Design of a Robotic Rat Hindlimb Knee and Hip Focus; The Struggle to Improve the Value, Reliability, and Ethics of Biomedical Research in the United States

In biomedical research, animal models have been vital to medical innovations. Yet as such uses of animals bear complex ethical and practical implications, researchers have been seeking alternatives for reliable research with lower dependency on animals. The Motion Analysis and Motor Performance Lab at UVA is researching volumetric muscle loss in Lewis Rats. A physical, kinematically accurate, actuatable model of the Lewis Rat hindlimb is being adapted from a computational model to assess gait under conditions that are hard to model computationally. The physical model focuses primarily on achieving a polycentric rotation profile through the full knee flexion and extension range of motion. Methods for actuating the model were developed to mimic skeletal muscles under different muscle firing parameters. In recent years, researchers and animal advocates have pushed for wider adoption of non animal methods to improve on the low translatability of animal testing to human benefit, to support medical breakthroughs where animal models limit research, and to reduce the dependency on animal testing. Many researchers and experts agree, however, that NAMs are not yet viable for fully replacing animal methods. With major implications for both human and animal health, the US is in the early stages of a research revolution where non-animal research methods are being incorporated into standard research practices and regulatory processes.