The Humane Society of the United States is a sponsor and co-organizer of the Fifth World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, being held in Berlin on August 21-25. The World Congresses, held every three years, are the largest international conferences addressing alternatives to animal use in biomedical research, testing and education.
Alternative methods include the “Three Rs” of replacement, reduction, and refinement—methods that can replace or reduce the number of animals used in specific procedures or refine procedures so that animal pain, distress and suffering are decreased. The World Congresses address the latest technical advances and policy issues concerning alternative methods through plenary lectures, break-out sessions and workshops, and poster exhibits. The participants are from various backgrounds, including government agencies, industry, animal protection, and scientific research institutions.
During the Fifth World Congress, which is co-organized by HSUS Executive Vice President for Operations, Dr. Andrew Rowan, The HSUS will present the 2005 Russell and Burch Award to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of Three Rs in research, testing, and education. The Russell and Burch Award is named in honor of William Russell and Rex Burch, the British scientists who devised the Three Rs approach and discussed it extensively in their pioneering 1959 book, The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique.
The program for the Fifth World Congress is organized around seven themes: education; laboratory animal welfare and refinement; moral issues of animals, alternatives, and public policy; information systems and databases; safety testing, validation, and risk assessment; modeling; and applying new science and technology. HSUS Vice President for Animal Research Issues, Martin Stephens, co-chairs the session on moral issues of animals, alternatives, and public policy. One of the highlights of this year’s World Congress will be the opening lecture, “Ending Research on Non-human Primates” by Jane Goodall, world renowned chimpanzee authority.
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