Bias in Preclinical Animal Research

Both the general public and health care workers have high expectations for animal research, which is often considered important or even necessary to evaluate drug safety and predict drug efficacy in humans. However, the actual predictive value of most animal models is either weak or nonexistent. A recent commentary by Dr. Susan B. Green highlights the major biases related to the use of animals in biomedical research, including a low level of practice in research methodology and data analysis, a general denial of the limitations of animal models by scientists, and profit-driven motivations. The author proposes more than 10 recommendations to aide discussion of whether animal research truly benefits human health.