Medical

Last updated 5 October 2017

Notes on Rabbits in Medical Research

Most research rabbits come from factory farms similar to meat farms.

Such an example is “Nanowie small animal production unit” in Victoria as seen on research paper headings. Projects containing rabbits from this facility are:

  1. Penetration of engineered antibodies into rabbit eyes. Dutch rabbit breeds. Peripheral blood collected from ear veins, then killed. (Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park SA 2002). Antibodies used for treating ocular disorders. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2249.2002.01808.x/full)
  2. Investigating HDL properties. (http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/111/12/1543.full)
  3. NZW Rabbits anesthetized with intravenous propofol and intramuscular ketamine/xylazine. Both carotid arteries exposed surgically and cleared of connective tissue. Hollow, nonocclusive Silastic collars were placed around each artery and held in place with a nylon sleeve. The space inside the collar was filled with sterile saline. Muscle, fat, and skin layers were sutured, the wound was dressed with antibiotic, and animals were allowed to recover for 48 hours before being euthanized.
  4. Comparison of the effects of tempol and candesartan on renal haemodynamics, excretory function, and responses to electrical stimulation of the renal nerves (RNS) in lean and obese rabbits. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566070212000288) Department of Physiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

 Other institutions using rabbit models are:

  • Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
  • University of Queensland spinal research  
  • University NSW
  • Sydney University

Advantages of rabbit models for human biomedical research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3283968/

Summary by

Reem Lascelles (Ethical Vegan Earth Research Inc )/Contact: [email protected]