Why must animals be used for research studies and teaching?
For the studies and classes where whole animals are used, the faculty requesting these uses explain that the whole organism must be used in order to study the interaction of different physiological processes in living systems. Examples of fields of study where this is crucial include, but are not limited to, neuroscience, immunology, and nutrition. In many cases, physiological effects are also reflected in behavioral changes or changes in the clinical condition that can be studied only in a whole animal. In all cases, justification for the use of the animals must be provided in writing as part of an animal use protocol. Each protocol must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee before the animal use begins. No research on the campus involves the testing of cosmetics.
