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Why Do Medical Researchers Use Mice?
By Remy Melina | November 16, 2010 05:32pm ET
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Why Do Medical Researchers Use Mice?
From formulating new cancer drugs to testing dietary supplements, mice and rats
play a critical role in developing new medical wonders. In fact, 95 percent of a
ll lab animals are mice and rats, according to the Foundation for Biomedical Res
earch (FBR).

Scientists and researchers rely on mice and rats for several reasons. One is con
venience: rodents are small, easily housed and maintained, and adapt well to new
surroundings. They also reproduce quickly and have a short lifespan of two to t
hree years, so several generations of mice can be observed in a relatively short
period of time.
Mice and rats are also relatively inexpensive and can be bought in large quantit
ies from commercial producers that breed rodents specifically for research. The
rodents are also generally mild-tempered and docile, making them easy for resear
chers to handle, although some types of mice and rats can be more difficult to r
estrain than others.
Most of the mice and rats used in medical trials are inbred so that, other than
sex differences, they are almost identical genetically. This helps make the resu
lts of medical trials more uniform, according to the National Human Genome Resea
rch Institute. As a minimum requirement, mice used in experiments must be of the
same purebred species.
Another reason rodents are used as models in medical testing is that their genet
ic, biological and behavior characteristics closely resemble those of humans, an
d many symptoms of human conditions can be replicated in mice and rats. "Rats an
d mice are mammals that share many processes with humans and are appropriate for
use to answer many research questions," said Jenny Haliski, a representative fo
r the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare.
Over the last two decades, those similarities have become even stronger. Scienti
sts can now breed genetically-altered mice called "transgenic mice" that carry g
enes that are similar to those that cause human diseases. Likewise, select genes
can be turned off or made inactive, creating "knockout mice," which can be used
to evaluate the effects of cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) and assess dr
ug safety, according to the FBR.
Rodents also make efficient research animals because their anatomy, physiology a
nd genetics are well-understood by researchers, making it easier to tell what ch
anges in the mice's behaviors or characteristics are caused by.
Some rodents, called SCID (severe combined immune deficiency) mice, are naturall
y born without immune systems and can therefore serve as models for normal and m
alignant human tissue research , according to the FBR.
Some examples of human disorders and diseases for which mice and rats are used a
s models include:
Hypertension
Diabetes
Cataracts
Obesity
Seizures
Respiratory problems
Deafness
Parkinson's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Cancer
Cystic fibrosis
HIV and AIDs
Heart disease
Muscular dystrophy
Spinal cord injuries
Mice are also used in behavioral, sensory, aging, nutrition and genetic studies,

as well as testing anti-craving medication that could potentially end drug addi
ction .
"Using animals in research is critical to scientific understanding of biomedical
systems leading to useful drugs, therapies and cures," Haliski told Life's Litt
le Mysteries.
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Got a question? Email it to Life's Little Mysteries and we'll try to answer it.
Because of the high volume of questions we receive each day, we unfortunately ca
n't reply individually, but we will publish answers to the most intriguing quest
ions, so check back soon.
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Author Bio
Remy Melina,
Remy Melina was a staff writer for Live Science from 2010 to 2012. She holds
a bachelor s degree in Communication from Hofstra University where she graduated
with honors.
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