In cooperation with the University of Philadelphia, researchers from the Medical Faculty of Mannheim have investigated the influence of a disturbed NMDA signaling pathway on the formation of schizophrenia. For that purpose they use the functional Magnetic Resonance Tomography (fMRI).

New ECVAM status report 2016 published

Friday, 04 November 2016 12:50

Currently, the new status report of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM) was released. It describes the current status and recommendations according to the develoment, validation and regolatory acceptances of new non-animal methods als replacement to animal experiments.

According to the American Institute for In Vitro Sciences (IIVS) in Gaithersburg, the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) accepts for the first time in China data obtained using animal-free methods. Soon they will be recognize the non-animal test methods for the safety evaluation of cosmetics.

A researcher team from Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Egypt has received this year's Global 3R Award for their organ-on-a-chip approach. The prize is donated by the "Consortium for Innovation and Quality in Pharmaceutical Development" (IQ) and the "Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International "(AAALAC).

Now MIT researchers have developed an imaging technique that, for the first time, enables three-dimensional mapping of serotonin as it's reabsorbed into neurons, across multiple regions of the living brain. This technique, the researchers say, gives an unprecedented view of serotonin dynamics, and could be a powerful tool for the research and development of antidepressants.

The new Animal Replacement Centre (ARC) is a joint venture between the Blizard Institute at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and the Dr Hadwen Trust (DHT). The ARC will help provide a unique environment where a team of scientists will work together with the common goal to develop, validate and apply human-based models of disease.

Congress on 3D cell cultures in London

Tuesday, 01 November 2016 11:26

SMi Group presents a 3D Cell Culture conference which takes place on the 22nd and 23rd February 2017 in London. There, current developments will be introduced in the field of 3d cell culture techniques, the prediction of 3d cell cultures and the role in drug finding, screening and as disease models in future.

In the category "young talent", the two freelance journalists Lydia Klöckner and Adrian Lobe has been honoured with the renowned Georg von Holtzbrinck Prize for science journalism. The prize recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of science journalism.

A team of scientists from the Cluster of Excellence for inflammation research at the Kiel University has decrypted an important mechanism with in vitro methods. Now they are able to explain which cell type produces the major inflammatory messenger IL-9 on a large scale. IL-9 plays an important role in allergic reactions or during the anti-tumor activity of the immune system.

In the category "science" and "training", several scientists are qualified for the prize of the British cosmetics producer LUSH. In this year, 55 nominations from 21 countries have been selected. £250,000 prize money (equivalent to just 278,000 euros) will be shared by the winners to support the ending of animal experiments in research, industry and training. The winners will be awarded during a conference on 11 November in London.