Research involving animals is vital

21 June 2011

The Independent, and its sister paper, i, published an article on a report out today by Animal Aid challenging the use of animals in medical research.

Animal Aid is asking people to boycott Parkinson's UK, Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and the British Heart Foundation because we fund vital research that involves the use of animals.

Parkinson's UK research

We invest around £4.6million per year in a wide range of research projects looking at all aspects of Parkinson's.

We also fund the Parkinson's UK Brain Bank, which supplies donated brain tissue for Parkinson's research.

However, the use of human tissue is not appropriate in every case as it does not tell us what happens as nerve cells are dying.

Our research is strictly regulated

A small but vital part of our research involves the use of animals. But this is rigorously controlled by UK legislation and closely monitored by Home Office Inspectors.

As a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), we are committed to the '3 Rs' principle to reduce, replace and refine.

This means reducing the number of animals used in experiments, replacing their use with alternative methods where possible and refining techniques to maximise welfare.

How people with Parkinson's have been helped

Dr Kieran Breen, our Director of Research and Development, comments:

"Since the 1970s, the lives of millions of people with Parkinson's around the world have been transformed by taking the drug levodopa, which would not have been developed without the insights gained from research involving animals.

"We know that this kind of research will play a key role in identifying better treatments, gaining a greater understanding of the causes of the Parkinson's and ultimately lead to a cure."

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