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OHSU Turns Mouse into Factory for Human Liver Cells

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the more-drugged-up-mice dept.

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have figured out how to turn a mouse into a factory for human liver cells that can be used to test how pharmaceuticals are metabolized. The technique, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, could soon become the gold standard not only for examining drug metabolism in the liver, which helps scientists determine a drug's toxicity, but also can be used as a platform for testing new therapies against infectious diseases that attack the liver, such as hepatitis C and malaria.

2 of 93 comments (clear)

  1. Animal Rights by Moniker42 · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I'm sure PETA, RSPCA etc will all have something to say about this. But i see it less immoral that we're using mice (at their expense) to end human suffering rather than to test cosmetics or kill simply because they're in our home. At least this kind of animal cruelty (as it could be construed) has a negating good karma benefit.

    1. Re:Animal Rights by swokm · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Uh, no I don't think that's what was said at all. Care to elaborate, AC?

      My concern is that in the last several posts above, several mention these clowns and then essentially :rolleyes:

      Why mention them at all, and give them page-space and mind-share? That is what they live for; if you don't always agree with them, then why do their work for them? As our fearless leader often inappropriately chimes: "We don't want to embolden the enemy."

      I think we should experiment on mice to save lives because I think people are more important than mice. The fact that there are too many people, living in an unsustainable fashion doesn't change that. For example, I don't think those people mentioned in the link above should be tortured in the exact same way they abused those animals they were "saving". Because they are (heartless, psychotic) people, not animals. I guess that organization would disagree with me about it's own members and so probably slaughtered them and left them in a dumpster somewhere. Since our relative value is the same as cockroach, and all.

      If need a liver from a mouse to live, I'll thank the mouse. And take the liver.