110 scientists are clearly committed to animal research. One of them is Prof. Dr. Volker Haucke, Director at the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP). The campaign aims to provide an objective, transparant and scientifically sound prespective.
On International Day for Animals in Research, 110 leading scientists from Germany are publicly committing to animal research. Under the joint statement “We conduct animal experiments!”, they make it clear: without animal experiments, medical progress and the development of new therapies for many diseases would not be possible. The campaign is being organized by Professor Dr. Frank Kirchhoff of Saarland University, a member of the Executive Board of the German Neuroscience Society. Prof. Dr. Volker Haucke from the FMP has also signed the plea for social recognition of the importance of animal research. “I conduct animal experiments in order to develop new therapies for strokes or neurodegenerative diseases on the basis of our basic research", he says.
“Animal experiments are indispensable for basic research,” emphasizes Prof. Kirchhoff. “At the same time, we consider the integration of cell culture and organoid models into our research programs to be necessary and already practice this extensively.”
The signatories come from research institutions at German universities, the Max Planck Society, the Leibniz Association and the Helmholtz Association. They are active in top positions in numerous scientific societies - as presidents, board members or spokespersons, such as the Neuroscience Society, the German Society for Neurosurgery, the German Society for Cell Biology, the Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the German Physiological Society and many other specialist societies.
They have received numerous awards, including the Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and various European Research Council (ERC) grants. Many of them shape the German scientific landscape as members of academies such as the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the state academies of science or the Academia Europaea.
The researchers emphasize that animal experiments are carried out under the strictest ethical and legal requirements and continue to be indispensable for researching diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes or rare genetic diseases and developing innovative therapies. Their common goal is responsible research for the benefit of humans and animals.
“Our campaign complements the educational work of the “Understanding animal experiments” information initiative, whose website provides extensive information on animal experiments as well as personal statements,” says Kirchhoff.
