The HSUS

Animal Memorial Service at Sixth World Congress

By Andrew Rowan

It sometimes seems as though the implementation of alternatives to laboratory animals is all talk and no action. But, the recent 6th World Congress on Alternatives & Animal Use in the Life Sciences, held in Tokyo, Japan last month was that rare creature—a meeting that really showcased a great deal of progress towards replacing animals in safety testing and risk evaluation. The following are some of the encouraging signs to come out of the meetings.

First, Japan established a Japanese Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (JaCVAM), modeled after similar centers in Europe and the United States and housed in their National Institute for Health Sciences. It is clear that JaCVAM's establishment was closely linked to the hosting of the World Congress, and the meeting has already provided a major stimulant to JaCVAM activities. 

Second, the World Congress was very well attended with around 900 registrants for the main meeting and a further 200-plus who attended a "citizens' symposium" at the end of the Congress. Many of the attendees were from Asian countries, and satellite meetings were held in both Seoul and Beijing to promote the concept of alternatives in South Korea and China. 

The HSUS

Members of Japan Anti-Vivisection Association (JAVA) and International Council for Animal Protection in OECD (ICAPO)

Third, there was a widespread excitement at the meeting about the prospects for alternatives because of the recent publication of the U.S. National Research Council's (NRC) report calling for a completely new paradigm of safety testing and risk assessment based on human cell culture and "in silico" approaches (i.e. the application of data analysis and structure-activity modeling in computer systems). In fact, the announcement of the report's publication by the NRC noted that it outlined a way to test chemicals without using animals.

Fourth, a representative of a major consumer products company showcased the company's plans to establish a non-animal testing approach to risk assessment. The science was exciting and the stated goal is exactly what the animal protection community has been calling for over the past two decades! Other multi-nationals at the meeting were similarly upbeat about the prospects for alternatives.

The HSUS

Rodger Curren (left), winner of the Russell Burch Award, and Martin Stephens (right), of The HSUS.

The Humane Society of the United States was visible throughout the meeting from our exhibit at the entrance to the Exhibit and Poster area, to the five platform sessions we gave during the Congress, to the awarding of our Russell and Burch award during the opening reception to the final session. HSUS personnel played key roles both before and during the meeting being heavily involved in organizing the Congress, organizing a satellite session for animal protection attendees and being involved in the planning for the next two World Congresses in Rome (2009) and Montreal (2011).   

We are very excited at the prospects for some significant progress over the next few years to eliminate laboratory animal use in safety testing and risk evaluation. We are also encouraged that our own team of policy activists and scientists has played such a large role in bringing us to this point. We intend to be actively engaged in realizing the vision of a non-animal testing future. 

Andrew Rowan is executive vice president for operations of the Humane Society of the United States and CEO of Humane Society International