National seminar on “Animal models for human diseases: ethical issues and alternatives to animals” on 06-07th February, 2024

Animal models play a crucial role in understanding and studying various human diseases. They help researchers simulate human conditions, test potential treatments, and gain insights into disease mechanisms. However, it's important to note that while animal models provide valuable information, they don't perfectly replicate human biology, so findings may not always translate directly to humans. Nevertheless, these models remain vital in advancing medical research and drug development. The number of animals used in research has increased with the advancement of research and development in medical technology. Every year, millions of experimental animals are used all over the world. The pain, distress and death experienced by the animals during scientific experiments have been a debating issue for a long time.

Besides the major concern of ethics, there are few more disadvantages to animal experimentation like requirement of skilled manpower, time consuming protocols and high cost. Various alternatives to animal testing were proposed to overcome the drawbacks associated with animal experiments and avoid unethical procedures. A strategy of 3 Rs (i.e. reduction, refinement and replacement) is being applied for laboratory use of animals. Different methods and alternative organisms are applied to implement this strategy. These methods provide an alternative means for the drug and chemical testing, up to some levels.

Target audience: Post graduate students, research scholars and faculty members of life sciences from graduate, undergraduate’s colleges and universities.

Goal: To provide better insights to the students, researchers, faculty working with animals for their research and suggest good alternative to the animal experiments like Insilco and virtual dissections etc.