Q&A: UK centre to cut animal tests

The UK Government has announced that it is establishing a national centre for "best practice" in animal testing.

Most animal tests use rodents

But what will this centre actually do and what will it mean for the animals used in experiments? BBC News Online finds out.

Why do we need a new centre like this?

The government wants the new centre to focus on the "three R's": the replacement, refinement and reduction of animal tests.

The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research will explore alternatives to animal testing, such as experiments on cultured cells or using computer simulations.

The government currently still regards animal testing as necessary, but science minister Lord Sainsbury said at the announcement that a "major opportunity" now existed to make progress in improving the welfare of animals used in testing through the three R's.

The centre will be housed within the Medical Research Council's existing Centre for Best Practice for Animals in Research (CBPAR) and build upon its work.

What do animal rights campaigners think of this?

Some groups, such as the RSPCA, have cautiously welcomed the move, while adding that only time will tell whether the new centre will be of benefit to animal welfare.

Others, like Animal Aid say the centre is a distraction from what they regard as the real issue - that animal tests are of no medical benefit to humans. Animal Aid and other campaigners are interested in only one of the three R's - replacement.

Some observers have suggested that the issue could drive a wedge between those groups that are onboard the government's scheme and those that reject the plans.

Needless to say, the centre is also unlikely to impress animal extremist groups that approve of violent means to protest against animal testing.

But the government says it is not trying to pacify extremist groups. Lord Sainsbury told the BBC that the only way to deal with violent groups is a continued police effort to crack down on them.

Has the government announced who will be involved in running the centre?

The Board of the new centre will be chaired by Lord Turnberg, scientific adviser to the Association of Medical Research Charities. The vice-chair will be Professor Paul Flecknell, professor of laboratory animal science at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. But the other members have yet to be chosen.

Membership of the board will be agreed by the new chair and the government wants it to include representation from animal welfare groups as well as industry, the scientific community and government.

But the government has stated that members need to sign up to advocacy of all three R's, which would appear to rule out many animal rights groups.

So who is right about the need for animal testing?

Animal tests are required by law in many areas of scientific research. For example, toxicological tests are prescribed by law in order to make sure that new drugs - or in some cases household goods like new plastics for baby toys - do not harm people.

And those who advocate the need for testing point out the great benefits that have come from animal experiments: cancer drugs, vaccines against deadly diseases like polio, pills for peptic ulcers and drugs to prevent organs from transplants being rejected.

Some say rodents and dogs are too different from humans for tests to be valid

Key breakthroughs in medical research continue to come from animal testing, they say. But all scientists who use animals in research in the UK are already required to apply the three R's to their work and, in general, scientists are open to new practical alternatives.

But animal rights campaigners and some scientists claim that rodents and dogs, on which many tests are carried out, are too physiologically different from humans for testing to have validity.

For example, an Alzheimer's vaccine was withdrawn in 2001 when it caused serious brain inflammation in patients, after proving safe and effective in tests on monkeys.

How much money will this new centre be getting?

The government is to double funding for the three R's from £330,000 to £660,000 this financial year, with further increases expected to follow.

In the past, critics have criticised the government for investing too little in alternatives to animal tests. The government will no doubt be hoping this announcement proves them wrong.

So what kinds of new alternatives to animal testing will the centre be looking into?

Some of the alternatives that we know will be looked at are tissue culture and computer simulations.

For example, in tests where chemicals are applied to the skin of animals in research, one alternative is to grow skin from human cells in a culture and use these.

There are also products made of the human protein collagen that can mimic skin and test for corrosiveness when a chemical is applied to it. A dye changes colour if the chemical burns through the collagen to a cellulose membrane underneath.

Some scientists are already using computer simulations in medical research. Researchers at the University of Oxford have been developing models for their work on the effects of trauma to the heart.

Much of the work covered by the refinement aspect of the three R's will involve improvements to how animals are currently, such as improving ventilation and space where they kept.

Has the government set any targets for reducing the number of animal experiments?

No. The government has said that it hopes progress could be made very soon, but has not set any deadlines or specific targets.

A recent comparison of almost 3,000 research papers published over 30 years in major biomedical journals found a 30% fall in the number of studies using animals.

The new centre will aim to promote this trend in laboratory research.