27 March 2009
Dr Hadwen Trust research wins replacement prize
Dr Hadwen Trust-funded researchers studying breast cancer have this week won a prestigious non-animal replacement prize at a poster event held at the House of Lords.
Dr Deborah Holliday, now based at the Department of Pathology and Tumour Biology, Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, and colleagues from Queen Mary’s, University of London, have constructed a 3-dimensional model of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a pre-invasive lesion which is the main precursor to breast cancer. The highly successful, complex 3-D model helps towards replacing experiments involving xenograft and transgenic mouse ‘models’ of breast cancer.
Deborah displayed a poster detailing this work at the event where a judging panel selected the best poster from each of the 3Rs. Deborah’s won the replacement section, scooping a prize of £3,000. The posters were judged on their impact on the 3Rs, quality of the science and the researchers’ ability to communicate to a lay audience.
The event was hosted by the National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs), as part of its celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Russell and Burch’s concept of replacement, reduction and refinement of animal experiments (3Rs). The poster event was held on Wednesday 25th March to demonstrate original 3Rs research from the UK for MPs and Peers.