By Kristie Stoick, M.P.H., and John J. Pippin, M.D.
Alternatives to Animal Research
Lab-Grown Bladders Help Sick Children
 In a pioneering achievement in tissue engineering, researchers at Wake Forest
University announced this spring that patients who received bladders grown
from the patients’ own cells have been successfully using the implanted
organs for about four years. The patients were all children who suffered from
spina bifida, a disease that, among other complications, can result in shrunken,
dysfunctional bladders.
The cells were taken by biopsy from the children’s
nonfunctional bladders, and then allowed to grow in the laboratory into the
shape of a bladder. After two months, the bladders were surgically grafted
onto the patients’ own
bladders. The researchers’ next goal is to grow an entire bladder, complete
with a sphincter to regulate urine flow, and then, perhaps, develop more complex
organs.
Though growing more complicated organs such as hearts or livers
presents other obstacles, the victory is encouraging news for scientists
and patients. It is also hopeful for animals, because it is a good
replacement for experiments attempting to use animal organs in
humans.
Source: New Scientist, Apr. 8, 2006, p. 10.
Pharmagene Changes Name, Keeps Ethical Testing
A company that made a name for itself testing new pharmaceuticals
exclusively in human tissues, Pharmagene, has changed its name
to Asterand. However, the company has not changed its commitment
to effective and ethical safety testing of drugs. Many new treatments
for cancer and other diseases are antibody-based. These treatments
are designed to bind to a specific cell or receptor to enact
their effect. However, if the antibody binds to other, nontarget
tissues, patients can have a violent allergic reaction, similar
to the recent disastrous trial in London with the drug known
as TGN1412.
Asterand scientists have developed an antibody assay
that, when applied to a range of tissues from the human body,
will predict whether such unanticipated immune reactions, which
cannot be predicted through animal tests, might occur. This means
safer clinical trials and fewer animal tests.
Source: Asterand plc
Vioxx Users More Susceptible to Side Effects in First Weeks
 As PCRM continues to pursue its lawsuit against the pharmaceutical
giant Merck for the company’s reliance on animal tests
for the pain-killer Vioxx, disturbing new information has surfaced
about the drug, which was withdrawn from the market in 2004 because
it doubled the risk of heart attacks and stroke. A new study
by researchers at McGill University Medical Centre in Montreal
recently found that some patients using Vioxx are most susceptible
to the drug’s cardiotoxic effects immediately after starting
to take it. One-quarter of the participants in the epidemiological
study experienced a heart attack within 14 days of starting a
Vioxx prescription.
This data further highlights how poorly predictive
animal “safety” tests
can be; Vioxx was certified safe in FDA-required animal tests,
and was even shown to be cardio-protective in mice. It has the
opposite effect in people.
Source: Levesque, et al. 2006; Canadian
Medical Association Journal. 174(11).
By Dulcie Ward, R.D., and Susan Levin, M.S., R.D.
Chemical Contaminants
 Arsenic Found in Chicken
Chicken often contains dangerous amounts of arsenic, according
to a new report. Researchers from the Institute of Agriculture
and Trade Policy tested for arsenic in 151 samples of raw chicken
from supermarkets and 90 samples of cooked chicken from 10 different
well-known fast-food restaurants. Arsenic is a known carcinogen
and is linked to neurological, cardiovascular, and immune problems.
It is commonly added to chicken feed to improve feed efficiency,
improve pigmentation, promote faster weight gain, or prevent
intestinal infection caused by parasites.
The study found that
55 percent of uncooked chicken products contained detectable
arsenic, and 100 percent of the fast-food brands had detectable
levels of the toxic element. The arsenic content varied, although
many samples were well above the Environmental Protection Agency’s
10 parts per billion standard allowable in public drinking water.
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Playing Chicken:
Avoiding Arsenic in Your Meat. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Institute
for Agriculture and Trade Policy 2006.
Diabetes
Vegan Diet for Diabetes
 A new study presented at the American Diabetes Association’s
(ADA) annual scientific conference in Washington, D.C., suggests
that people with type 2 diabetes improve significantly with a low-fat,
plant-based diet. In a controlled trial, conducted by investigators
from PCRM, the George Washington University, and the University
of Toronto, 99 participants were randomly assigned to follow either
a low-fat, vegan diet or a more standard ADA diet. ADA guidelines
allow for all food types but in limited quantities. Many participants
were able to reduce their medication in the course of the study.
Among participants whose medications stayed constant, the vegan
diet improved patients’ hemoglobin A1c, the main indicator
of long-term blood glucose control, by an average reduction of
1.2 points, a drop significantly greater than the effect of most
diabetes drugs and three times greater than experienced by those
following the ADA diet.
Other benefits for the vegan group
were greater reductions in low density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”)
cholesterol levels and greater weight loss. Among medication-stable
participants, body weight fell an average of 14.3 pounds in the
vegan group and 6.8 pounds in the ADA group.
Barnard ND, Cohen J, Jenkins D, Turner-McGrievy G. Effect
of a plant-based diet on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk
factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomized clinical
trial. Presented at: American Diabetes Association 66th Scientific
Sessions; June 9, 2006; Washington, D.C.
 Obesity Fuels Diabetes
A new study confirms the role of obesity in diabetes risk. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compiled national
health survey data from 1997 to 2003 to examine trends in the
incidence of diagnosed diabetes among U.S. adults. Of those with
diabetes in 2003, 89 percent were overweight or obese (30 percent
and 59 percent, respectively). The total increase in diagnosed
diabetes was 41 percent.
While this study did not distinguish
between type 1 (formerly called “childhood-onset”)
diabetes and type 2 (“adult-onset”) diabetes, type
2 accounts for 90 percent to 95 percent of all diabetes cases.
Because type 2 diabetes often relates to body weight, a change
in diet and lifestyle can reduce the risk of the disease and aid
in its treatment.
Geiss LS, Pan L, Cadwell B, Gregg EW, Benjamin SM, Engelgau MM.
Changes in incidence of diabetes in U.S. adults, 1997-2003. Am
J Prev Med. 2006;30:371-377.
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