There is a long-standing debate about experimental non-human animals and animal-free methods in scientific research. Among the various stakeholders involved in the debate are the scientists. During media broadcasts we, animal researchers and animal-free methods researchers, were positioned as 'opponents'. In this essay we describe our initial rational thoughts and emotions after these events, and how we came together to explore our common ground on animal(-free) experimentation. Realizing that all models have advantages and limitations, our common ground lies in the principles of good scientific research and responsible experimentation. Our communication emanating from the broadcasts has been instrumental in improving communication on animal(-free) experimentation issues by teaming up. We strongly believe that this is essential for making well-informed decisions for the methods we are using now and will be using in the future.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1303744 | DOI Listing |
Vet Sci
December 2024
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Dell'Umbria e Delle Marche "Togo Rosati", via G. Salvemini 1, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
Background: Veterinary autogenous vaccines, similar to all injectable pharmaceutical products, must be tested to assess endotoxin concentrations. The Limulus Amebocyte Lysate Test (LAL test) is widely used in in vitro quality control assays for endotoxin detection, although it presents some ethical issues related to the production of reagents and is also characterized by a low specificity due to other contaminants that can activate the reaction. For all these reasons, a new recombinant factor C LAL test was developed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiosensors (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Food Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan.
In recent years, in vitro skin sensitization assays have been recommended as animal-free alternatives for the safety assessment of cosmetics and topical drugs, and these methods have been adopted in OECD test guidelines. However, existing assays remain complex and costly. To address this, we recently developed a more efficient, cost-effective, and accurate method for evaluating skin sensitizers by using immune cell-derived THP-1 cells as a biosensor, coupled with an RT-PCR-based assay.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol Sci
December 2024
Unilever, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, MK44 1lQ.
For many years, a method that allowed systemic toxicity safety assessments to be conducted without generating new animal test data, seemed out of reach. However, several different research groups and regulatory authorities are beginning to use a variety of in silico, in chemico and in vitro techniques to inform safety decisions. To manage this transition to animal-free safety assessments responsibly, it is important to ensure that the level of protection offered by a safety assessment based on new approach methodologies (NAMs), is at least as high as that provided by a safety assessment based on traditional animal studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Agric Environ Ethics
December 2024
Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Changing relationships with nonhuman animals have led to important modifications in animal welfare legislations, including the protection of animal life. However, animal research regulations are largely based on welfarist assumptions, neglecting the idea that death can constitute a harm to animals. In this article, four different cases of killing animals in research contexts are identified and discussed against the background of philosophical, societal, and scientific-practical discourses: 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood Res Int
December 2024
Laboratory of Biophysics, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address:
High-moisture (HM) extrusion is the dominant industrial process to create structured plant-based protein products that can be used for animal-free meat alternatives. Yet, the underlying mechanisms, such as phase separation, that govern structure formation in plant-protein extrudates, are still poorly understood. Current hypotheses require experimental data in order to be verified, but measurement techniques able to quantify phase-separated anisotropic protein extrudates are lacking, or have yet to be validated.
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