NC3Rs awards inaugural David Sainsbury Fellowships for alternatives in animal research
31 May 2012
The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), part funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), has awarded four outstanding early-career scientists with its first David Sainsbury Fellowships.
The NC3Rs has launched the scheme, open to researchers with less than three years post-doctoral experience, to ensure that some of the UK’s best new talent is engaged in research which will not only address key scientific questions, but will develop alternatives to animal experimentation and improve animal welfare.
The four scientists have each been awarded £200,000 over three years to undertake research which will reduce the use of animals in the study of diseases, such as viral infections, cancer, liver disease and asthma.
The scheme is named in recognition of the role played by former science minister Lord Sainsbury in the establishment of the NC3RS.
Commenting on the awards, Lord Sainsbury of Turville said:
“This is an impressive group of early career scientists who I am sure will, as a result of their fellowships, be great ambassadors - for research to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals - throughout their careers.”
Dr Vicky Robinson, Chief Executive of the NC3Rs said:
“Supporting the career development of the UK's future research leaders is essential if we are to make significant and sustained progress in minimising the use of animals for scientific purposes.”
Ends
Notes:
1. For more information about the David Sainsbury Fellowships, the recipients and the NC3Rs, contact Dianne Stilwell, Communications Manager NC3Rs, tel +44 (0)20 7611 2253, mob +44 (0)776 8556127, email dianne.stilwell@nc3rs.org.uk.
http://www.nc3rs.org.uk/fellowships
2. The NC3Rs is a scientific organisation which leads the discovery, development and promotion of new ways to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research and testing (the 3Rs). It is primarily supported by Government, but also receives funding from the charitable and industrial sectors. The Centre has an annual budget of approximately £7.5 million and is the UK’s major funder of 3Rs research.
3. The first four David Sainsbury Fellowship award recipients are listed below. A full description of their work is at www.nc3rs.org.uk/fellowsannounce2012
Dr Adrian Biddle, who will hold his Fellowship at the Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Dr Biddle will use his Fellowship to develop a high throughput screen for assessing potential drugs against cancer stem cells. These are a distinct population of cells within cancerous tumours that are believed to be responsible for their recurrence and spread and are therefore essential targets in the fight against cancer. The success of Dr Biddle’s in vitro model could lead to large reductions in the numbers of mice used in cancer drug development.
Dr Adjanie Patabendige, who will hold her Fellowship at the University of Liverpool
Dr Patabendige will use her Fellowship to develop a three-dimensional human model of the blood-brain barrier. One of the functions of the barrier is to protect the brain from infection by bacteria and viruses. Studying the role of the barrier is an important aspect of research into diseases such as viral encephalitis and it has been estimated that approximately 130,000 animals have been used for this purpose in the last ten years. Dr Patabendige's research will help replace some of this animal use.
Mrs Claire Richardson, who will hold her Fellowship at Newcastle University
Mrs Richardson will use her Fellowship to identify ways of reducing and refining the study of fatigue in mice. Fatigue is a debilitating aspect of many diseases and is the most commonly encountered symptom in many forms of liver disease. A range of mice models of liver disease are used to study fatigue and Mrs Richardson will investigate how these can be improved so that procedures such as the 'forced swim test' can be avoided and instead animals can be monitored in their cages for more subtle signs of fatigue which are likely to be more relevant to human disease.
Dr Amanda Tatler, who will hold her Fellowship at the University of Nottingham
Dr Tatler has been awarded a Fellowship to take an holistic approach to applying the 3Rs to her work to study the structural changes that occur in the airways of patients with severe asthma. This will include developing a human cell based approach to replace some animal studies. Where mice have to be used Dr Tatler will employ a lung slice model to reduce use by up to 97% and imaging techniques to track changes in the lungs so that animals can be humanely killed before the disease fully develops.
