Sen. Wojno Introduces “Queenie’s Law” to Prohibit Painful Dog Experiments Like Those at Wayne State

Lansing, Mich.—Spurred by controversial experiments at Wayne State University, Sen. Paul Wojno, D-Warren, today introduced Queenie’s Law to prohibit public institutions from using dogs in painful studies. Since 1991, the university has subjected hundreds of dogs to multiple invasive surgeries and then forced them to run on treadmills while using implanted devices to drastically speed up their hearts. Public records obtained by the nonprofit medical ethics group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine show that many dogs die when their chest cavities fill with blood and others are found dead in their cages.

“Michigan’s public institutions, which conduct research in our name, should be held to higher standards,” said Sen. Wojno. “This bill would ensure that public funds are used to advance human health, not to harm and kill dogs.”

Despite years of pleas from legislators, students, and doctors, Wayne State has provided no evidence that the experiments have produced any benefit to human patients. Sen. Wojno’s bill is a companion to HB 4849, which Rep. Matt Koleszar, D-Livonia, introduced in 2023.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Michigan, but the dog experiments at Wayne State are doing nothing to address that problem” said Ryan Merkley, director of research advocacy for the Physicians Committee. “It is shameful that a public institution is inflicting pain on man’s best friend while wasting millions of taxpayer dollars.”

Since 1991, Wayne State has received $17 million in public funds for the experiments and related projects, which have been criticized by experts who conduct heart failure studies with human patients. In addition, population studies, cell-based methods, and the use of diseased hearts from patients undergoing transplants are producing useful information. The Texas Heart Institute, which focuses exclusively on cardiovascular disease, stopped using dogs in 2012, stating at the time that “the canine physiology is not the optimal match” for the studies it was conducting.

To interview Mr. Merkley or see the legislation, please contact Reina Pohl at 202-527-7326 or rpohl [at] pcrm.org (rpohl[at]pcrm[dot]org).