What does anti-vivisection mean for modern science, and how can research move forward without harming animals?
NAVS Director of Science and Research Programs Lauren Stein, Ph.D., and NAVS Science Adviser Richard Miller, Ph.D., recently joined The Animal Turn for a special anti-vivisection podcast episode exploring these important questions.
In “(Anti)Vivisection with Lauren Stein and Richard Miller,” host Claudia Hirtenfelder speaks with Lauren and Richard about the history of vivisection, how animal experimentation became embedded in biomedical research, and why long-standing scientific assumptions about animal models deserve greater scrutiny.
Examining the History and Ethics of Vivisection
Vivisection is an old term for a practice that continues to shape modern medicine: the use of living animals as tools for scientific knowledge.
During the episode, Lauren and Richard discuss how scientists have understood and justified animal experimentation throughout history. They also consider the ethical questions raised when animals are treated as research instruments rather than as sentient individuals with interests of their own.
Both guests bring valuable scientific experience to the conversation. Before joining NAVS, Lauren spent more than a decade conducting academic biomedical research focused on interactions between the brain and body. Today, she works to advance humane, human-relevant technologies that can replace animal use while improving scientific outcomes.
Richard is a professor emeritus of pharmacology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the author of The Rise and Fall of Animal Experimentation: Empathy, Science, and the Future of Research. Drawing on decades of laboratory experience, he offers a firsthand perspective on the limitations of animal-based research and the need for change.
Building a More Humane Future for Science
The anti-vivisection podcast episode also looks ahead to the growing range of research methods that can provide scientists with information more directly relevant to human health.
Technologies such as organoids, organs-on-chips, human cell-based models, and computational approaches are creating new opportunities to study human biology without relying on animals. Their continued development reflects a broader shift toward science that is more predictive, ethical, and relevant to patients.
At NAVS, we believe that scientific progress and compassion should advance together. Questioning animal experimentation is not a rejection of science. It is an opportunity to improve how research is conducted and build a future that better serves both people and animals.
Listen to “(Anti)Vivisection with Lauren Stein and Richard Miller” on The Animal Turn.
