In April 2007 FoA held a workshop entitled Human Volunteer Studies Replacing Pain Research on
Animals. This was a one-day round-table
expert workshop to explore the potential of, and the challenges facing, the use of ethical
human volunteer studies to replace animals in pain research. Participants included
researchers in the field of pain studies and scientists with expertise
in replacing animal experiments. Five key questions were used to provide a structure
for the discussions, addressing issues such as the advantages and disadvantages of the
data obtained from animal research versus volunteer studies and which animal
experiments are the most difficult to replace, and why. Recommendations to
advance progress in replacing animal experiments will be developed.
The hallmark of this workshop was to challenge participants to 'think outside the box' in
a creative way.
A report of the workshop entitled 'Volunteer studies in pain research –
Opportunities and challenges to replace animal experiments. The Report and Recommendations
of a Focus on Alternatives Workshop', has now been published in the journal
NeuroImage. (Abstract
available free of charge from Science
Direct, full text requires subscription)
For
more information on Volunteers in Research and Testing (VRT) visit: http://www.vrt.org.uk/
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