I would like to join S Clayton in congratulating Jean Bayliss on her recovery from cancer (Daily Echo, May 20).

However, I fear S Clayton may have been misinformed as to the availability of alternatives to animals in cancer research.

Since 1986, it has been illegal to use an animal for research if there is an alternative.

Unfortunately, groups which profit from protest against animal research like to claim otherwise, even though the law is there for all to see (www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/14/section/5 - section 5(a)). The dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs mentioned by S Bayliss constitute less than one per cent of animals used in research – most are actually mice and fish.

Although millions of pounds are devoted to finding alternatives, we are not there yet.

In fact, the most complex thing that can be modeled in a computer is a single cell, achieved in 2011.

Put simply, numerous cancer therapies, not to mention veterinary treatments like the badger TB vaccine, would not exist without animal research. No scientist would or could use an animal if there were an alternative, but the choices we face are rather more stark than protesters like to pretend.

I would therefore like to join Mrs Bayliss in encouraging readers to do whatever they can to raise money for cancer research.

CHRIS MAGEE, Address supplied.