BELLATERA, Spain: An experimental artificial dog skin developed by scientists may eventually end the need for live canine drug and chemical testing forever.
Spanish researchers from UNIVET, a spin-off of the Autonomous University of Barcelona in collaboration with animal nutrition company Affinity Petcare, have developed an artificial cellular model that mimics the characteristics of canine skin. This new model allows for studying illnesses that often affect canines without having to subject real dogs to the tortures of animal testing.
Normal skin is composed of an external layer, the epidermis, an internal layer, and the dermis which is separated by a basal membrane. According to cloningresources.com, to develop the artificial dog skin model, cells were extracted from the skin of healthy dogs. These cells were inserted into a collagen matrix - a common protein that can be found in skin and in joints - and were used as a support for the epidermis cells.
The epidermis cells were grown on the surface of the dermis cells and were kept in growth conditions exposed to air. The cells multiplied to create the various layers of the epidermis. Researchers say that artificial dog skin accurately replicates the characteristics of a normal canine's skin.
The use of artificial canine dog skin model may eventually phase out live canine testing. Ironically, dogs are subject to life-threatening tests for products which are made for their own use. In 2001, Uncaged, an animal rights advocate group, accused pet food company IAMS, of funding and participating in laboratory experiments on animals including canines. According to uncaged.co.uk, IAMS has allegedly been subjecting dogs to brutal tests such as force feeding and 'de-barking' (where their voice-boxes are painfully cut out).
Animal testing has long been the subject of world wide controversy. Canines are among the 50 to 100 million animals which are subjected to various kinds of tests and experiments, many of which result in mutilation or death. Among the many breeds of man's best friend, beagles are the most used in animal tests because of their friendly and gentle nature, according to online encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
In 1957, Laika, a Russian dog, became the first dog in orbit. A few hours after launch, Laika died from stress and overheating attributed to a malfunction in the space craft's thermal control system. Laika's heroic death paved the way for human space flight.
In the 1880s, Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov came up with the psychological phenomenon now known as classical conditioning through the help of his pets. Pavlov used dogs to demonstrate the phenomenon by conditioning his dogs to salivate and associate food whenever they hear a bell.
According to Dogs in Laboratory Research, canines have been instrumental in several scientific and medical studies:
- effects of smoking
- chemical toxicity
- effectiveness of medical devices
- organ transplants
- diabetes
- chemotherapy
- trauma and shock training
|
Other animal-assisted breakthroughs in science include the development of penicilin (mice), organ transplants (dogs) and polio vaccine (mice and monkeys). The artificial dog skin model is a step away form this traditional approach to animal testing.
As early as 1979, Revlon Cosmetics funded research for animal testing alternatives through a $750,000 contribution to Rockefeller University. However according to allforanimals.com, even when companies search for alternatives, animal involvement in research actually increases "because the old test (using animals) must be done alongside the new test (without animals) to ensure consistent results."
A somewhat similar alternative is the testskin, produced by Organogenesis, a tissue regeneration company in Cambridge, Massachussetts. According to the company's website, Testskin is a human skin model that replicates the key characteristics of actual human skin. It is used for assessing skin irritation, photo-toxicity and inflammation. Testskin is already being tested by companies like Avon, Amway and Estee Lauder.
Other animal-friendly options for product research include in-vitro (which literally means "in glass") tests, computer software and even human "clinical trial" tests.
A survey compiled by the The Humane Society for the years 2005 to 2006 revealed that there are approximately 73 million pet dogs in the United States. With this overwhelming number of dog owners in the US alone, it is no surprise that efforts to reduce canine drug and chemical testing are growing ever-stronger.
oh just like legally blonde 2! that movie was bit dumb but pretty inspiring. i hope they succeed in totally getting rid of animal testing. debarking?? that's just.. horrible. this makes me wanna think twice before i put on my make up.
Im not for animal brutality [i got a pit bull terrier] but you know i kind of understand these companies.. and besides.. we all have used a product that was tested on animals. Dont get me wrong! Im not saying its right, just dont come down too hard on these companies. Theyre trying.
as long as animal testing is forever stopped, then i am all for that. i have a beagle and i cant imagine hurting her in any way. if they can find alternatives then they should already. these animals do not deserve any of this. im glad that there are companies who do not use any animal testing with their products.
That's amazing. So now they've come up with synthetic dog skin? I'm all for that. Cheers to the people who've come up with that.
spot on! somebody give those guys a nobel prize!
My hats off to the guys who finally decided to create the synthetic dog skin. Finally, real work is bein done about animal testing.
what about cats? this is all good for dog lovers.. but what bout the felines? no new tests that will save them from animal testing? :(
DEBARKING???? what kind of animals are in those labs.. its not humane.. i dont have a dog but i love animals.. they are going to hell..
i'm all for anything that keeps animals out of testing labs! great job- to all those scientists involved in the creation of synthetic pet skin!
Did not know about de-barking until I read this article and that is so cruel! What the heck would they do that for? I'd like to debark the guy who came up with that.
My dog would want to volunteer for animal testing! As long as they're testing new kinds of dog food, I'm sure she'd want in!!
dnt wory samantha., i think dat wat will save dogs from animal testing will also save cats. if dey can do it on dogs, dey cn do it on cats.!
What a shame. I feed my dog with that pet product mentioned in the article. Well, they've just lost one customer.
oh wow.. honestly, i never explored the other petshed sites except for the news and products. never knew there was a petcyclopedia! geez, i'm such a ditz! lol! those little blue word clickables really helped!
well its election time sooon and i hope the candidates have something to say about animal testing. afterall america is the land of the free and animals should also be free from danger.
I seriously doubt it. I mean who is behind these animal testing companies? Big businessmen.. and who finances the election campaign of political candidates? Same, big businessmen. There goes your hope.
hey the Pavlov experiment wasn't in any way cruel. the conditioned response experiment is pretty much the basis of most dog- and cat-training methods we have today. i think it shouldn't be lumped in the same category as say that poor dog burning up in atmospheric re-entry or the hundreds of other dogs tested for chemicals in cosmetic labs.
Helen : that kind of negative attitude isnt inspiring. we should give people hope so that they wil fight for the rights of their pet and just not acept wats hapening. there are still gud people like these sceintists.
ya i agri wid carlto. luk at da brght side. dis exprment is a start.
I understand where you're coming from but I just want to say the realistic side of things. Inspiring is good but it won't stop animal testing.
Well.. we are all entitled to have our own opinions so i guess thats cool with me. the article was just so inspiring for pet owners that it seemed unnecessary to dampen everyones hopes.
with so many businessmen out there, i am sure that there is one who is a big animal lover. though it may not eradicate animal testing completely, at least animal loving companies are not doing it. it's better to have SOME companies who are not into animal testing, rather than to have none at all..
My point exactly.
finally, an end to animal testing. this is a cruel practice which should be banned and stopped. see what happens when they just put their minds to it!
every company should stop animal testing. it's just inhumane and very cruel.