Contribution of animals to biomedical advancements in the current era: A narrative review

Animal research has played a major role in the development of vaccinations and therapies for illnesses such as tetanus, polio, meningitis, hepatitis, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2. For every prescription drug available today, animal testing and research have contributed immensely. This narrative review aims to explore the contribution of animals to biomedical advancements in the current era, which involved a search of peer-reviewed literature using electronic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. In current biomedical research, animals help develop new treatments for long-term illnesses such as cancer, HIV, and Alzheimer’s. Animals also aid in the development of antibiotics and vaccines, act as disease models, help to test the therapeutic efficiency of drugs, and help us understand complex biological systems. Among the specific developments are treatments for heart disease and diabetes, methods for organ transplantation, and knowledge of how viruses such as COVID-19 spread. Animal studies are found to be essential in every step of the current research process, from disease modeling to the identification of a cure, in both academia and industry. However, increasing animal welfare and ethical concerns have led to the emergence of alternative sources. With advances in computer science and simulation research, scientists are trying to replace animal models with things such as organ-on-chip, organoid, and tissue-based models. While the majority of these technologies is in their early stages or cannot mimic a whole animal body, it appears that there is still a long way to go before animal studies are completely replaced by these technologies. Until then, the prudent and ethical utilization of animals, along with developing valid and reliable alternatives, appears to be an integral part of cutting-edge biomedical research.