PRIM&R is generally very pleased with the breadth and aims of the framework. The framework’s third objective, which emphasizes integrity, accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science, demonstrates NIH’s clear commitment to the idea that good science is responsible science. Read more
Those in the field of laboratory animal medicine come to this job with love for animals, but a special kind of love—one that understands that we will be separated, but agrees to love anyway. We give these research animals the best we can give; so they play and are healthy and can serve science and society. Because we understand that a rescued pet is a healthy old dog today thanks to the vaccines and heartworm medication developed using lab animals. We understand that my mother-in-law is healthy today thanks to the surgery, chemo, and radiation developed using lab animals. And we dream that someday, hopefully sooner than later, cancer and diabetes and heart disease will all be diseases of the past, thanks to lab animals. Read more
Among the speakers at IACUC19, one in particular, Leland S. Shapiro, PhD, touched me in a unique way. A brain tumor survivor and fellow martial artist (I have a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do), Dr. Shapiro related his story in an unusually funny and endearing fashion. He shared his full experience, from his initial symptoms, to his struggle to find a doctor. His frustration and moments of almost giving up, his perseverance and fight—his ultimate triumph. As he explained, he is a living legacy of animal-based research. And I think this is something we can all relate to and find similar stories of in our own circles: family members, friends, neighbors saved by medical interventions made possible by animal research. Read more
Innovations in medical practice are critical to the advancement of medicine, but the question of “innovative treatment” versus “medical or surgical research” can often become clouded. It was with great interest that I attended the breakout session led by Stephanie Cargill, PhD, and Jeremy Corsmo, MPH. When does a doctor’s innovative treatment of a patient become surgical or medical research? This question comes up frequently and is also posed when research takes place outside the surgical theater. I was relieved to find out I was not the only person on the planet to have dealt with this issue. As the co-chair of an independent IRB, Read more
Welcome to Research Ethics Reading List, a new feature from Ampersand where we feature books in or adjacent to the field of research ethics that we think you’ll find interesting, motivating, inspiring, challenging, or some combination of the four! In this edition we look at books about tech industry bias and blind spots; the powers, perversions, and potential of heredity; animal Infections and the next human pandemic; and more! Read more
