It would be very difficult to completely eliminate using animals for experimentation. Many things can be modeled but not everything. They have been going towards trying to eliminate experimental compounds early in the safety testing phase using
metabonomics. A small number of animals is used (<10) to see if there are any toxic effects. If so, the compound is typically removed from testing before wasting time on a large safety study. With some of the eye irritant testing, they have gone to using cell cultures. I don't agree with the methodology of animal rightists but it's important to think about your use of animals. They have certainly changed the way things are done (and sometimes for the better). I just wish some of those groups didn't use violent and harrassing methods to get their message across. It's hypocritical.
