are there any alternatives to animal testing for medical experiments?

Question

I hate animal testing but don't know of any alternatives. anyone?

Answer 1

There are plenty of experiments that use humans instead of animals for testing. Generally, the humans are monetarily compensated for their willingness to participate. Human testing is under ethical debate as well since those who sign on can develop unintentional side effects or die as a result of the testing.

The following information is from PETA:

"To date, several non-animal test methods have been formally validated and accepted by some countries as replacements for an existing animal test. Examples include:

• An embryonic stem cell test, using mouse-derived cells to assess potential toxicity to developing embryos, has been validated as a partial replacement for birth-defect testing in rats and rabbits.(6)
• The 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Phototoxicity Test, which uses cells grown in culture to assess the potential for sunlight-induced (“photo”) irritation to the skin.
• Human skin model tests such as the validated EpiDerm™ test, which has been accepted almost universally as a total replacement for skin corrosion studies in rabbits.(7)
• The use of human skin leftover from surgical procedures or donated cadavers can be used to measure the rate at which a chemical is able to penetrate the skin.
• The use of a clinical patch test in human volunteers, which can confirm that a chemical will not cause irritation or allergic skin reactions.(8)"