In the news
5 Jul 2009
25 October 2007
'Joint in a test tube' to replace animal tests for arthritis
Scientists in the USA have used discarded body parts to create a ‘joint in a test tube’, which can be used to test arthritis drugs instead of using animals.
The researchers, from the Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory at Missouri University, produced the in vitro model by using joint and cartilage fragments that would normally be thrown away after surgery on dogs. The Dr Hadwen Trust welcomes this development to replace harmful animal experiments that can include mimicking the symptoms of arthritis by injecting irritant chemicals into the joints of rodents and rabbits to induce painful, swollen and inflamed joints. However, the use of dog tissue is less than ideal; instead the use of donated human joint and cartilage fragments obtained post-operatively would further improve the relevance of the model for human patients.
The researchers hope that the novel model will be used to investigate the causes and mechanisms of arthritis, as well as screen new drugs to treat the disease. As well as replacing experiments on animals, the researchers have demonstrated that the model is reliable and likely to achieve results more quickly.
Professor James Cook says:
“These in vitro models will allow us to perform our research without using animals while still accurately mimicking situations in real life. We can screen new drugs for arthritis in a more efficient and cost-effective way such that real progress is achieved more quickly. Using the joints in the test tubes will allow for greater flexibility when studying arthritis. It is strengthening our research as we are able to explain data on a molecular level and then translate it to what happens to people.”
The model works by ‘growing together’ all the tissues you would find in a normal joint. By doing so the in vitro model works as a ‘whole’ just like the real scenario. Because the model maintains the tissues’ appearance, composition and function, it is able to accurately respond to the healthy and disease state.
The Dr Hadwen Trust’s Wendy Higgins says:
“This is a great advance for patients and laboratory animals. As we so often see, non-animal solutions to research problems offer more flexible, reliable and relevant techniques that can provide patients with genuine health improvements. Animals in arthritis research can suffer tremendously so this model is an ethical milestone too, but we’d like to see canine tissue replaced with human tissue particularly if the dogs underwent surgery as part of another experiment. Human tissue is regularly discarded at surgery and could be put to much greater use to replace animal experiments and improve medical research.”
Currently there is no nationally organised system of human tissue banks in Britain to collect, store and distribute human tissues for research. The Dr Hadwen Trust would like to see government support for such a system, as well as simplification of the regulatory procedures for obtaining permission to use human tissue for research.
Says Ms Higgins:
“Human tissue banks are often desperately short of healthy tissues that are essential for finding new treatments. Human tissues are scientifically and ethically preferable to animals for medical research. Animals can respond differently to humans and so give misleading results about the potential of new treatments and cures for human patients. If scientists find it difficult to obtain a reliable supply of human tissues, they will likely resort to animals despite the species differences and so it is vital that we see greater provision and use of human tissues to save both human and animal lives.”
Anyone interested in donating tissues or organs for research should check out the Dr Hadwen Trust’s informative guide here:
