I'm interested in cancer biology but don't want to experiment on animals

I am at university (second year) currently studying Biology and at the moment I am finding cancer biology really interesting. But I know that in this field there is a lot of experiments conducted on animals (eg mice) and I am worried that if I went into a job in this area in the future I would have to inject animals and watch them die. I don't think I would be able to do this. Could you go into cancer biology and do research but not have to work on animals?

Reply 1

louisvbird

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by sunny225

The standards of animal testing in the UK are actually really strict so I doubt you would ever be put in a scenario like the one you described. In the UK, we abide by the 3 Rs: Replace animal use wherever possible, Reduce use of animals as much as we can and Refine our methods when we absolutely cannot avoid using animals in order to avoid their suffering. It is also compulsory to have a veterinary surgeon on site to monitor and provide for the health and welfare of these animals and labs are also subject to random unannounced checks and audits to ensure all procedures are being followed properly.

Despite all this, you may still want to avoid animal testing completely, which is totally fine. There are plenty of jobs in cancer research where you would not have to do this - don't worry. I'm a vet student so I don't know tonnes about the field, but I would certainly imagine that a lot of in vitro research takes place as well, not just in vivo.

You mention you're at university - can you have a chat with your cancer biology teacher about potential careers in this area? I'm sure they would love to hear that you've been inspired by their teaching, and they'll certainly know a lot more about the industry that we do on this forum! They might be able to provide some potential career ideas in the area of cancer research, or at the very least reassure you that you do not need to be involved in animal research. :smile: