The Confederation of Scientific Societies of Spain (COSCE) through its Commission for the Study of the Use of Animals in Scientific Research has issued a statement to clarify the reality of research with animal models in Spain, and the need for their use for the advancement of science. Translation from Spanish IN recent months, several news items have been published regarding animal research from which it could be understood that it is possible to dispense with these practice

One of the most common statistics used by activists to justify why animal research should be phased-out, or banned, is the frequently-quoted claim that ‘90% of animal tests are ineffective’. Here Dr Becky Jones discusses the truths and mistruths behind this statement and its variations. The claim of activists that only around 10% of research leads to drugs and treatments that are effective in humans (a 90% failure rate) is actually not disputed by the biomedical community. Wh

La Comisión COSCE de Estudio del Uso de Animales en Investigación Científica publica el presente comunicado que clarifica la realidad sobre la investigación con modelos animales en España, e incide en recalcar la necesidad de su uso para el avance de la ciencia. En los últimos meses se han publicado diversas noticias relativas a la experimentación animal a partir de las cuales se podría entender que es posible prescindir de estas prácticas en investigación biomédica. Al mismo

Spanish researchers from the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville have taken a step forward (in Spanish) in understanding memory loss in Alzheimer's disease. In collaboration with colleagues from Pablo de Olavide University, also in Seville, they observed how the accumulation of neurexin - a protein with an important role in connecting brain cells – causes memory loss. The findings, published in the journal Experimental Neurology, showed that in mice an accumulation in the adu

A team at La Jolla Institute for Immunology, California, US, has found a new way to improve survival of mice with cystic fibrosis (CF), a condition which leaves patients struggling to breathe. Although treatments for CF are improving, there is currently no cure, and many patients must undergo daily physical therapies and take a number of medications. Previous research had shown that a type of immune cell, the monocyte, appeared faulty in many CF patients, and did not perform

In less than a month’s time Swiss citizens will be asked to decide whether to approve a countrywide ban on research using animals in a federal referendum. In addition to a halt on biomedical research, the vote also asks for a stop to all imports into Switzerland of any new drugs or treatments developed using such testing. Many in the Swiss life science sector fear that a range of medicines would no longer be produced in, or imported into, Switzerland, if there was a ‘yes’ vot

The first in EARA’s YouTube series of #LetsTalkSciComm this year features Dr Lina Ntokou, founder of a project that celebrates female Greek scientists. Available now on YouTube and Instagram, the video discusses Lina’s inspirations for setting up Greek Women in STEM to highlight the successes and the opportunities that come from connecting female researchers across different countries, over two continents. Sharing her tips on how to communicate effectively with the public, Dr

Job Title: EARA life science-focused Events & Project Officer Working For: European Animal Research Association Location: Home-based (in Europe), with some travel Salary: This is a part-time position, salary 30,000 - 35,000 euros pro rata (three days a week), depending on experience. This will be a one-year contract with the possibility of extension to a full-time position. Job Details EARA is a communications and advocacy organisation whose mission is to uphold the interests

Dutch scientists have found a way to improve the study of heart disease by growing human heart cells on a massive scale (see video). The findings, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, will allow research into new drugs for cardiovascular disorders that can be tested on real human cells, thereby reducing the numbers of animals used, commonly mice. Researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Netherlands, inserted a cancer gene, that can be switched on a

News about the first pig-to-human heart transplant has made headlines across the world, including discussion about the ethics of such a procedure. A team of surgeons at University of Maryland Medical Centre (UMMC), Baltimore, USA, transplanted a genetically-modified pig heart into a patient with a life-threatening heart disease, in the first successful procedure of its kind. The surgery drew praise (BBC, New York Times) from the international medical community, hailing the su

An online free event takes place next week to discuss animal suffering in science. The webinar, co-organised by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), is on Wednesday, 26 January 14:30 - 16.00 CET. How the pharmaceutical industry is tackling ‘severe’ suffering in animals used in science, will showcase practical steps taken by the pharmaceutical industry to avoid or r

A group at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway, have demonstrated how mice can be used to answer questions about progression Alzheimer’s disease in humans. Using genetically modified mice, the researchers took samples of spinal fluid and compared them to samples from patients with Alzheimer’s disease to look for similarities. The team found that substances in the fluid, known as biomarkers, could be seen in both mice and humans, indicating that t

Research in Portugal has taken a step forward in understanding blindness, through the eyes of fruit flies. Retinitis Pigmentosa – an eye disease which causes progressive degeneration of the retina and vision loss - is a major cause of human blindness. A team from ITQB NOVA and EARA member Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, has now identified a way to produce rhodopsin – a protein that is essential to vision and crucial for animal sight. The study, published in EMBO Repo

Scientists at Uppsala University, Sweden, have created a new way to study brain cancer tumours and partly replace the use of mice models with zebrafish. In the findings, published in Neuro-Oncology, cancer cells were transplanted from patients into zebrafish embryos, followed by an artificial intelligence analysis to monitor any tumour growth and treatment. Professor Sven Nelander, who led the study, explained that not all cancer cells can grow in mouse models: “We saw that t

A new tool, developed by US researchers, could help to measure how effectively nanoparticles can deliver drugs to a patient’s cells. Cutting-edge technology means nanoparticles can be used to deliver drug to very specific areas of the body, but currently, scientists can only see whether the nanoparticle has reached its target cell, not whether the contents of the particle have been properly released. The team at Johns Hopkins Medicine, Maryland, USA, used a colour-coded sys

Recent animal research on the Covid-19 Omicron variant is helping scientists understand how the virus spreads and causes disease. Researchers at EARA member KU Leuven, Belgium, found that Syrian hamsters (known to be infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and exposed to Omicron variant) had lower levels of virus and less disease than seen with other variants. While in another study, based on research in mice and hamsters. a team of Japanese and US scientists found that the Omicron

The fourth annual report of the Transparency Agreement on Animal Research in Spain has shown the continued drive of institutions in 2020 to raise awareness, despite the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. Once again the number of institutions in the agreement has increased, up from 140 to 152, and the Spanish agreement continues to be the largest in the world. In the report (in Spanish) of the COSCE (Confederation of Spanish Scientific Societies), prepared by EARA, there w

A worldwide survey on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has shown a strong increase in trust in science and scientists since 2018. The survey, conducted in late 2020 by Wellcome Trust, UK, saw more than three-quarters of people globally say they trust science (80%) and scientists (77%) either ‘a lot’ or ‘some.’ The regions that trusted scientists ‘a lot’ were Australia/New Zealand (62%), followed by Western Europe (59%) and then North America (54%). However, high levels of

Scientists from the Yale School of Medicine, USA, have found that nasal vaccines could potentially provide better protection against new variants of SARS-Cov-2. In the study, published in Science Immunology, the team tested vaccines against influenza viruses administrated into mice through injections, and via the nose. After exposing mice to multiple strains of influenza viruses, they observed that mice which received the nasal vaccine were better protected against the virus

This year on EARA Intagram, we saw more scientists than ever, coming forward publicly to answer questions about their research using animals. The Q&A video series #TransparencyThursday, featured 28 researchers talking about topics such as cardiovascular and inflammatory disorders, depression and anxiety, therapies for glaucoma, and 3Rs improvements, among others. Scientists from Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switz