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A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology (MPI) in Dortmund, led by Dr. Malte Gersch, has used cell cultures to elucidate the mode of action of a promising Parkinson's drug candidate. The work serves as a basis for the development of targeted therapies against Parkinson's disease.

A team of scientists from Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) led by Prof. Christian Schwamborn has presented a promising midbrain-hindbrain assembloid model that can be used to mimic the spread of alpha-synuclein pathology as observed in Parkinson's patients.

Humane World for Animals is seeking nominations for the Humane Science Innovator Award, formerly known as the Russell and Burch Award. The award is given to scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the replacement of animals in research and testing.

Researchers at the Technical University of Darmstadt, the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute in Reutlingen, as well as from the Black Drop Biodrucker company have developed a new type of bioink that improves nutrient transport in printed tissue.

USA: NIH focuses on human-based methods

Wednesday, 30 April 2025 08:54

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is starting a new initiative to expand innovative, human-based science while reducing the use of animals in research.

With the help of in vitro tests, American scientists have been able to observe that it is not nicotine that is responsible for the atherosclerotic effect of tobacco smoking, but presumably the countless other harmful substances that enter the circulation through the inhalation of combustion products.

Instead of clear rules for phasing out animal experiments in accordance with the reduction strategy that has been drawn up, the current coalition government is now planning a separate law that would exclude animals in experiments from the Animal Welfare Act. This would have serious consequences for their protection.

On Tuesday, April 22, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture's (BMEL) newly conceived Animal Welfare Research Prize was awarded to two winners. This year's winners are the organoid researcher and molecular geneticist at the University of Utrecht, Prof. Dr. Hans Clevers, and the well-known refinement researcher Prof. Dr. Adrian Smith - known for the norecopa platform and the arrive guidelines for improving the planning of animal experiments. A national prize for young scientists for methods and procedures to replace or reduce animal experiments was not awarded - there were too few applications.

According to the Washington Times, Lee Zeldin, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), plans to revive a ban on animal testing at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on osteoarthritis, an international research team led by Prof. Dr. Eleftheria Zeggini, Director of the Institute of Translational Genomics at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, has identified hundreds of new drug targets. The results also revealed possibilities for repurposing existing therapies.

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