GetReal!

Groups opposed to research with animals insist that studies with monkeys are irrelevant to human health and disease, and that all of these animals should be retired to sanctuaries. Those who believe these groups consider this to be a perfect plan; but is it? Surely a sanctuary would be an ideal place for retired research monkeys to spend the rest of their lives; but would it? Scott Kubisch, Director and Founder of Peaceable Primate...

There’s a lot of discussion these days about the “reproducibility crisis” in science and how that may be delaying the medical advances we seek for ourselves and our loved ones. Today we’re going to talk about what may be the number one reason for why more than half of the research findings from animal studies are questionable. The animals on study are hardly ever as healthy as we think. And you can’t get clean results from dirty re...

Today we’ll catch up with Trina who lost her beautiful boy, Austin, to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy two years ago. It turns out that her journey with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy isn’t over yet because, contrary to popular belief,  girls and women are also affected by this devastating and deadly disease. But the scientific and medical communities have ignored this fact for decades. Well, Trina has had enough! And she’s on a mission t...

Breeding research mice responsibly is not as easy as it sounds. Every day, animal lives are wasted and biomedical discovery is compromised because colony management has simply become too complex for human beings to do well. So…we should STOP DOING IT! Our partners at Transnetyx have developed tools that are available right now that make our critical research with rodents less wasteful, more productive…and more meaningful. We’ll lea...

What would you do if you worked with research animals and you were certain they could receive better care than they were getting? A lot of people would probably just get frustrated and complain about it. They might even feel hopeless enough to resign. But what if you could find better ways for folks to care for their animals and their science, and actually help them change things for the better? Would you find the time to do that f...

The fate of dogs in classic biomedical research studies is more questionable than ever. So, what are our options? Can we keep up with the demand for new treatments with fewer dogs in biomedical research? Our guest today is Dr. Veronica Maldonado. Dr. Maldonado is an ACLAM Boarded Laboratory Animal Veterinarian with a PhD in Immunology who has worked directly with animals involved in drug development for over 25 years. She’s passion...

Is it possible that thousands of Americans have been programmed to harm themselves and everyone they love without realizing it? Are they fighting passionately for something that’s actually an illusion - an illusion deliberately designed to exploit their natural love of animals - for the personal gain of those directing them? Tom Leach, an attorney and leader in research advocacy and education, joins us today to help me break it dow...

Over 95% of the animals we rely on for medical advances are rodents and most of them live, and are studied, in stressful environments that compromise our ability to learn from them.  Investigations by animal welfare scientists reveal that research rodents are typically CRAMPED: Cold, Rotund, Abnormal, Male-biased, Poorly surviving, Enclosed, and Distressed. And it has been suggested that this may partly explain why studies with rod...

Why are biomedical researchers under so much pressure to produce, produce, produce? And does this pressure accelerate or delay meaningful progress for new treatments and cures? Our guest today came to us through the GetReal! website. She is a PhD student of cancer immunology who has a lot to share about her concerns, frustrations...and her hope for the future of medical advances requiring research with animals. Gloves off, animal l...

Only five percent of the drugs developed and tested with animals actually make it to market. Groups that oppose research with animals continue to tell lawmakers and the general public that this is no surprise because animals are worthless as models for the human condition? They argue that we are just too different from nonhuman animals for anything of medical value to translate to people. And they insist that we can learn all there...

The vast majority of  animals involved in biomedical research studies today are rodents, mainly mice. And the scientific information that comes from most of them is questionable because of a source of variability that is often overlooked by the research community - the bedding in their cages. Joining us today to break down the 'what', 'why' and 'what can be done' to protect rigor and reproducibility at...

Do you know anyone struggling with Alzheimer's Disease (AD)? Any friends or family? The chances are high that you do. One in nine Americans over 65 suffer with AD currently and case numbers continue to rise each year. This is not surprising, given that the number of Americans over 65 is also rising annually. But did you know that women are almost twice as likely as men to develop this devastating disease? Women also tend to ex...

Over 95% of the animals involved in biomedical research are mice. These animals are incredibly important models for human disease because 85% of the genes that drive biological function in people and mice are identical, so genetic contributions to human disease can be strongly inferred by manipulating mouse genes. Large litters and short lifespans (about 2 years) also give us a unique opportunity to study disease and age progressio...