Antibodies have broad research and clinical applications. Researchers use millions of animals to produce antibodies by techniques that cause great suffering. Mathematical models use human clinical and epidemiological data to generate hypotheses about complex disease processes. There are several likely explanations. Vivisection is easily published .
Vivisection is self-perpetuating .
Scientists' salaries and professional status are often tied to grants, and a critical element of success in grant applications is proof of prior experience and expertise. Researchers trained in animal research techniques find it difficult or inconvenient to adopt new methods, such as tissue cultures. The control, however, is illusory. Any animal model differs in myriad ways from human physiology and pathology. Such variables can have system-wide effects, skew experimental results, and undermine extrapolation of findings to humans.