Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Commentary
  • Published:

Fat rats and carcinogenesis screening

It is poor science to use inappropriate strains of rodents in badly designed and inefficient experiments for testing the safety of chemicals. It is also costly and unethical because greater numbers of laboratory animals are needed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Nohynek, G. J. et al. Hum. Exp. Toxicol. 12, 87–98 (1993).

    Google Scholar 

  2. McAuslane, J. A. N., Lumley, C. E. & Walker, R. S. Hum. Exp. Toxicol. 10, 205–213 (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Tennant, R. W., Spalding, J. & French, J. E. Mutat. Res. 365, 119–127 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Rao, G. N., Haseman, J. K. & Edmondson, J. Lab. Anim. Sci. 39, 389–393 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Roe, F. J. C. Lab. Anim. 28, 148–154 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Haseman, J. K. & Seilkop, S. K. Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 19, 207–213 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Abelson, P. H. Science 255, 141 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Festing, M. F. W. Environ. Health Perspect. 103, 44–52 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Festing, M. F. W. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 102, 197–204 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Popper, K. R. Objective Knowledge (Clarendon, Oxford, 1972).

  11. Arcos, J. C., Argus, M. F. & Wolf, G. (eds) Chemical Induction of Cancer(Academic, London, 1968).

  12. Shellabarger, C. J., Stone, J. P. & Holtzman, S. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 61, 1505–1508 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Haseman, J. K. & Hoel, D. G. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health 5, 89–101 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Felton, R. P. & Gaylor, D. W. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health 26, 399–411 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Sprott, R. L. Aging Clin. Exp. Res. 5, 249–252 (1993).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Bronson, R. T. & Lipman, R. D. Aging Clin. Exp. Res. 5, 253–257 (1993).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Nomura, T. & Potkay, S. Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources News 33, 42–44 (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Festing, M. F. W. Aging Clin. Exp. Res. 5, 309–315 (1993).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Festing, M. Fat rats and carcinogenesis screening. Nature 388, 321–322 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/40964

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/40964

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing