Sparing Horses By Creating Diphtheria Antitoxins in a Lab

In the United Kingdom, PETA International Science Consortium is giving about $142,000 to the Institute of Biochemistry, Biotechnology, and Bioinformatics at the Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany. The funds will be used for scientists there to create the diphtheria antitoxins with human cells in a laboratory setting rather than using blood drawn from horses which is how it’s been done for over 100 years. Most of the horses are raised in India where PETA and other humane groups found they were severely mistreated, mishandled and sick. Not only will horses be helped by this project, but also humans who sometimes had severe reactions to the horse antitoxins. The human based antitoxins offer fewer side effects and reactions for patients resulting in a win-win for horses and humans.