• Question: Could one medicine work for mice but cause damage to human bodies creating a new desease?

    Asked by Olivia-de-Larratea to Sian, Max, Lizzie, Francis, Ben on 8 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Ben Mulhearn

      Ben Mulhearn answered on 8 Mar 2018:

      Yes! Well done on asking a really good question. Mice are really similar to ourselves in terms of biology, but there are differences as well. Most drugs which are made are first tested in animals before humans. Sometimes, the effects in animals are different to in humans. An example was a drug called TGN1412. It was Ok in mice but then when it was tested in humans it caused them all to become really unwell and have to go to the intensive care unit. Luckily they all recovered!

    • Photo: Francis Man

      Francis Man answered on 8 Mar 2018:

      Yes, and Ben gave an excellent example.
      When new drugs are developed, before we test them in humans we need to prove that they are both safe and effective in animals. And even then, the first time they are tested in humans it’s only in very few people and very small doses, because we can’t be 100% sure that they will be safe.
      The first part of testing a new drug in humans is all about safety. If it turns out to be safe enough, then we try to figure out if it’s an effective treatment.

    • Photo: Lizzie Wright

      Lizzie Wright answered on 10 Mar 2018:

      Yes, this is always a risk with animal research. Lots of drugs work really well in mice and other animals, but then have either no effect in humans, or have very serious effects.

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