting the challenge of merging scientific investigation with ethical considerations.

Through IFER's support, pioneering scientists forging an ethical path to progress receive the financial assistance they need to develop alternatives that meet the rigorous demands of the scientific community, while reducing or eliminating the need for animals in the laboratory. In addition, IFER is reaching out to the leaders of tomorrow through our Post-Graduate Fellowship program, which encourages students to continue incorporating animal ethics into their life's work.
The scientific community has generally accepted the three "R's" philosophy toward animal research, which stands for:

REFINEMENT - improvement that minimizes the pain, suffering and stress of animals used in research. REDUCTION - a decrease in the number of animals used while enhancing the quality and yield of information. REPLACEMENT - scientifically valid substitutions for current live animal methodologies.

Real progress toward creating animal-free laboratories will come as more researchers strengthen their commitment to this philosophy.

But we need to go even further in acknowledging the moral imperative in pursuing animal-free research. That is why IFER calls for a fourth - and critically important-"R":

RESPONSIBILITY - to both human and nonhuman animals.

In awarding more than $685,000 in research grants over the past 15 years, IFER has chosen to support those scientists who demonstrate the creativity, foresight and compassion necessary to set a bold new direction for scientific research. As a result, IFER-supported projects have made a significant and positive impact not only in reducing the number of animals used in laboratories, but also in finding new ways to protect human health.

In continuing efforts to advance the exchange of information and cooperative efforts to develop, validate and implement alternatives to the use of animals, IFER was the major sponsor of the 3rd World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences. This international conference brought together researchers, government agencies, corporations and animal advocates.

For more information, please visit their website at http://www.ifer.org/