Panelists included, from left: Anthony Fargnoli, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medicine (Cardiology); Jonathan A. Cohen, DVM, Director, Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery; Paula Croxson, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry; Yasmin Hurd, PhD; Stacey Baker, PhD, Assistant Professor, Oncological Sciences; and Randy Albrecht, PhD, Associate Professor, Microbiology. Not pictured, Giorgio Martinelli, PhD, Associate Professor, Neurology.
Seven researchers and veterinarians from the Mount Sinai Health System discussed humane animal research at a panel held at Hatch Auditorium to commemorate Biomedical Research Awareness Day (BRAD) on Thursday, April 19. They joined more than 110 other international institutions in acknowledging the important role that laboratory animals play in advancing new treatments for complex conditions that include, but are not limited to, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and addiction.
“Animal models that mimic the human condition can help us focus on one chemical in an effort to start to figure out new treatments,” said Yasmin Hurd, PhD, Director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai, who works with rodents to study the developmental effects of cannabis. Through these studies, Dr. Hurd has found that cannabidiol—a chemical found in marijuana—can be used in humans to decrease opioid-seeking behavior.
“For a very long time, the scientific community has been quiet about animal research,” said Jaclyn R. Steinbach, BVetMed (Hons), MRCVS, Clinical Veterinarian and Instructor, Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery, who was the organizer of the event. “We need to share what we are doing and show that we are proud.”