To the editor: While only a small percentage of ALS cases are associated with the SOD1 gene mutation, the SOD1 mouse model actively contributed to the development of two key FDA-approved ALS drugs, riluzole and edaravone. More recently, scientists discovered the drug tofersen reduces the protein expression SOD1 in rodents, monkeys and human patients. It received accelerated approval to treat ALS.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s May 2025 report on the state of organ-on-a-chip technology, New Approach Methods (or NAMs) are playing an increasingly important role in drug development, but they lack established benchmarks.
Guest contributor Kevin J. Morrison emphasizes the ethical value of ending the use of animals in research (“Animal testing slows medical progress. It wastes money. It’s wrong,” Feb. 2). Until NAMs are fully validated with benchmarks that ensure their accuracy, reliability and relevance, we must also consider the ethical value of developing drugs for patients that are based on the best available science — a combination of animal research and NAMs.
Matthew R. Bailey, Washington
This writer is president of the Foundation for Biomedical Research.
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To the editor: I feel for the difficult health journey that Morrison is facing. It is clearly not only challenging, but must be more than frustrating as he discovers how out of touch both the U.S. medical research institutions and the FDA are due to their reliance on animal models as they search for medical cures for a host of diseases affecting millions of humans.
When he mentioned resistance by medical institutions to human-based technology, he could have also mentioned that using animals for research is big business that brings in money to those providing the animals, the products needed for confinement facilities, etc., which likely adds to said resistance. I truly hope that the pressure to end animal testing is getting new traction, as we’ve known for decades that there are much better ways to look for cures. May Morrison get the opportunity to see this change in his lifetime.
Valerie Belt, Pacific Palisades
