Price for alternative methods to animal experiments

Artificial skin from human cells: Price for alternative methods to animal experiments

08/10/2013

A researcher from Berlin has contributed to saving thousands of laboratory animals from their deaths. Among other things, he has received the Berlin Research Award for his work.

Reduce animal testing
Last Friday, the pharmacologist Prof. Günther Weindl (FU) received the 15,000 Euro Berlin Research Award 2013 in the Roten Rathaus for his development of alternative methods to animal experiments. In addition, he received an extra prize of 5,000 euros from the Alliance animal welfare policy. Professor Weindl has been honored for his work, which can help save thousands of laboratory animals from death. Consumer Protection Senator Thomas Heilmann (CDU) said at the award ceremony: „We will never be able to eliminate animal testing altogether, but Professor Weindl's work shows ways to reduce the number.“

Skin residues from operations
The 37-year-old Weindl, who works at the Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology of Freie Universität Berlin, has been researching skin models for the past ten years using fingernail-sized pieces of skin. Hospitals are allowed to hand over skin remnants from operations with the consent of patients to the research. The FU researcher is rebuilding this waste with his assistants to create a model of the first and second layers of skin that look like real skin. The assembled cells form by themselves also the upper horn layer after some time. For about 20 years it has been possible to create simple models of human skin.

Langerhans cells
In the case of Weindl's preparations, the special thing is the addition of the Langerhans cell, a type of cell that all humans carry. These decide, for example, on bacteria that overcome the upper horny layer of man and penetrate into the skin, whether it is dangerous foreign bodies. In this case, they initiate the defense reaction by alerting the body. The model of the Berlin scientist comes very close to the human skin and thereby test results for the compatibility of new cosmetics or pharmaceuticals in this „immunocompetent skin model "particularly meaningful. „We want to replace unnecessary animal experiments, "says Weindl.

Researcher sees need for animal testing
Although he supports the recent EU ban on animal testing for the manufacture of cosmetic products, he is not a general animal experiment opponent. For example, he criticizes unnecessary animal experiments due to inadequate research planning, but sees their need for drug development in the future as well in order to reduce risks to humans. In addition, the so-called animal-free research would not be without animal substances, because for the production of nutrient fluid, which also requires Weindl for his work, you would need fetal calf serum, which is obtained from the blood of calves. The use of the serum should indeed be reduced, but Weindl is currently still „on the border of the feasible.“

Praise at the award ceremony
Thanks to research at the Berlin FU, scientists in Germany could in future do without thousands of animal experiments. The award ceremony was also praised by Siegfried Throm from the Association of Research-Based Drug Manufacturers: „Here, an excellent project will be honored that will help to replace animal testing.“ Next he says: „I hope that this award will spur other scientists on finding alternative methods.“

Animal-free research is possible
Animal experiments are as widespread in the medical research as today as controversial. For the animals they mean „Pain, suffering and lasting damage“ (German Animal Protection Act), the science promises far-reaching knowledge for the treatment of patients. However, according to the Association Doctors Against Animal Testing e.V., the results of animal research are not only morally and ethically reprehensible, but also hardly transferable to humans. For more than 30 years, the association has been committed to ethical, purely animal-free scientific research. Each year, the number of animal experiments continues to increase, which not only goes hand in hand with the suffering of millions of living things, but also a sign of one „misguided medicine and science“ said the animal rights activists on the occasion of a joint action with other animal welfare groups in the previous year. (Ad)

Stephanie Hofschlaeger