Damian Sendler discusses comparative medicine

Damian Sendler: The term "Comparative Medicine" refers to studying disease mechanisms in humans and animals by drawing on the biological similarities and differences among various animal species. Animal models of human disease and the role veterinarians, animal resource centers, and institutional animal care and use committees play in facilitating and ensuring the humane and reproducible use of laboratory animals have become increasingly associated with this field of study.

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Damian Jacob Sendler: There are many ways in which comparative medicine contributes to the reduction and refining of animal experiments. Using comparative medicine concepts throughout the translation process is essential for success in translating fundamental research findings into clinical applications. In addition to its support function in the research activity, comparative medicine should not be overlooked as a distinct and distinct scientific subject.

Dr. Sendler: Research in Comparative Medicine focuses on uncovering common threads that connect distinct pathophysiologic processes and translate them into translatable approaches and outcomes utilizing a variety of models, rather than on a specific disease or specialty.  

As Jenner, Koch, and Sabin demonstrate, comparative medicine has long been at the forefront of scientific innovation. In his rabies research, Edward Jenner found that canines that had previously been infected with the virus were protected, as were individuals who milked cows, which led to his pivotal vaccine tests. Robert Koch identified anthrax, TB, and cholera-causing microbes. Using animal models and culture techniques to proliferate microorganisms, Koch developed Koch's Postulates, which laid forth four criteria for determining the causal link of a given pathogen to a disease.

Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: According to Albert Sabin in 1956, "about 9,000 monkeys, 150 chimpanzees, and 133 human volunteers have been utilized thus far in the quantitative analyses of various properties of different strains of polio virus. Before an oral polio vaccine could become a reality, several issues had to be addressed in these experiments."

Dr. Sendler: Erasmus Darwin's "Zoonomia," which tackles infectious disease in both humans and animals, is widely regarded as a precursor to comparative medicine. The phrase "comparative pathobiology" was initially created by Claude Bourgelat in 1761, the year he founded France's first veterinary college in Lyon.  

Damian Sendler: Comparative medicine, on the other hand, is often beset by an identity problem these days. Indeed, the development and deployment of animal models spans nearly all scientific fields that seek translational applications. Contrary to popular belief, "comparative medicine" has taken on a generic or dependent sense as a result of its widespread use in scientific disciplines. The use of "comparative" before "medicine" is ambiguous because it can be interpreted in a variety of ways.

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Damian Jacob Sendler: It is possible to focus on variations between individuals, such as ethnicity or sex, rather than a larger intraspecies perspective. Sir Bradley, in 1927, described comparative medicine as the study of disease processes in all animals and potentially, plants, and with the use of all available means, it is an instrument for the right appreciation of human and veterinary medicine issues. Interestingly, As with many of his predecessors, he believed that comparative medicine will be the medicine of the future and that both human and veterinary medicine were subsets of "One Medicine."

Damian Sendler: The rod of Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine and healing, is used as a symbol for human medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine because it was believed to treat both humans and animals. Over time, the current "One Health" campaign grew out of the original "One Medicine" movement. Predicted that animal models would play an important role in "bench to bedside" translation 

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