Doesn't it seem like lab animals are being cured of diseases every day? That, of course, is partially a joke. What's not as funny, however, is the fact that animals are being killed at an alarming rate during laboratory testing. Do the ends justify the means? I'll leave you to answer that for yourself. But, whatever your feeling, I think it's safe to assume that everybody feels a little sorry for the sacrificial mice and other lab animals who, for the betterment of humankind, are often times killed during testing procedures. Again, it's your call as to whether or not the ends justify the means.

But, in the January issue of Clinical Biochemistry, it was reported that scientists and physicians with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) have delineated their method for a new, cruelty-free ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay)for human insulin. Using monoclonal antibodies produced by cells cultured in an animal-serum-free medium, PCRM's insulin ELISA (sorry for all the acronyms) is the first of its kind.

Traditionally, lab scientists detect human insulin using antibodies that have been implanted into the abdomens of living mice. If you think this is cruel, you're not the only one, for this procedure has been banned in some European countries. And, even when antibodies are produced from cells in test tubes, the live cells are typically grown using bovine serum. This serum is sourced from bovine fetuses by puncturing their hearts with a needle, a procedure that is completed without anesthesia of any kind.

Fortunately, the PCRM's new method for ELISA does not involve either of the above stated methods. Mice and cattle, feel free to breath a big sigh of relief. I suppose us humans can as well, because this new method not only presents ethical advantages, but growing cells without animal serum ensures that fewer variables are present in experiments.