Many people abominate animal testing. But there are several techniques which can replace the use of animals in research.

• Synthetic membranes: Many biomedical tests can avoid the use of animals by growing cells via artificial means. These synthetic membranes can be substituted for animals and they are used to demonstrate the effects of chemicals or treatments on skin. This is a good alternative for the traditional tests where an animal’s fur would be shaved, and then a corrosive chemical would be applied to its back to observe the effects.
• Statistics instead of animal testing: Statistical procedures can allow researchers to use comprehensive data sets to better gauge how a disease can spread. They also make use of data which was previously obtained from animal testing. This reduces the number of animals used in testing.
• Newer scanning techniques: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the techniques that lately are used so researchers can investigate the disease through human scans rather than performing animal testing. Another alternative is the use of an autopsy. This can’t replace animals completely, but it reduces the numbers.
• Computer models: Also this doesn’t replace an entire organism, but they have proved to be useful as a substitute for animals in some cases. Computer models are an effective tool to simulate the response to specific research question or experiment.