Debate about animal testing
Animal testing contributes to advances in medicine and science in general. But in recent years people have increasingly questioned research using laboratory animals. The European Union and the Dutch government want to be a forerunner in the development and use of innovations that do not involve animal testing, but how do we want to achieve that? What are the challenges and opportunities for biomedical sciences? How do we accelerate the transition towards animal-free innovation? And what does this mean for research into better treatments for animals? In this debate Dutch leaders in the field of animal(-free) testing share their thoughts and opinions.
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Projects and initiatives
HealthToxicologyInnovationIn vitro
Cells4Thought: using iPSCs for neurodevelopmental health
The prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including cognitive impairments, is increasing worldwide with great impact on daily life quality. There is evidence that exposure to chemicals may contribute to the incidence of NDD. However, a causal link is lacking. Towards this goal, a human-relevant in vitro model system mimicking parts of brain development, such as neuronal network functioning, could be used for mechanistic research on how gene-environment interactions contribute to the development of NDD. This is going to be studied in the project Cells4Thought, using induced pluripotent stem cells form different individuals to study the effect of chemicals on neuronal differentiation.
Projects and initiatives
HealthInnovationPolicy
We all want a safer world for humanity, animals and the environment: Transition Animal-free Innovation
Why is the transition to animal-free research so important? What are animal-free models? How does TPI (Transition Animal-Free Innovation) encourage their development and use? And who are we working with to make this happen? We explain this in our animation.
More and more animal-free tests and research methods are becoming available, but not all research questions or safety tests can be answered in this way yet. In addition, the validation, qualification and acceptance of non-animal innovations still lags behind. Therefore, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) stimulates the development and application of animal-free innovations. This is done with the partner programme Transition Animal-free Innovation (TPI).
Innovation examples
New approaches for cancer hazard assessment
Chemical substances are subjected to assessment of genotoxic and carcinogenic effects before being marketed to protect man and the environment from health risks. For cancer hazard assessment, the long-term rodent carcinogenicity study is the current mainstay for the detection of nongenotoxic carcinogens. However, carcinogenicity studies are shown to have prominent weaknesses and are subject to ethical and scientific debate. A transition toward a mechanism-based weight of evidence approach is considered a requirement to enhance the prediction of carcinogenic potential for chemicals. At RIVM, we are working on this alternative approach for cancer hazard assessment, which makes optimal use of innovative (computational) tools and be less animal demanding.
For more information, click on the link in the video or read on here (https://doi.org/10.1080/10408444.2020.1841732) and here (https://doi.org/10.1080/10408444.2018.1458818).
Contact the expert (https://nl.linkedin.com/in/mirjamluijten)
Meeting videos
HelpathonsEducation
Helpathon #10 – Can you help Jolanda and Elza?
Jolanda van der Velden, Chair of Physiology, and Elza van Deel, Educator, from Amsterdam University Medical Center want to support PhDs in preparing for the animal-free transition. They are both looking for an implementation strategy and course design. Do you have an interest in animal-free education and education about animal-free research? Read more and register here (https://www.helpathonhotel.org/coming-up).