So many mice are not needed

2009/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biologia
• Farmakologia

Controlling both the environment of experimental mice is not beneficial

There are no two people alike. Taking this into account, a researcher at Purdue University in the United States has shown that it is better for experimental mice to also be considered individual, reducing errors in the interpretation of the results and also reducing the need for experimental mice.

To ensure that the experiment is repeatable, researchers control as much detail as possible, such as mice and related parameters. Joseph Garner of Purdue University believes it is useless to want to control all factors. In fact, mice respond to stimuli that even people do not detect and can result in different results with the same experiment. Because researchers do not know the factors that have caused the change, the results may be misinterpreted. On many occasions this involves more research and more mice.

However, the researcher considers that acting so closely is neither necessary nor beneficial. In the case of medicines, for example, you have to try them in people and there are no two equal people. Therefore, in the experiments, Garner proposes that the environment of mice not be so controlled, thereby reducing the risk of misinterpretation of the results and reducing the use of mice.