NEW ORLEANS (August 8, 2002) – The Fourth World Congress on
Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, the largest
international conference pertaining to alternatives to animal
use in biomedical research, testing, and education, will take
place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans August 11 – 15.
The premise of each World Congress is alternatives to the
use of animals in research, testing and education, also known
as the “3R’s”: replacement of the use of animals in research,
reduction of the number of animals used, and refinement of
procedures so that pain, distress and suffering are minimized.
This World Congress has five running themes:
replacement/reduction; refinement/reduction;
databases/education/information retrieval; validation/testing;
and policy/ethics. Speakers and contributors from around the
world will address these themes via plenaries, workshops,
point-counterpoint sessions, and poster exhibits. Participants
are from various backgrounds, including government agencies,
industry, animal protection, and scientific research
institutions, and are considered experts in their respective
fields.
Highlights of this year’s Congress include Charles DeLisi’s
plenary lecture on the Virtual Human project. DeLisi, a
professor and director of bioinformatics at Boston University,
began the Human Genome Project and is currently designing
cutting-edge software that will mimic all of the physiological
processes of a human being. In addition, presenters at the
Congress will discuss the latest developments in new testing
approaches, such as improvements in experimental design that
seek to reduce animal numbers in testing procedures; as well as
report on the progress of refinement methods that minimize pain
and distress experienced by animals in laboratories, such as
new developments in monitoring animal physiology and
behavior.
The World Congress, held on a triennial basis, is organized
and funded by the Alternatives Congress Trust, Inc. (ACT) and
sponsored by various organizations, including The Humane
Society of the United States (HSUS), the European Center for
the Validation of Alternative Methods, the Center for
Alternatives to Animal Testing, Procter & Gamble, Unilever
and the Third World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in
the Life Sciences. The Executive Committee and Board of the ACT
are composed of an international consortium of experts in the
field of alternatives, including Dr. Andrew Rowan, HSUS senior
vice president for research, education and international
issues. The HSUS is the primary organizer of the
conference.
According to Rowan, "The Fourth World Congress will provide
an opportunity for experts working in the field of alternatives
to animal use to exchange current information and to determine
future goals for reduction of the number of animals used in
research, refinement of techniques in order to minimize animal
pain and distress and for ultimate replacement of the use of
animals in research altogether."
Representatives from The HSUS will be speaking in a number
of sessions on topics such as the use of primates in research,
The HSUS's Pain and Distress Initiative, and the use of animals
in education. The HSUS will also be hosting two satellite
sessions, including a meeting of animal protection groups from
around the world, as well as a workshop on minimization of pain
and distress in the production of polyclonal antibodies (an
immunological technique which involves animals). The HSUS will
also bestow the 2002 Russell and Burch Award to a scientist who
has made an outstanding contribution towards the advancement of
alternative methods, at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, August
14.
Past World Congresses have been held in Baltimore, Maryland
(1993); Utrecht, The Netherlands (1996) and Bologna, Italy
(1999).
A banquet and award ceremonies will be held on Wednesday,
August 14. Finally, the Fourth World Congress will close with a
farewell luncheon on the afternoon of August 15th.
