Aussie Company’s Realistic Human Simulators Could Save Countless Animals’ Lives Globally
Thousands of animals across the globe are sliced open, mutilated, and killed in surgical training procedures each year, even though simulators can replace the use of animals in nearly all training situations.
But after speaking with PETA, one innovative maker of animal-free medical training models has solidified its public stance supporting the development of ethical surgical training tools to help medical institutions shift away from using live animals.
Australia-based IMRA Surgical recently sat down with PETA to explore ways to expand access to human-relevant, animal-free medical simulation models for minimally invasive surgical training. After the meeting, the company adopted a formal public policy, making its position clear:
“IMRA does not use animals for courses, demonstrations, product research and development, or for any other purpose, and instead uses high-fidelity and ethical human simulation models that better serve educators, trainees, and patients alike. Unlike our advanced simulators, animals used in medical training are limited by serious ethical concerns, poor approximation of human anatomy, inability for reuse, risk of disease transmission, and significant financial and logistical investments. At IMRA, our vision is an animal-free medical education system rooted in innovation, compassion, and human relevance.”
In With the New
Training models developed by IMRA Surgical can replace the archaic use of pigs and other animals in robotic and laparoscopic surgical training. Its lifelike models feature realistic skin, tissue layers, organs, and working orifices that prepare surgeons for the operating room—all without harming a single animal.
Unlike animals, IMRA Surgical models are reusable, cost-effective, customizable, and can better prepare surgeons to help their human patients.
The company collaborates with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the professional body responsible for training and accrediting surgeons in Australia and New Zealand, to design robotics courses for various surgical specialties. And it’s developing training courses for physicians globally using synthetic 3D computer-generated organs and interactive virtual and augmented reality simulations for other specialties.
Out With the Old
Animals are used in practice surgeries and other procedures across various medical disciplines. These programs may use parts of animal corpses or live animals, commonly pigs. But other species—including dogs, cats, monkeys, sheep, goats, and rats—are also used for such training drills.
For example, in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) physician residency training at Oregon Health & Science University, students have sliced open female pigs in practice surgeries, dissected their organs, and killed any survivors.
But pig uteruses are vastly different from human uteruses, and using pigs or other animals for human medical training doesn’t give doctors the proper skills they need to treat clinical patients effectively.
What You Can Do
Please TAKE ACTION by urging OB/GYN physician residency training programs to abandon cruel, deadly training on live animals and adopt a public policy banning the use of live animals:
