Translating animal research into clinical benefit

doi:10.1136/bmj.39104.362951.80

BMJ 2007;334:163-164 (27 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39104.362951.80

Editorials

Translating animal research into clinical benefit

Poor methodological standards in animal studies mean that positiveresults rarely translate to the clinical domain

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Most treatments are initially tested on animalsfor several reasons. Firstly, animal studies provide a degreeof environmental and genetic manipulation rarely feasible inhumans.¹ Secondly, it may not be necessary to test new treatmentson humans if preliminary testing on animals shows that theyare not clinically useful. Thirdly, regulatory authorities concernedwith public protection require extensive animal testing to screennew treatments for toxicity and to establish safety. Finally,animal studies provide unique insights into the pathophysiologyand aetiology of disease, and often reveal novel targets fordirected treatments. Yet in a systematic review reported inthis week's BMJ Perel and colleagues find that therapeutic efficacyin animals often does not translate to the clinical domain.²

The authors conducted meta-analyses of all availableanimal data for six interventions that showed definitive proofof benefit or harm in humans. For three of the interventions—corticosteroidsfor brain injury, antifibrinolytics in . . . [Full text of this article]

Daniel G Hackam, clinical pharmacologist

¹ Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention Program, Toronto, ON, Canada M4G 1R7

Daniel.hackam@ices.on.ca

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Rapid Responses:

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Translational medicine and clinical domain.: Giuseppe Lippi, et al.
bmj.com, 26 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Studies in animals should be more like studies in humans.: Alexander SD Spiers
bmj.com, 28 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Moving away from animal research for clinical benefit: Kathy A Archibald
bmj.com, 29 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Basic flaw in animal research overlooked: Bina A. Robinson
bmj.com, 31 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Criticism of animal research too narrow: Roger Fisken
bmj.com, 6 Feb 2007 [Full text]
Flaws With Animal Research a Deep-Rooted Problem: Aysha Z Akhtar, M.D., M.P.H., et al.
bmj.com, 9 Feb 2007 [Full text]
Systematic reviews demonstrate poor clinical utility of animal experimentation: Andrew D Knight
bmj.com, 15 Feb 2007 [Full text]
Thoroughly planned animal studies can enhance clinical benefit--animal data are necessary: Dr. Filip Konecny
bmj.com, 14 Aug 2007 [Full text]