“Scientific experiments, male and female mice should be used”

Hormones like estrogen may skew the results of the experiment? Since most of the animals used in the experiment are males, the results can be distorted like this. It is Rebecca Shansky, a professor at Northeastern University who makes this argument.

In a paper published in the journal Science, she reveals that for a long time, only mice have been used among male animals to help understand the latest drugs or neurological diseases. It is explained that such gender discrimination is completely unnecessary and has the potential to cause serious harm.

Male rats have no heat and have been considered suitable for testing. On the other hand, female rats were considered to have an effect on the response to drugs and brain test results because hormones change with cycle. But Professor Sansky says this assumption is not supported by a lot of data.

In 2014, a review of 300 neuroscience studies using mice showed that there were no significant differences in brain data by sex in females at any cycle. Even if there is a difference, it is said that males have greater differences in behavioral characteristics than females. In 2016, the same pattern was seen in mice used for neuroscience research.

Professor Sansky says this problem dates back to the 19th century. One of the most deeply rooted misunderstandings of humans is that men are simple and women are complex. Even now, more than 100 years later, this kind of thinking is shaping not only how society thinks of women, but also how scientists are approaching animal research. Explain that there is.

Of course, it cannot be said that there are absolutely no significant differences between females and males to consider. Animal reactions to hormones, such as headache medications, depend on a number of factors. But Professor Sansky argues that if scientists remove female animals from important basic science, there is the potential for some of the great blind spots to remain in the future. At the clinical level, one of the reasons for not using female animals in research is the high rate of side effects, he cited sleep aid (Ambien) as an example.

MBN decided on the recommended dose after going through preclinical studies and clinical trials, but because women have different metabolisms from men, it is known that they should actually take about half of men. MBN has received several warnings from the FDA that it is at risk of causing serious, sometimes life-threatening side effects medically.

From the human standpoint, government-led efforts are being made to involve more women in clinical trials. In the animal field, the National Institutes of Health NIH established SABV (Sex as a Biological Variable) in 2016, requiring publicly funded scientists to include female animals in their research. Canada had similar regulations the same year. Recently published research has shown these changes.

However, Professor Sansky welcomes SABV, but says we need to go further. As a result of not deciding how to study positivity, it became common to test male rats first, then female rats. Professor Sansky recommends creating and researching mixed male and female groups. If there is no significant difference, it is better to proceed with the study as it is, and if a difference is found, it is better to find this difference by increasing the number of mice by gender. This means that you will be able to see the gender differences. Professor Sansky says females aren’t more complex than males, and that hormun is not a gender difference problem in animal studies. The disappearance of these assumptions, he argues, will improve the possibility of neuroscience research that advances mental and neurological health for everyone. Related information can be found here .