2007-11-10 08:25:06 · 4 answers · asked by red_devil07 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
They are mammals and so metaboize and respond to drugs in ways similar to humans.
They are small and easy to keep. Their feed is inexpensive as are the cages used to keep them. They reproduce fast so they are easy to replace. They are easy to handle.
Genetically modified strains of mice are available that mimic many human diseases so they can be used to test therapies.
2007-11-10 14:18:24 · answer #1 · answered by Vinay K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are various stages in drug research and development.
New drugs are first tested on animals because they are cost effective, have physiology similar to ours, extraneous variables can be minimized and testing a new drug directly to humans will raise various ethical issues.
Once thay have been proven effective and safe in animal studies, the drug can be then tested in a sample human population to check for adverse effects.
2007-11-12 01:41:32 · answer #2 · answered by karen22 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because they can be lifted by their tails. Can't really do that with an elephant, now can you.
2007-11-10 16:32:58 · answer #3 · answered by Cunning Linguist 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they react very closely to humans. Their dna is close to ours
2007-11-10 16:29:00 · answer #4 · answered by John V 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋