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This 5 lesson unit, which was designed by teachers in conjunction with scientists, ethicists, and curriculum developers, explores the scientific and ethical issues involved in stem cell research. The unit begins with an exploration of planaria as a model organism for stem cell research. Next, students identify stages in the development of human embryos and compare the types and potency of stem cells. Students learn about a variety of techniques used for obtaining stem cells and the scientific and ethical implications of those techniques. While exploring the ethics of stem cell research, students will develop an awareness of the many shades of gray that exist among positions of stakeholders in the debate. Students will be provided an opportunity to become familiar with policies and regulations for stem cell research that are currently in place in the United States, the issues regarding private and public funding, and the implications for treatment of disease and advancement of scientific knowledge. The unit culminates with students developing a position on embryonic stem cell research through the use of a Decision-Making Framework. Two culminating assessments are offered: In the individual assessment, students write a letter to the President or the President's Bioethics Committee describing their position and recommendations; In the group assessment, students develop a proposal for NIH funding to research treatment for a chosen disease using either embryonic or 'adult' stem cells.

The Future of Research is being decided now! While we are fortunate to have a robust system of protections in place that help assure research will provide more benefit than harm, the regulations that guide research with human participants have been in place for 40 years. Society is changing, technology is changing, the capabilities and interests of all of us are changing. We need to evolve our research systems too. It is increasingly hard for one group to decide what would be considered a benefit, or a harm, for another. In this new People Matter Project video, we call to institutions and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to think creatively about how to conduct trustworthy research in this changing climate.

 Do the principles of the Belmont Report address all the ethical issues that arise in evolving research scenarios? (November, 2013) Watch the full video - http://www.peopleandperspectives.org/... People & Perspectives (P&P) is a digital oral history library supported by Public Responsibility in Medicine & Research (PRIM&R). Visit http://www.peopleandperspectives.org to learn more. P&P features stories of those working in research ethics, many of whom were involved in the early years of the field. Those featured include IRB and IACUC professionals, research staff, committee members, institutional officials, researchers, subjects, advocates, regulators, industry representatives, ethicists, and others who consider themselves part of the human subjects and animal care and use enterprise.

So you have a research assignment. Do you know where to begin? There is so much information out there on the web that it can be hard to know where to start and what path to take through the 'jungle of information'. The Research Safari is designed to help you do just that. Follow the information / inquiry process described here to help you work through your research task. There are also lots of great resources, tools and information that will help give your assignment that WOW factor. The Research Safari will help you to answer the following questions: What am I actually being asked to do for my assignment? What do I already know about the topic? Where am I going to get the information I need? How do I know that the information is accurate or 'authentic' (not fake)? Which are the best websites to use? ​What is the best way for me to present my assignment? How can I make this the best assignment ever?

FEBRUARY 20, 2015-A diverse group of experts from academia, industry and advocacy convened by a Georgetown researcher is offering recommendations to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) regarding how to address the overreliance of male cells and animals used in preclinical studies. The recommendations come as the federal research institution works to increase the inclusion of female animal models and achieve a balance in the use of male and female cells and animals in lab research.

Scientists once shied away from naming research animals, and many of the millions of mice and rats used in U.S. research today go nameless, except for special individuals. But a look at ​many facilities suggests that most of the ​other ​891,161 ​U.S. ​research animals ​have proper names​, including nonhuman primates, dogs, pigs, rabbits, cats, and sheep​.

Session description: The session will provide an introduction to the ethics of research involving human participants. It will ad-dress the history of research ethics, present a contemporary eth-ical framework, and discuss its application to differing kinds of research studies. The ethical framework consists of four principles: respect for persons, beneficence, justice, and respect for communities. Each principle provides the foundation for ethical rules, including requirements for informed consent and confidentiality of health information. Taken together these ethical principles and rules provide a comprehensive framework for the analysis of ethical challenges in health research.

Although Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is a fundamental part of introductory biology classes, students often have difficulty understanding its implications. This interrupted case study places students in the role of small teams who are conducting preliminary research into the impact of roads on the population structure of timber rattlesnakes in order to apply for a grant for further research. Research groups consisting of 3-4 students work through a series of questions allowing them to use HWE principles to discover for themselves how deviations from HWE can have implications for conservation biology. Periodic interruptions with help sheets (see Supplemental Materials) allow teachers to maintain an active role in the students' progress, while also demonstrating the collaborative nature of scientific research. Ultimately students formulate formal emails summarizing and interpreting their findings in order to "apply" for the grant. The case is designed for undergraduate students in introductory biology or in lower-level population genetics/conservation courses where connecting basic genetic principles to ecology and sustainability is key.

Why is their so much secrecy in animal research? Can't we do without animals in medical research? In this video Dr Simon Festing, our ex-Chief Executive, answers questions about why animals are an essential part of medical work. Download this film here: http://ww

The Rare Disease Foundation is focussed on linking basic science and clinical practice to increase the efficiency of rare disease research. This model is called Translational Care. This model drives patient based, treatment focussed research projects from disease characterization to treatment with greater efficiency. By incorporating research, astute clinician observation and parental knowledge into the various stages of rare disease research we impact the speed of discovery and the way rare conditions are managed.

Highlighting role of animal research in human health.  A visually appealing website with an array of research summaries.

This case study follows two beginning undergraduate researchers on a quest for a summer research project related to food web ecology. While writing their research proposal, the students receive feedback indicating that they have neglected an entire group of organisms from their food web-parasites, which leads them to a scientific research paper discussing how these organisms have been overlooked by scientists studying food webs, the challenges involved with including parasites in food webs, and the contributions parasites ultimately make to food webs. An integrated activity in which students visualize the food web using images of organisms and answer questions about species interactions provides opportunities to examine key concepts such as omnivory, ontogenetic diet changes, trophic levels, complex life cycles, and taxonomic aggregation. This case study was originally written for an undergraduate general ecology course, but could easily be adapted to undergraduate general biology courses covering community ecology or specific courses in invertebrate zoology, parasitology, or disease ecology. The teaching notes also discuss how the included code for R statistical computing software can be used to extend the case study in a more quantitative direction if desired.

Species like yeast, flies, fish and mice have many genes in common with humans and are therefore considered 'model organisms' and are widely used in research to study human genes and human diseases. Mouse research has lead to major advances in our ability to treat a number of serious diseases and conditions.

SAN ANTONIO -- Scientists at a South Texas research center made a breakthrough discovery by destroying the Ebola virus in animals through a Chinese herb. Texas Biomedical Research Center said a compound derived from the herb called tetrandrine was used to make a drug. He says his team injected mice with the drug.

Research leading to almost every Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded since 1901 was dependent on data from animal models.  This fact dramatically demonstrates the important contribution animal models in biomedical research make to both international and American medical progress. In fact, since 1979, every Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded was dependent on data from animal models with the exception of the 1983 Prize awarded to Dr. Barbara McClintock for her work in plant genetics.

The Animal Research Behind the Top 25 most Prescribed Drugs

WASHINGTON - The National Institutes of Health is sending its last remaining research chimpanzees into retirement - as soon as a federal sanctuary has room for them. The government already had declared that the use of humans' closest relative as a test subject was coming to an end. In 2013, the NIH said it would retire most of the several hundred government-owned chimps still living at research laboratories. But it set aside 50 animals to be on standby just in case they still were needed for a public-health emergency or some other extreme situation. Wednesday, the agency said those chimps' lab days are over, too.

 In one of the first successful attempts at genetically engineering mosquitoes, HHMI researchers have altered the way the insects respond to odors, including the smell of humans and the insect repellant DEET. The research not only demonstrates that mosquitoes can be genetically altered using the latest research techniques, but paves the way to understanding why the insect is so attracted to humans, and how to block that attraction. "The time has come now to do genetics in these important disease-vector insects.

Researchers from the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) looked at more than 1,000 epidemiological studies and found that "excess body fatness" is also linked to the risk of developing gastric, liver, gallbladder, pancreatic, ovarian, thyroid, blood (multiple myeloma) and brain (meningioma) cancers.

This case study follows a young cystic fibrosis (CF) patient named Lucas. Through Lucas's story and interactions between his parents and pediatrician, students learn about the scientific background and basis of CF. By reviewing email correspondence between Lucas's parents and various doctors, students gain an overview of CF research. CF has become a model disease in certain undergraduate biology classrooms due to its relatively clear mechanism and genetic basis. This case asks students to come up with their own ideas to improve on an existing line of research - gene therapy - in treating CF. During the process, students will gain a better appreciation of the innovative nature of science and develop research skills such as finding, understanding and analyzing primary literature. The activity was originally designed for first- and second-year students as part of an extracurricular case competition, but may be used for any undergraduate biology level. The case assumes basic (high school level) knowledge of genetics, biochemistry, cell biology and physiology.