Animal Test Alternatives : Refinement, Reduction, Replacement

From The Critics

Reviewer: Randall L. Peper, DVM, PhD(University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine)
Description: This book provides a survey of the current state of in vitro research and testing as an alternative to testing in animals. A wide range of research areas are covered, each in one or more chapters. Current concepts and advances are addressed as well as their present stage of development and validation.
Purpose: The objectives are to present the current approaches and concepts on animal research and testing alternatives and then to review their stage of development and validation. The try to focus on the 3 R's of animal research (refinement, reduction, and replacement). These are indeed worthy goals, and the authors do a good job in meeting them.
Audience: The target audience includes scientists and students involved in toxicology, pharmacology, and related medical sciences. Researchers in academia and industry will also be interested in this book. The editor has involved about 80 contributors to this text. All are experts in their specific area of research and testing.
Features: The numbers of illustrations vary greatly from chapter to chapter, but when present are of good quality, and add to the reader's understanding. Each chapter has current references, and the table of contents and index are adequate.
Assessment: This book is a very worthy attempt to present the current concepts and approaches on alternatives to animal research and testing in a wide variety of scientific areas. The different research areas are separated into individual chapters that are written by scientists actively involved in research in these areas. As well as introducing the current concepts and advances in animal use alternatives, their present stage of development and validation are also presented. The majority of chapters are useful and well written, although several chapters are exceedingly short and do not contribute significantly to the book. This book provides a valuable reference, presenting the current state-of-the-art in alternatives to animal research and testing.

Randall L. Peper

This book provides a survey of the current state of in vitro research and testing as an alternative to testing in animals. A wide range of research areas are covered, each in one or more chapters. Current concepts and advances are addressed as well as their present stage of development and validation. The objectives are to present the current approaches and concepts on animal research and testing alternatives and then to review their stage of development and validation. The try to focus on the 3 R's of animal research (refinement, reduction, and replacement). These are indeed worthy goals, and the authors do a good job in meeting them. The target audience includes scientists and students involved in toxicology, pharmacology, and related medical sciences. Researchers in academia and industry will also be interested in this book. The editor has involved about 80 contributors to this text. All are experts in their specific area of research and testing. The numbers of illustrations vary greatly from chapter to chapter, but when present are of good quality, and add to the reader's understanding. Each chapter has current references, and the table of contents and index are adequate. This book is a very worthy attempt to present the current concepts and approaches on alternatives to animal research and testing in a wide variety of scientific areas. The different research areas are separated into individual chapters that are written by scientists actively involved in research in these areas. As well as introducing the current concepts and advances in animal use alternatives, their present stage of development and validation are also presented. The majority of chapters are useful and well written,although several chapters are exceedingly short and do not contribute significantly to the book. This book provides a valuable reference, presenting the current state-of-the-art in alternatives to animal research and testing.

Booknews

Over 75 contributors from industry, academia, and government evaluate the latest developments and possible directions in alternatives to using animals in research and testing, and explain the regulatory climate that surrounds the controversial topic. Among the alternatives described are computer and chemical models, cell and tissue cultures, and the substitution of animals lower on the phylogenetic genetic tree that are neither cute nor fuzzy. The research considered involves such systems as the ocular, hepatic, renal, respiratory, cardiovascular, and environmental. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

3 Stars from Doody