Experiments on animals are predicated on two key assumptions: that what is true for one animal species is most likely also true for others, and that humans are entitled to exploit other species for our benefit. Yet such catastrophic drug failures as the recent TGN 1412 incident in the United Kingdom—which nearly cost the lives of human study participants—provide a sobering reminder that animal “models” often do not correctly predict real-world consequences for people, and that continued reliance on such 19th century approaches to scientific investigation may not be to our benefit.
