Biomedical research group hears Couser

William Couser

Dr. William Couser, professor of medicine and head of the Division of Nephrology in the School of Medicine, was the keynote speaker Feb. 26 in Bellevue at the 10th annual meeting of the Washington Association for Biomedical Research (WABR).

In a talk punctuated with real-life examples drawn from his own patients over the years, Couser described progress that has been made in kidney disease research, often using animal models, and some of the fundamental problems that remain.

"All of us who are committed to trying to find cures for kidney disease or anything else are doing so because there are large numbers of people who are dependent on us to find those cures," Couser told the audience of 130 WABR members and supporters. "We, in turn, are dependent on you. It is absolutely critical that you continue doing the work you are doing, that you provide the educational support for students, for children and the lay public, to emphasize the importance of animal research in eventually achieving the goals that we need to achieve."

As a non-profit educational consortium, WABR exists to foster undertanding of the benefits of biomedical research to humans and animals, and the necessity for the humane use of animals in such research. ¶