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(Last updated 6/19/02)
Previous stories related to Professor Podell's research:
"Methamphetamine Drastically Increases Virus' Ability To Replicate In Brain Tissue," 6/3/02.
"Federal Inspector
Approves Of University's
Animal Care Program,"
3/21/02."Study Of FIV and
Methamphetamine Use
Could Lead To Treatments
Agains AIDS," 7/7/2000.A fact sheet, "A Feline
Model of NeuroAIDS and
Drug Abuse," is available. - Coverage of OSU Research
[The following is an op-ed by Ohio State University President William E. Kirwan. The piece was published in The Columbus Dispatch June 14, 2002.]
ANIMALS ARE CRITICAL FOR RESEARCH
Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered how blackberries might help prevent colon cancer, how global warming may threaten the North American timber industry, how divorce affects children's academic test scores and how to treat anthrax in children. And that's just in the past few weeks.
Faculty members and students at OSU are making discoveries and creating technology that stimulate our economy, improve public health, deepen our understanding of the universe and enhance our quality of life.
Nevertheless, some of the finest researchers at Ohio State and at universities and laboratories across the country face threats and abuse from a small but highly vocal minority who are opposed to the use of animals in research. To "save" these animals, they would shut down research that is making great strides in developing treatments for cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, immunodeficiency diseases and many other devastating illnesses. With the use of research animals, we have made incredible medical advances over the past several decades.
Animal testing has been critical to the development of vaccines for polio, tetanus, rubella and many other diseases. Through animal research, methods to regulate cholesterol, perform organ transplants and use cardiac pacemakers have been developed.
Research animals continue to help us investigate new drugs and medical treatments and to seek out the causes for a variety of diseases that, in many cases, threaten animals as well as humans. These animals represent our most valuable allies in the search for knowledge. Initiatives under way at OSU using research animals include efforts to develop treatments for spinal-cord injuries, hearing loss and many other afflictions.
This week, OSU researchers announced that the illegal drug methamphetamine can make an AIDS-like virus attack the brain 15 times faster than normal. This extraordinary discovery makes clear the deadly aspects of using illicit drugs. It also shows that some drugs that find their way to the brain can help viruses win the battle against our immune system. This project is a perfect example of research that must be done using animals as surrogates for humans.
Such work simply could not have been done using human test subjects. Giving illicit drugs to persons with HIV -- even to those who may have chosen to use them in the past -- is unethical, immoral and illegal.
We all owe a great deal to researcher Michael Podell and his colleagues for conducting such research while being impeded relentlessly by activists opposed to using animals in research. He and his family have received repeated threats by e-mail and telephone. (Editor's note: The university announced earlier this week that Podell, an associate professor of veterinary clinical sciences and neurosciences, is leaving for "a better opportunity.")
Yet, it is thanks to their great courage and tenacity that we now better understand the threat viruses of this type pose to human health.
Research using animal models also saves the lives of animals. For example,
researchers at OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine produced the first
and only successful vaccine against feline leukemia virus. The university
is constantly striving to reduce the number of animals required to conduct
research projects, and we are committed to using alternatives to animals
when and where they are feasible. Our Institutional Laboratory Animal
Care and Use Committee reviews each use of animals to ensure that the
minimum number of animals is used and that each animal is properly cared
for following the strict federal guidelines
established by our elected representatives.
No one is more concerned with the proper care and treatment of these animals than the university's veterinary and research staff, who care for them daily. Because the interaction of body systems is far too complex for any existing computer model, animal research will continue to be necessary into the foreseeable future if we are to solve the daunting public health problems that face us.
Perhaps the day will come when we no longer will require the use of
animals in the development of pharmaceuticals and biomedical treatments.
Until then, our researchers will continue to be diligent stewards of the
animals in their care, and the university will continue to be committed
to maintaining the
high standards that we have demonstrated.
#
William E. Kirwan is president of Ohio State University.