ABSTRACT
The modern use of animals in biological research and medical discovery arguably began over 200 years ago with Jenner’s use of cowpox as a vaccine for smallpox in 1796. In the ensuing two centuries, animal research has affected virtually all aspects of biological discovery and medical technology. Progress in the biomedical sciences accelerated with the dawn of molecular biology 50 years ago (1), including the development of monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis and treatment of disease, organ transplantation, laparoscopic surgery, gene therapy, and molecularly targeted drugs for cancer and other diseases. These developments have largely relied on studies that involve animal experimentation and now are having a profound and widespread effect on the health and well-being of the human species.
