PETA's war on muscular dystrophy research

[Michael Oberdorfer]

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is characterized by progressive muscle degeneration in young males. It’s a sex-linked condition affecting both humans and dogs. Until recently those affected by DMD did not survive much beyond their teens. However, improvements in clinical care and the introduction of new drug therapies have extended the life span of affected individuals. Much of this progress has been accomplished through research on animal models, including dogs.
Research on dogs at Texas A&M University has contributed to this progress. This research has been targeted relentlessly by PETA. Recently, PETA launched a petition, based on their propaganda, on Change.org which has acquired almost 700,000 signatures thus far.

Using online petitions like Change.org is a tactic which can significantly sway public opinion drowning out any response by researchers like those at Texas A&M.

Your thoughts?

[Amanda Labuza]

It is a shame that people hear “research on dogs” and get scared. It is our responsibility as scientists to do a better job of explaining that animal research doesn’t mean animal torture. It is essential for medical progress. Do @sp1dy know if Texas A&M has done anything besides writing a formal news letter? I am sure people wanted to fall asleep while reading that. How can we engage the public on a more personal level? PETA uses emotions of sad puppies and Sarah MacLachlan. We need to also use emotion of real humans suffering from DMD and real humans living longer thanks to the use of animals.