Monday, 02 January 2012 11:30

Interview with BMBF award recipient 2011 Featured

At the award ceremony for the animal welfare research award 2011 presented by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, InVitroJobs spoke with Dr. Hendrik Reuter, one of the award recipients and head of the department “Experimental Toxicology” at Beiersdorf AG.

InVitroJobs:
Congratulations on your award. What meaning does the award have for you?

Dr. Hendrik Reuter:
It is a great recognition of the years of work which were not always appreciated as much as they might have been.

InVitroJobs:
You received the award for the development of a cell culture system using dendritic cells derived from monocytes in peripheral blood: can you give a short explanation as to why the dendritic cells were developed using these precursor cells?

Dr. Hendrik Reuter:
We use these monocytes because they’re easily available. They are basically a leftover from donor blood after the extraction of plasma, and produced in large quantities.

InVitroJobs:
How far are you with the development of you r test? Is it already in pre-validation or validation?

Dr. Hendrik Reuter:
At the moment we are planning a double blind study in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) for the purpose of pre-validating the test.

InVitroJobs:
Is the test already applied by other research groups?

Dr. Hendrik Reuter:
Yes, for instance by several university groups, the company Henkel and the ring study participants.

InVitroJobs:
Your in vitro test is a kind of “building block” for a test series. Which other tests also play a part in skin sensitisation? How many are there, and what stage of development stage are they at?

Dr. Hendrik Reuter:
We don´t know exactly know that yet. The future will tell how many will pay a part within the framework of an integrated test strategy for investigating new substances.

InVitroJobs:
What kinds of animals are normally used in such scientific investigations?

Dr. Hendrik Reuter:
Mainly mice are used in the Local Lymph Node Assay1. Guinea pigs are hardly used any more, those methods are antiquated. It is nearly impossible to quantify the number of animals actually used.

InVitroJobs:
What is the reason your test system is classified in the category “repeated dose” and not the category "skin sensitization" as written in your paper"

Dr. Hendrik Reuter:
Both categories are correct. The toxicological endpoint “repeated dose” is the higher-level endpoint, because the investigation of a contact allergen involves applying the substance to the skin a second time, and as you have applied the substance at least twice, you do in fact have a “repeated dose”. The tests themselves are used to test skin sensitisation.

InVitroJobs:
Which problems currently most urgently needed solving in research on skin cell cultures, or in your case dendritic cells?

Dr. Hendrik Reuter:
Blood is not available in all countries, and in Japan for instance the use of blood is prohibited.
A further problem is using our model to test substances which are not soluble in water. A future solution will probably only be possible using an immune competent skin model.

InVitroJobs:
Thank you for the interview.

1 Lymph Node Assay: In order to detect skin-sensitising chemicals, the substance to be tested is applied in a dilution series to the back of the ears of adult female mice. After the incubation the animals are killed, and the auricular lymph nodes dissected and investigated.