National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, London, W1B 1AL UK.
Br J Pharmacol. 2009 Jul;157(6):863-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2009.00280.x.
Animals have been used as experimental models for centuries and their use has enabled researchers to make significant advances in many areas of human health and disease. However, this is not always the case and there are limitations in using animal models as surrogates for humans, which have hampered the development of efficacious therapeutics for some pathologies. Scientific limitations, together with ethical concerns, legislative changes and the current economic climate are driving researchers to look for and develop alternative non-animal research tools. Technological advances in tissue engineering, 'omics' approaches and in silico modelling for example, are enabling scientists to conduct their research without using animals in a broad range of disciplines, including complex multi-system reflexes such as nausea and vomiting.
动物作为实验模型已经有几个世纪的历史了，它们的使用使研究人员在人类健康和疾病的许多领域取得了重大进展。然而，并非总是如此，使用动物模型作为人类的替代品存在局限性，这阻碍了一些疾病的有效治疗方法的发展。科学上的局限性，加上伦理问题、立法的变化和当前的经济环境，促使研究人员寻找和开发替代非动物的研究工具。例如，组织工程学、“组学”方法和计算机建模方面的技术进步，使科学家们能够在广泛的学科领域开展研究，而无需在包括恶心和呕吐等复杂多系统反射在内的领域使用动物。
