University Nursing 2: Annotated Bibliography on Animal Testing

This assignment is an annotated bibliography exploring the role of animal testing in medical research. It examines the historical perspective of animal experimentation, the challenges of translating animal model results to clinical trials, particularly in cancer treatment, and alternative methods like the use of zebrafish embryos. The bibliography includes three articles, each summarized to highlight their relevance to the debate on animal testing's ethical considerations and scientific validity. The first article provides a historical overview, the second discusses the limitations of animal models in cancer research, and the third presents zebrafish embryos as a potential alternative. The assignment is relevant to the nursing profession by providing information on the contribution of animal testing to biomedical research and the need for further research into the best alternative strategies to cancer treatment besides the use of animal models.

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Part 1: Annotated Bibliography
Does Animal Testing Still have a place in Medical Research
Franco, N. (2013). Animal experiments in biomedical research: a historical
perspective. Animals, 3(1), 238-273.
The article examines the present use of animal models in biomedical research based on history,
providing an understanding of the progressive development of the current regulations on animal
experimentation. The use of animal models in scientific research has made significant
contributions to the current development in medical research, however, this has been met with a
heated debate on whether it is reliable and ethical. The current situation requires an
understanding of the medical progression from a historical perspective. This article is critical for
the literature review because it provides more insight into the developments in the current
medical world and on the heated debate on animal testing. Furthermore, the article is important
in the nursing profession because it provides information on the contribution of animal testing to
biomedical research. The article was searched in the MDPI database using the following key
terms: biomedical research, animal testing, history of science
Mak, I. W., Evaniew, N., & Ghert, M. (2014). Lost in translation: animal models and clinical
trials in cancer treatment. American journal of translational research, 6(2), 114–118.
The authors were aimed at presenting the current state of animal model translation to clinical
practice and justify why the process has not been successful in cancer treatment. As much as
animal models have been used in cancer research, the success rate of the translation of the
outcomes from the animal model to clinical cancer trials has been relatively low. This is because
the safety and efficacy that is recognized in animal testing are not usually deciphered to human

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trials. This article will be important in the literature review because it provides the current state
of the use of animal models in cancer treatment and their ineffectiveness when it comes to
translation to human clinical trials. Additionally, the article is of significance to the nursing
profession because it shows the unreliability of the use of animal models in the treatment of
cancer; which is a global health problem in the current situation. This, therefore, necessitates the
need for further research into the best alternative strategies to cancer treatment besides the use of
animal models. The article was sourced from the PMC journal database using the following key
terms: animal models, clinical trials, translational studies.
Strähle, U., Scholz, S., Geisler, R., Greiner, P., Hollert, H., Rastegar, S., ... & Braunbeck, T.
(2012). Zebrafish embryos as an alternative to animal experiments—a commentary on the
definition of the onset of protected life stages in animal welfare regulations. Reproductive
Toxicology, 33(2), 128-132.
The article justifies the use of zebrafish embryos as an alternative to animal experiments.
Zebrafish embryos are continuously being regarded as the best alternative to an animal model in
biomedical research because they permit the analysis of several endpoints such as acute and
toxicity determination. The initial life stages of animals are not protected based on the current
EU Directive 2010/63/EU, thus zebrafish are not under the regulatory frameworks for animal
experimentation. This makes them the best replacement for animal testing. This article will be
critical in the literature review because it provides an alternative to animal experimentation in the
face of the current criticisms of the violation of animal welfare in animal testing. Additionally,
the article is of importance because it provides an understanding of the interpretation of the new

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EU Directive on the protection of animals used for laboratory tests. The article was searched in
the Elsevier journal database using the following key terms: alternative methods, zebrafish.

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References
Franco, N. (2013). Animal experiments in biomedical research: a historical
perspective. Animals, 3(1), 238-273.
Mak, I. W., Evaniew, N., & Ghert, M. (2014). Lost in translation: animal models and clinical
trials in cancer treatment. American journal of translational research, 6(2), 114–118.
Strähle, U., Scholz, S., Geisler, R., Greiner, P., Hollert, H., Rastegar, S., ... & Braunbeck, T.
(2012). Zebrafish embryos as an alternative to animal experiments—a commentary on the
definition of the onset of protected life stages in animal welfare regulations. Reproductive
Toxicology, 33(2), 128-132.