lab rat

noun2

1. •
   A person or group used as the subject of an experiment or test, especially unwillingly or unwittingly.

   • Tests were done on me that you can't even imagine. For years. Cerberus did them. They tortured me. They used me as a damn lab rat. And now you're teaming up with them like they're any other merc band? — 2010
2. •
   A student or employee who spends a great deal of time working in a laboratory.

   • As a graduate student, she loved being a “lab rat,” Dr. Blackburn said, adding, “I was just really focused on the science, the science, the science.” — 2013