| Publication of Annual Report for 2008 (July 2009) |
 | On 28 May 2009 the Administrative Board approved the Annual Report on the Foundation’s activities during 2008 as well as the financial statements for the year. A total of CHF 553,360.00 was allotted to research projects, while 6 new projects were approved for funding and two final reports were submitted.
Annual Report for 2008 | PDF version |
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| Refined ex-vivo rodent heart model reduces in vivo experimentation (June 2009) |
 | 3R-Info-Bulletin 40 Dr. Anna Bogdanova and her team developed a mini-oxygenator for rodent hearts. This will enable investigations to be carried out on isolated hearts perfused with autologous blood (from the same animal) in connection with heart disease. Until now such investigations have involved considerable suffering for the animals used (heterotopic heart transplants).
3R-Info Bulletin 40 | Project 102-06 |
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| New project (May 2009) |
 | Engineering of a human brain tumor model to replace animal experimentation
Dr. Olivier Preynat, Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva The aim of this project is to combine brain-like tissue reconstructed from human stem cells (engineered neural tissue = ENT) with glioblastoma-like tumour tissue (engineered glial tumours = EGT). This should produce an in vitro model that can be used for examining the interactions between human brain and tumour cells in vitro and testing potential organ-specific cytostatic drugs. The researchers expect that the result will enable the number of corresponding animal models that involve a severe degree of suffering to be reduced.
Project 115-09 |
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| Completion of a project (May 2009) |
 | Adjuvanticity of microbial-derived particles and synthetic analogs in vitro
Prof. Elisabetta Padovan, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal Certain adjuvants that stimulate the immune system may at the same time have toxic side-effects. In order to reduce the testing of such unwanted side-effects in animals, the research team have developed a three-tier cell culture system using human blood cells (monocytes, dendritic cells and T-cells), which can be used to identify potential unwanted toxic side-effects as well as the desired characteristics that stimulate the immune system. As a result, the use of animals in in vivo testing will become practically superfluous.
Project 92-04 |
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| Completion of a project (May 2009) |
 | Assessment of pain and stress in mice by monitoring gene expression changes
Dr. Paolo Cinelli, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, University of Zurich This would lay the foundations for developing new ways of recognising pain. Two hundred genes were examined using micro-array technology and 27 genes were examined using the more sensitive RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) method. No significant differences were observed between gene expression in selected areas of the brain in animals after and before surgical intervention.
Project 96-05 | 3R-Info Bulletin 39 |
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| Completion of a project (May 2009) |
 | Development of an in-vitro system for modeling bioaccumulation of neutral, ionizable, and metabolically Isolated, autologous blood-perfused heart: Replacement of heterotopic heart transplantation
Dr. Anna Bogdanova, Institute of Veterinary Physiology, University of Zurich In this project the research team successfully developed an ex vivo model of a rat heart that can be perfused using autologous blood (from the same animal). This method will enable tests to be carried out ex vivo which until now caused the laboratory animals considerable stress and pain (heterotopic heart transplants).
Project 102-06 | 3R-Info Bulletin 40 |
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| Completion of a project (May 2009) |
 | Development of in vitro strategies to propagate and characterize hemotrophic mycoplasmas
Prof. Regina Hofmann-Lehmann, Clinical Laboratory, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich The aim of this project was to replace the ethically dubious propagation of haemotrophic mycoplasmas in host animals (e.g. pigs) with an in vitro culture system for M. suis. Using a mycoplasma-specific medium, with the addition of fetal calf serum, porcine embryonic extract and transferrin, the team succeeded in maintaining continuous growth in M. suis. As a result, the characteristics of M.suis could be examined without prior propagation in host animals.
Project 104-06 |
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| Completion of a project (May 2009) |
 | Standardization and Pre-validation of MucilAir: A novel in vitro cell model of the human airway epithelium for testing acute and chronic effects of chemical compounds
Dr. Song Huang, Epithelix Sàrl, Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland The MucilAir culture system, which consists of a human lung epithelium with ciliated epithelium, was successfully tested. Protocols were further standardised and a dose-effect relationship was obtained for each of 9 reference substances (from the EU AcuteTox project). The cultured cells showed a stable phenotype and retained their organ-specific characteristics.
Project 106-07 |
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| New project (March 2009) |
 | Establishment of an organ ex-vivo tissue slice model for cardiovascular research in particular for therapeutic atherosclerosis targeting
Prof. Patrick Hunziker and Dr. K. Bänziger, University Hospital, Basle Research into atherosclerosis (causes of the disease, possible therapies, nanomedicine) requires the use of a large number of laboratory animals. In Prof. Patrick Hunziker’s research team at the Basle University Hospital arteries are extracted from mice that lack the ApoE gene and human material, placed in a culture medium and then further examined. In this way it is possible not only to use fewer animals but also to determine whether differences exist between the clinical picture of the disease in mice and humans.
Project 111-08 |
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| New project (March 2009) |
| A novel in vitro model for holistic assessment and optimisation of engineered tissue for functional cartilage repair
Dr. Zhijie Luo and Prof. Jennifer Kirkham, Leeds Dental Institute, University of Leeds (UK) The aim of this project is, on the one hand, to examine synthetic cartilage from the point of view of function and characteristics and, on the other, to determine whether the new cartilage can fuse well with existing healthy cartilage. Normally, laboratory animals would be required for this purpose. The cell culture methods to be developed in this project should make it possible to carry out much of the research in vitro. It is also intended to further develop these alternative methods for use in routine testing.
Project 112-08 |
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| New project (March 2009) |
 | Generic in vitro evaluation assay for immunological correlates of protection, to replace animal challenge infection
Dr. Kenneth McCullough and Dr. A. Summerfield, Institute of Virology and Immunoprophylaxis (IVI), Mittelhäusern Foot-and-mouth disease antigens can vary enormously. In order to ensure that vaccination is successful it is necessary to tailor the vaccine to the latest viral sub-type and to test it on animals (challenge infection experiments). In order to replace the animal testing, a new and reliable in vitro test is being developed. The project is being carried out as part of a EU consortium with access to serum from vaccinated animals, reagents and mAbs. This means that international validation of the in vitro test will not require the use of additional animals.
Project 113-08 |
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| New project (March 2009) |
 | Reducing the number of fish and their suffering during acute toxicity testing of potential environmental pollutants (OECD Guideline no. 203).
Dr. Hans Rufli, ecotoxsolutions, Basle In acute toxicity testing on fish (OECD Protocol no. 203) excessively high or low doses of the test substance are often included in testing procedures. The aim of this project is to reduce the range of doses used through a retrospective analysis of historical data concerning hundreds of agricultural and industrial chemicals and by using statistical methods and simulated experiments, and at the same time to obtain equally reliable information about the toxicity of potential environmental pollutants. This would result in a drop of between 10 and 30% in the number of fish required for testing.
Project 114-08 | OECD Guideline 203 |
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| Demonstration of pain in mice using gene expression? (February 2009) |
 | 3R-Info Bulletin 39 Dr. Paulo Cinelli and Igor Asner from the Institute of Laboratory Animal Science at the University of Zurich have tried to identify the genes involved in pain characterisation and its expression in mice. They expected to develop the basics for easy-to-use tests for pain recognition. This is a prerequisite for prescribing pain relief (if appropriate) at the right time and in an adequate dosage. Over 200 different genes in specific parts of the brain were examined using two different methods. So far no specific pain gene has been identified and no pain-dependent expression has been observed. The results provide a valuable basis for further research that has already been planned.
3R-Info Bulletin 39 | Project 96-05 |
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| New member of the Evaluation Committee (December 2008) |
 | On 11 December 2008 the Board elected Dr. Stefanie Schindler, a vet and biologist who is a member of the Animalfree Research Foundation in Zurich, to the Evaluation Committee.
Evaluation committee |
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| Recognising the harmful effects of foreign particles and gaseous substances in cultured lung cells (October 2008) |
 | 3R-Info Bulletin 38 Prof. Marianne Geiser Kamber and her research team from the University of Berne isolated cells from the lungs of pigs for slaughter and developed organ-typical cultures, where in vivo conditions could be accurately replicated. Not only epithelial cells but also macrophages and epithelial secretion were obtained, the latter two being important for eliminating foreign particles from the lungs.
Not only will the use of this method lead to many animal tests becoming superfluous but it will also provide information about the processes involved in the harmful effects of substances.
3R-Info Bulletin 38 | Project 89-03 |
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| START-UP 2nd Scientific Meeting in Basle (September 2008) |
 | Scientific and technological issues in 3Rs alternatives research in the process of drug development and union politics The second Scientific Meeting under the auspices of the EU Start-Up project took place on 5 September 2008 at Novartis Ltd in Basle. Under the chairmanship of Prof. Peter Maier, 30 scientists from Europe and the USA, representing seven pharmaceutical companies, met to draw up proposals as to how the 3Rs could be further developed and put to use in disease models involving laboratory animals.
A summary of the successful meeting can be found in a report by Ecopa, which initiated the idea. The proposals should help to define future key points in EU projects relating to the 3Rs.
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