SABRE Research UK is a registered charity protecting the interests of patients and research volunteers. Our purpose is to call for improvements in the scientific methods used to assess the medical value of animal research (animal studies/ animal experiments) in order to produce better quality evidence-based medical research. We are independent from political parties, animal lobby groups and the pharmaceutical industry. In 2008 we petitioned the Prime Minister for a programme of systematic reviews of animal studies so that more could be learnt about the safety, predictive value (relevance), efficacy and cost-effectiveness of animal research that is used to provide data (information) for human health and medicine.

A recent paper published in PLoS Biology has announced new guidelines for the reporting of animal research. Please click ticker below to read the paper and guidelines.

A discussion paper published in the BMJ in 2004 called for a large scale programme of systematic reviews of animal studies. - 'Ideally, new animal studies should not be conducted until the best use has been made of existing animal studies and until their validity and generalisability to clinical medicine has been assessed.'

A study published in 2007 identified a gap in knowledge about the usefulness of the volume of animal studies that look at biological mechanisms of disease and that more systematic reviews are needed for a quantitative appraisal of the concordance between animal and clinical trials.

  ___________________________________________________________________________

WHAT we are calling for:  

• The same standards of conduct and evaluation to be applied to animal research that are applied to clinical research

• Improvements in the research methodology used to conduct and assess animal research

• Systematic reviews of animal studies

WHY we are calling for this:

• To determine the value of animal research to human medicine

• To improve the safety and efficacy of medical research

• To protect patients and research volunteers

HOW we carry out our aims:

• We explain scientific issues arising from medical research involving animals

• We encourage public involvement in research questions in clinical and animal research

• We submit written responses to public consultations on animal research

• We offer a platform to researchers who carry out systematic reviews of animal studies to explain their work  

'The concept that animal research, particularly that relating to diet, pharmaceuticals, and environmental agents, may be a poor predictor of human experience is not new.' Click to read more...