Animal drug testing – is the end in sight?
Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:57:00 GMT
Scientist spells out the alternatives
ADVANCES in science could end the need to test new drugs on live animals. This is the controversial view of a University of Huddersfield scientist who outlines her ideas in a free public lecture on 14 March.
Although all current medication taken by humans has been tested on animals, and some scientists believe that this will remain necessary to ensure that drugs are safe, Dr Laura Waters thinks there are more humane alternatives.
She believes that chemical mimics, computer modelling and other advanced options could replace animal testing and her lecture will explore such alternatives. She will also ask why the pharmaceutical industry is hesitant about removing animal testing from drug development.
The lecture will also include the place of politics in the process. On the horizon are changes to UK and EU law that will end drug testing on animals. And Dr Waters discusses the goal of a complete ban on cosmetics being tested on animals. The aim is for this to come in next year, but can it be achieved on time?
The lecture, entitled “Replacing Mammals with Mimics for Pharmaceutical Testing” is part of the University of Huddersfield’s Diamond Jubilee Lecture series and takes place on Wednesday 14 March at the Canalside West Lecture Theatre, starting at 6.30pm with refreshments available from 6pm. The lecture is free and open to all. For more information, contact 01484 473138 or email j.e.goodridge@hud.ac.uk.
Dr Laura Waters has lectured and researched in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Huddersfield for nine years. Deeply committed to the need to communicate scientific research to the general public, she has received a Charles Darwin Award from the British Science Association, which meant she was granted a lecture spot at the prestigious British Science Festival in September. “I feel quite passionate that it’s not good enough just to do the science – you must also be able to explain it to other people,” says Dr Waters.
