Animal & Lab Studies

back to “Tips for Understanding Studies”

Stories about research in animals or about research in the laboratory but not yet in humans (sometimes called pre-clinical or in-vitro studies) should include warnings about how this research may not pan out in people. Stories that fail to include such information may paint a brighter picture for possible application in humans than is actually the case.

Nonetheless, preliminary research stories continue to be reported. In the future, we may follow up on some of these stories to see how many panned out in people. Here are some examples:

• Appetite-suppressing hormone discovered (in rats)
• Hay fever vaccine in mice
• Statin curbs smoking lung damage in rats
• Preventing lung cancer in mice