Basel Declaration

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The Basel Declaration on Animal Research is a call for more transparency and communication in dealing with animal experiments .

overview

The declaration was adopted on November 30, 2010 by over 60 scientists from Switzerland, Germany, England, France and Sweden. The undersigned commit themselves to more responsibility in animal experiments and to intensive cooperation with the public in the form of an unbiased dialogue. At the same time, they demand that animal experiments necessary to obtain research results remain permitted now and in the future. With the Basel Declaration, the researchers want the public to deal with scientific topics in a more prejudice-free manner and to ensure more trusting and reliable cooperation with national and international decision-makers.

The signatories of the Basel Declaration want to actively show that science and animal welfare are not mutually exclusive and that they make a constructive contribution to social dialogue - for example when implementing the new national laws passed on September 8, 2010. (The revised EU Animal Testing Directive provides for fewer laboratory animals to be used for scientific purposes in the future and for the needs of research to be better harmonized with the protection of animals without making research more difficult. The EU member states must pass the directive within two Years and apply this national law from January 2013.)

Alternatives to animal testing

"Animal experiments are in biomedical research for the foreseeable future continue to be necessary, but we are constantly working to refine the methods in terms of animal welfare." . The signatories of the declaration undertake, among other things, to use animal experiments only if the findings are fundamentally important and no alternative methods are available. As a result of their two-day conference in November 2010 , they are adhering to the principles of "Reduction, Refinement, Replacement" (3R principles):

The 3R principles (replace, reduce, refine) go back to William MS Russell & Rex L. Burch. In 1959 the two wrote their "Principles of Humane Experimental Technique". They are internationally accepted as guidelines for avoiding or reducing animal experiments or the suffering of laboratory animals:
  • Replacement : Replacement of animal experiments with methods that do not involve animal experiments
  • Reduction : Reduction in the number of animals in unavoidable animal experiments
  • Refinement : Improvement of the test procedures so that unavoidable animal tests are associated with less stress for the animals used

Need for better communication

The participants in the symposium for the adoption of the “Basel Declaration” agreed that science, in addition to a clear commitment to the responsible handling of laboratory animals, must do more to ensure transparency towards the public. In order to make their motivation and methods more understandable to the public and decision-makers, the researchers want to work more closely with politicians, the media and schools in the future and give science communication a higher priority.

Commitment to the public

The authors of the Basel Declaration recognize the need for increased public discussion of questions relating to animal experiments, as well as of the risks of research approaches and possible misuse of newly developed technologies. In addition, they state that in addition to results and scientific controversies, the procedures and approval procedures of the scientific process are also communicated in order to achieve a deeper understanding of research. The signatories of the Basel Declaration make the following commitments with regard to better information for the public about animal research:

  1. We communicate openly and transparently - also with regard to animal experiments. We proactively address the problem and openly declare that animal experiments make up part of our research.
  2. We give journalists access to our laboratories.
  3. We invite opinion leaders, media representatives and teachers to enter into a dialogue with researchers about the problem area of ​​basic research.
  4. We try to use language that is easy to understand.
  5. We declare our solidarity with all researchers who rely on animal experiments. Together we will reject unjustified accusations against individuals. We will publicly condemn vandalism, threats and other criminal acts in solidarity.

Animal experiments in basic research

Modern medicine is based on discoveries made in basic biological research and their implementation in applied research. The first signatories of the Basel Declaration see a great danger in the tendency to restrict animal experiments, especially in the area of ​​basic research. They state: “No level of research (basic research, applied research) may be categorically excluded from the permitted purposes of animal experimentation. Apart from the difficulty of delimiting the two levels in the field of medical research, applied research is generally inconceivable without basic research. Basic research is not an end in itself, but the basis for thinking ahead. Basic and applied research are part of the same continuum in biomedical research and often the allocation to one part or the other is more arbitrary than clearly defined. On the other hand, the classification of an experiment as basic research does not per se justify the use of animals. The indispensability must be proven as well as a weighing decision (burdens, benefits) is required according to the research goal. "

Better animal models

Genetically modified animals are an important tool in modern biomedical research. In many cases, simpler organisms bred using genetic engineering methods, such as fruit flies , laboratory worms or fish, can replace the use of more highly developed species in animal experiments. This contributes significantly to the promotion of the 3Rs for substituting ( replacement ), for the reduction ( reduction ) and improved design ( refinement ) of animal experiments in. Disease models in genetically modified animals are mainly found in rodents such as mice and rats. However, these cannot adequately depict human physiology in all cases. According to the participants in the symposium on the Basel Declaration, research on animal models in mammals such as arthropods (especially for animal health) and, in very rare cases, monkeys remains necessary. You will see the following benefits of using genetically modified organisms in animal studies:

  • Possibility of developing tests for therapeutic antibodies , which are increasingly used in modern medical therapy in humans
  • Production of recombinant products such as anticoagulants or therapeutic antibodies
  • Research into disease mechanisms in complex organisms (e.g. diabetes )
  • Exploring and understanding the underlying mechanisms and metabolic pathways in human diseases
  • Basics for efficient and targeted disease treatment of z. B. leukemia , high blood pressure or obesity

Animal experiments on non-human primates

As a result of their discussions on the subject of animal experiments on non-human primates , the participants in the symposium for the adoption of the Basel Declaration at the end of November 2010 state:

  1. Research on non-human primates is an essential part of biomedical advancement in the 21st century. Research on non-human primates led to the development of critical medical treatments such as: B. on vaccines against polio or hepatitis (jaundice), as well as improved drug safety thanks to indispensable contributions to the fundamentals of physiology , immunology , infectious diseases , genetics , pharmacology , reproductive biology and neurosciences . We foresee an increased need for research with non-human primates in the future, e.g. B. for personalized medicine and neurodegenerative diseases in an aging society. This continuing need is also reflected in the 2010 EU Directive (2010/63 / EU) on animal experimentation, which recognizes that research on non-human primates is irreplaceable in the foreseeable future.
  2. Biomedical research cannot be divided into “basic research” and “applied research”: it is a continuum that encompasses both fundamental studies of normal functions and their breakdown in disease and the development of therapies. This basic research is essential for biomedical progress. Any categorical restriction of research on non-human primates in basic research is short-sighted and not justified by any scientific evidence.
  3. With non-human primates working researchers the 3Rs for replacement ( replacement ) for the reduction ( reduction ) and improved design ( refinement ) required by animal experiments. Research on animals must meet the highest ethical standards. Non-human primates are only used when there are no alternatives. We are working hard to continuously refine the experimental methods and to reduce the number of non-human primates to a minimum. A strong commitment to the 3R guarantees the best science and the best animal welfare.
  4. We are committed to educating the public and providing objective information about research on non-human primates.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ EU Animal Testing Directive , tierschutzbund.de
  2. ↑ That said Stefan Treue, Director of the German Primate Center and German chairman of the conference for the adoption of the Basel Declaration on Animal Research
  3. ↑ “In the last 30 years, research has failed too often when it came to explaining sensitive topics such as animal experiments to the public in understandable language. It is time we changed this permanently, ”said Michael Hengartner, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Zurich .
  4. ↑ In this context, they demand: "Anyone who takes the time to conduct science communication should not be at a disadvantage in the race for the crucial data and should be rewarded in an appropriate form."