Scientists from all over the world will meet in London on 28th and 29th May 2008 to
discuss how nanotechnology can contribute towards reducing testing on animals.
The application of nanotechnology is currently revolutionizing medicine and this twoday
conference, the first of its kind in Europe, will examine the role nanotechnology
could also play in improving or refining the development of alternatives to animal
testing whilst maintaining safety.
Animal testing is costly and there is a great deal of research on finding viable and
effective alternatives (new methods that refine existing tests by minimizing animal
distress, reducing animal usage, or replacing whole animal tests). Despite large
reductions in animal testing since the early 1980s due to improved in vitro methods,
levels remain high (over 3 million procedures in 2006) and results cannot always be
extrapolated to humans.
Presentations from:
Dr Sandra Coecke, IHCP-ECVAM; Samantha Dozier, PETA; Béatrice Schaak, CEA
Grenoble - DSV/ iRTSV; Dr Kelly BéruBé, Cardiff University; Dr J Malcolm Wilkinson,
Kirkstall Ltd; Professor Ken Donaldson, University of Edinburgh; Dr John Haycock/
Professor Sheila McNeil, University of Sheffield; Dr. Fanqing Frank Chen, Lawrence
Berkley National Laboratory; Dr Anna Price, European Commission JRC; Dr Katy
Taylor, BUAV; Ulrich Krühne, Teknologisk Institut; Peter Ertl, Austrian Research
Centers (ARC) GmbH; Dr Antonio Garcia, Arizona State University; Dr Nirmala
Bhogal, FRAME; Dr Rosemary Gibson, Health & Safety Laboratory; Professor
Shervanthi Homer-Vanniasinkam, Consultant Vascular Surgeon, Leeds General
Infirmary Professor of Translational Vascular Medicine, Leeds Medical School; Arianna
Ferrari, Darmstadt University of Technology; Dr Andy Bennett, FRAME.
Sessions will cover Toxicology and Drug Design; Tissue Engineering, Other Novel
Models and Testing Strategies; Imaging and Diagnostics; Regulatory and Legal
Issues.
For further information please contact Gemma McCulloch,
gemma.mcculloch@nano.org.uk, on +44(0)1786 458020. Alternatively please visit
http://www.nano.org.uk/events/ionevents.htm#animals.
The Institute, a registered charity, was one of the first organisations to raise
awareness of nanotechnology and its applications, and is now a world leader in the
field. It disseminates information through its website, http://www.nano.org.uk; organises
events for industry on a variety of topics; supports new start-ups; and is involved in
EU-funded projects. For more information on the Institute and its activities, contact
Dr Mark Morrison, Institute of Nanotechnology, Tel: +44 (0) 141 303 8444; or email:
mark.morrison@nano.org.uk
