Animal TestingArgument for PropositionThe University of Florida is one of the nation's largest research universities. Animal testing has played a key role in medical advancements throughout history, but it has really increased over the last half century. The relationship between humans and animals is important since almost 60% of diseases affect both humans and animals. Animal testing plays a key role in the development of new drugs in the medical field. Today, approximately 22 million animals are used in research each year. It is therefore important to provide safe animal care in order to provide a safe environment for humans and animals. The University of Florida Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) monitors and inspects all research animals at the University of Florida. To ensure they comply with all regulations, policies and standards in place to protect animal welfare by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Members of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee determine who approves research on vertebrate animals. They define the problem. The University of Florida is authorized to maintain 1,843 research animals for research purposes. According to the most recent annual report filed with the USDA, the University of Florida involves animals like rabbits, mice, pigs and primates in research. Most of the research animals involved the Faculty of Medicine, where $276.6 million in funding was allocated annually for research. Most of this money is used to finance research projects aimed at developing new drugs. The National Research Council Committee (United States) publishes the Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research, which all universities and medical schools conducting animal research follow. The most important...... middle of paper ......ch. (2003) Guidelines for the care and use of mammals in neuroscience and behavioral research. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (United States). Retrieved April 14, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/books/NBK43327/German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Center for Alternative Methods to animal testing (August 2011) Alternatives to animal testing: current status and future prospects, Springer-Verlag Volume 85: 8, pp 841-858, accessed April 17, 2014 http://link. springer.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/article/10.1007%2Fs00204-011-0718-xSCHER (Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks) of the European Commission. (2009) The need for non-human primates in biomedical research, production and testing of products and devices", accessed April 17, 2014 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/pdf/vi_nhp.pdf