Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Bay Area Reporter - June 25, 1996
Matthew Sharp, ACT UP/Golden Gate Writers Pool
The argument is over whether it is morally correct to use research animals to study AIDS and other life-threatening diseases, to save human lives. The AIDS community released a consensus letter agreeing on the necessity of research in animals at a press conference last week. But PETA wants to stop all use of animals in research, regardless of the thorough animal welfare laws and regulations.
The formidable, well-funded, and trendy group started targeting people with AIDS after ACT UP/Golden Gate member Jeff Getty's experimental baboon bone marrow experiment was completed last year. PETA representative Dan Mathews traveled around the country to defend the group's position, and appeared at an ACT UP/Golden Gate meeting three months ago, where he faced activists who were strongly in favor of animal research.
The activists cited examples throughout years of AIDS research where animal research had contributed to promising therapeutic models, as well as critical answers to pathogenesis. Mathews could only respond by saying the baboon experiment "failed." He said the research was "wasted" and seemed unaware of the protocol's important findings and the implications for future research.
We would be in darkness
The importance of using animal models in AIDS research is critical. According to former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD, "We would be in absolute, utter darkness about AIDS if we hadn't done decades of basic research in animal retroviruses." Virtually every treatment on the market today was studied on animals first to determine safety.
Vaccines to protect non-infected people from contracting HIV can ethically only be tested in animals. Using humans in vaccine studies could cause HIV infection, which is out of the question. Currently, the best animal models for studying AIDS vaccines are chimpanzees. The chimpanzee model has taught us a great deal about preventive vaccines. Chimpanzees can become infected with HIV, but do not come down with symptoms; they do not get AIDS.
More critical answers about vaccines can be found by studying Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, which is similar to HIV. SIV is studied in macaque monkeys, which cannot contract HIV.
A recent report from the Office of AIDS Research (OAR) reviews the utility of animal models in AIDS research. According to the review, there are two effective animal models - macaque monkeys and the SCID (severe combined immunodeficient) mouse - for use in AIDS pathogenesis, drug efficacy studies, and gene therapy.
The mother-to-infant AZT transmission study in macaque monkeys is an excellent example of successful animal research. This study showed that the drug AZT can prevent transmission of HIV during pregnancy, and is now the standard therapy in this population. Think of how many children's lives will be saved because of this study - a study that was delayed because of animal rights activists' violence.
SCID markers
The SCID (severe combined immunodeficient) mouse is an inexpensive animal model for use in AIDS. Theoretically, SCID mice should mimic the human immune system because human blood cells are injected into the mouse and not rejected. Then the cells can be challenged with HIV and analyzed. These SCID mice are being used to look at drug development and pathogenesis as it relates to central immune system organs such as the thymus. Major work is going on in this area at UCLA, USC, and at UCSF.
The importance of using these SCID mice for AIDS research cannot be underestimated. We will never be able to have a protective vaccine, which will be the most important preventive measure for the growing worldwide AIDS pandemic, unless we can use animal models.
Seventy-seven percent of Americans support biomedical research using animals, according to an American Medical Association-sponsored Gallup poll. But nobody expects, or wants, uncontrolled or cruel conditions for the animals. Animal welfare is protected in research through existing complex laws and regulations.
* The Animal Welfare Act enacted in 1966 protects animals through a detailed system of regulations and inspections.
* Each research institution that uses animals must establish an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee that incorporates a veterinarian and someone not involved in the institution.
* There are also government principles for the utilization and care of animals used in testing.
* There are USDA Animal Welfare Regulations that must be adhered to by unannounced inspections of research laboratories.
* The Public Health Service Act creates a mandate for federal law regarding the existing policies of using animals in research.
* Good Laboratory Practice Standards of the FDA require inspections and documentation of studies performed on animals.
* Furthermore, there is a plethora of state and local laws to protect animal welfare.
Robert Gallo, co-discoverer of HIV, has stated, "With animals we may have a cure for AIDS in ten years. Without animals we will never cure AIDS in our lifetime." PETA, on the other hand, said, "Even if animal research resulted in a cure for AIDS, we'd be against it."
ACT UP/Golden Gate will continue to support and encourage animal testing to find therapies for AIDS, because we are sure it is the only ethical and responsible course to end the epidemic.
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