Candidate drugs just can't be tested on people. It's unethical, immoral, and probably illegal. And these guidelines can only come from mice and other animal models. They're similar . Mice share many common features with humans, says Evans.
Mice develop all the types of cancer that humans develop.
They also have the same genes involved in a lot of these cancers. Furthermore, human tumors can be implanted in mice, as was done in the angiogenesis studies we've been discussing. They have simpler genetics . Genetically identical mice simplify experiments by minimizing the confusion that arises when testing drugs on mixed populations. They also have the same genes involved in a lot of these cancers.