Animal-free methods in antibody production - new paper published
- News
ECEAE member Forsøgsdyrenes Værn in Denmark has recently published a paper in ATLA stating that animals should no longer be used in antibody production. Modern methods can deliver antibodies that are fully comparable and have scientific advantages over conventional antibodies derived from animals. Forsøgsdyrenes Værn talks about its efforts to push for a phase out of animal-based production in Denmark.
Antibody development in animals involves repeated immunizations of live animals with the extraction of antibodies either from the blood or from the spleen. Worldwide rabbits, goats, sheep, horses, llamas and other animals are used in this production. As a member of the Danish Council for Animal Experiments, Forsøgsdyrenes Værn (The Danish Society for the Protection of Laboratory Animals) has tirelessly drawn attention to the fact that there are other methods for producing antibodies. Yet Danish researchers continue to apply to use the traditional method using animals. When will researchers be required to live up to the clear message of the law that if there is another, animal-free method of performing an experiment, it must be used?
Forsøgsdyrenes Værn has encouraged progress toward the development and use of non-animal technologies where possible, by giving, often in partnership with Alternativfondet, financial support to projects that could lead to the replacement of animals for antibody generation.
In June 2019, at the request of Forsøgsdyrenes Værn, Dr Alison Gray (who was a member of the ESAC Working Group on non-animal-derived antibodies and other affinity reagents) gave a presentation on the subject to the members and deputy members of the Danish Animal Experimentation Council (Rådet for Dyreforsøg), animal experimentation authority staff and a representative of the Danish 3Rs Centre.
On 4 November 2019, Forsøgsdyrenes Værn and Alternativfondet held a seminar in Copenhagen to highlight some of the science projects they had funded in 2019 and in the preceding years, that were specifically aimed at replacing animal-use. A special focus was placed on non-animal-derived antibodies
Danish industry includes some quite large commercial producers of antibodies and diagnostic kits. Two such companies have recently extended their animal holding facilities so that they can keep an even larger number of rabbits than the thousands they already do.
Animals, science and human patients pay the price for this delay in moving toward better technology and new possibilities. Therefore, Forsøgsdyrenes Værn believes that more needs to be done to positively urge and accelerate change. Otherwise, there is a risk that the transition to the total use of non-animal-derived antibodies in Denmark is simply left to drift, with clearly no advantage to either the animals used or to the science.