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Issues and Trends in Animal Experiments
Genetic Modification Rising Rapidly
In 2009, a milestone was reached. For the first time, over half of the animals used in scientific procedures were either genetically modified or bred with a harmful genetic mutation. While breeding to produce genetically modified (GM) and harmful mutants (HM) accounted for 1.5 million procedures, an increase of 10%.
The most important single trend in animal experiments, the rapid rise in genetic modification, has seen the number of GM animals increase by over 300% over the past 14 years.
Genetic modification is in itself highly contentious. It often comes at a huge cost, with GM or HM animals developing conditions not normally found in their species. In addition, modified mice which don't have the right genetic makeup required are culled. However, the use of GM animals may ultimately result in a reduction in the number of animals used.
