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Pamela Anderson refuses to do ice bucket challenge due to ALS animal testing

Anderson wants an end to the use of mice and monkeys in research.

ACTRESS PAMELA ANDERSON has refused to take part in the ice bucket challenge, instead issuing her own challenge to ALS researchers.

The ultimate aim of the ice bucket challenge is to raise awareness of and fund for research into ALS/Motor Neuron Disease.

Celebrities from Oprah to Chris Pratt to Ben Affleck have taken part, nominating another three people as they go.

However Anderson has posted a message on Facebook, saying “Sorry, I can’t bring myself to do your ice bucket challenge”.

She goes on to say that:

Digging a bit deeper I found that we may not be aligned in our messages.
I thought instead I’d challenge ALS to stop animal testing. Recent experiments funded by the ALS Association, mice had holes drilled into their skulls, were inflicted with crippling illnesses, and were forced to run on an inclined treadmill until they collapsed from exhaustion. Monkeys had chemicals injected into their brains and backs and were later killed and dissected.

Anderson is a longtime supporter of animal rights and opposer of animal testing. She cited Food and Drug Administration data which showed that 92 per cent of drug trials that pass animals trials subsequently fail clinical trials, and said that the suffering of animals to produce drugs that are ultimately unusable should be stopped.

She advocates for the use of non-animal testing methods like in vitro, computer modelling and human volunteers.

Earlier this month it was reported that studies at Harvard had identified a possible step towards eliminating some of the need for animal testing in the search for treatments for ALS.

The study found that that “modelling the human disease with customised stem cells in the laboratory” could mean less testing on “mouse models”.

Girl does the Ice Bucket Challenge right after getting her wisdom teeth out>

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