The latest episode of EARA’s #TransparencyThursday Instagram series features Dr Tommaso Virgilio, a cancer researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Dr Virgilio answered questions (see the video) about how he uses mice to study the spread of different types of cancer, to find ways to help the body’s immune system kill cancer cells – a technique called immunotherapy.
He explained that mice are important in research as they can model the complex interactions between tumours and their environment in a living organism, something that cannot yet be replicated with non-animal alternatives.
Dr Virgilio added that open communication about animal research to the public is important to ‘not only bring society and science together, but help scientists develop better ideas and improve what we are currently doing’.
All #TransparencyThursday episodes can be found here on our YouTube channel, please subscribe to keep updated on our content.
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