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Summer Student 2022:

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Summer Student 2022:

Biological inks for the development of 3D printed diseased skin models

Project summary:

Skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis are a hug burden to millions of people worldwide. It is important to treat these conditions as soon as possible, to prevent the condition getting worse and leading to further complications.

Unfortunately, new treatments for skin conditions are often tested on healthy animals – including mice, dogs, pigs and guinea pigs. These animals are treated with chemicals so they develop skin diseases and are then exposed to treatments to observe how they respond.

3D printing of body parts, such as the skin, has gained attention for the potential to replace the use of animals in these types of experiments. However, one of the challenges is developing a 3D skin model which functions in a similar way to human skin.

For my project I will investigate using entirely animal free components to screen a range of biological inks for their potential to improve the mechanical structure of printed skin. This could lead to more rapid and reproducible screening of new skin treatments for psoriasis, dermatitis and diabetes related skin wounds.

Animals project will replace: Mice, pigs, guinea pigs and dogs

 

You can take action for animals, by uniting with us now!

Many human relevant approaches have been introduced into the scientific world, but unfortunately, the use of animals in medical research is entrenched and institutionalised, with many researchers still viewing animal experiments as the gold standard. This is our time to make change happen. Our work is funded entirely by your generous support, so please make a donation today to help us free animals from laboratories for good.

Support the next generation of scientists who are innovating the future of research, and join us in building a brighter future for humans and for the animals.

 

 

 

Page last modified on July 7, 2022 1:34 pm

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Summer Student 2022: William Gane

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Summer Student 2022: William Gane

Computational analysis of the interactions between psychoactive substances and the key receptors in the brain to contribute to the development of animal free chemical sensing platforms

Supervisor name and institution: Dr Michelle Botha, University of Hertfordshire

Project summary:

Psychoactive substances pose a serious threat to public health, particularly in the United States. Approximately 100,000 people died of a drug overdose between April 2020 and April 2021 in the USA. There is also growing concern that the UK, Scotland in particular, is experiencing increases in drug overdose rates.

Current drug detection techniques include immunoassays, a type of test that uses monoclonal antibodies to look for the presence of molecules of interest. Monoclonal antibodies are often animal-derived.

For my project I will take a closer look at how psychoactive substances act in certain receptors in the brain. I will look for trends in the way they interact with the receptors responsible for regulating serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline levels. This will be done using computer software to model the receptors and the substances I am analysing, which is an example of an In Silico process that can be used to replace animal testing in drug discovery.

Animals project will replace: Mice, monkeys, rats, cats and dogs

Get to know William…

Why do you want to participate in animal replacement summer studentship?

I am excited to partake in the Summer Studentship Programme as I believe it is important that we discontinue the usage of animal testing in modern science, as it is a cruel and unnecessary action to carry out. By taking part in the programme, I will be able to get first-hand experience in methods that can replace animal testing, helping me to become a more ethically conscious scientist in the future.

Research without the use of animals is important to me, as my family and I are all animal lovers, and have all adopted previously mistreated animals in order to give them a better and more loving home. Because of this, I find it absolutely heart breaking that so many animals are mistreated when there are so many other options available.

 

You can take action for animals, by uniting with us now!

Many human relevant approaches have been introduced into the scientific world, but unfortunately, the use of animals in medical research is entrenched and institutionalised, with many researchers still viewing animal experiments as the gold standard. This is our time to make change happen. Our work is funded entirely by your generous support, so please make a donation today to help us free animals from laboratories for good.

Support the next generation of scientists who are innovating the future of research, and join us in building a brighter future for humans and for the animals.

 

 

 

Page last modified on July 11, 2022 9:13 am

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Summer Student 2022: Ryan Hoyes

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Summer Student 2022: Ryan Hoyes

Fully humanized model to study the role of blood vessels in lung disease

Supervisor name and institution: Dr Leonid Nikitenko, University of Hull

Project summary:

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease in which lung scarring occurs with no known cause. In recent years several lines of evidence have implicated the role of blood vessels (containing endothelial cells) in disease progression but little is known about how these cells contribute to this disease due to a lack of accurate models.

Current models poorly reflect the reality of the disease, and if the cause of scarring is not the same as it occurs in humans, the results are often obscured and inaccurate which negatively impacts clinical trials for new therapies that may stop or reverse disease progression, or even the possibility of a cure.

My project will use modern sequencing technology to assess the gene expression of cultured lung blood vessel cells which have been donated from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. This will provide a more detailed understanding of how endothelial cells respond to this disease and inform the creation of new treatments.

Animals project will replace: Mice, rats, dogs, horses and cats

Get to know Ryan…

Why do you want to participate in animal replacement summer studentship?

In a short explanation, I personally find research conducted on animals to be cruel and a significant waste of life. This is a commonly shared opinion between many which is also backed up by scientific research and current data on the rates of success in clinical trails originating from animal products. Frankly, animal testing for the purpose of human health can not be sufficiently backed up when considering molecular and physiological differences between species.

How will the Summer Student Programme help to kick-start your career as an animal free researcher?

Having originated from a construction-based background, the Summer Student Programme will ultimately provide me with a greater depth on how research is conducted and a better understanding in the techniques involved.

Why is research without the use of animals important to you?

Animal testing is currently considered the norm when it comes to scientific research. However, animals are a poor reflection of human disease. My project on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis provides a clear example of this. Idiopathic is a term for unknown origin, but the mice that are used in this research are administered bleomycin which causes pulmonary fibrosis and therefore affects the accuracy and effectiveness of the drug in clinical trials. From a scientific standing point, animal free research is clinically significant in the development of personalised medicine for humans.

Animal experimentation is also ethically questionable as many species die in the process of the research conducted on them and the number of animals used in research only increases each year. Increased study of human disease only increases the death rate of animals used in research, which in our generation should be outdated and replaced with donated human biomaterial for the purpose of accurate science as well as ethical considerations.

How does your project fit in with your degree?

Coming from a Biomedical Science background, the clinical aspect of testing on human biomaterial is of significant importance when it comes to providing safer drug trials. This project will significantly benefit the industry in which I choose to build a career as scientific advancements in human diseases hold the potential for treatments to incurable diseases. This project will allow me to develop key skills in bioinformatics which I am aiming to utilise in the future prospects aimed towards cancer.

What are your future plans and career aspirations?

My future plans involve post graduate study, which was originally adapted to the NHS route of becoming a clinical scientist. However, applying my knowledge to the purpose of animal free research is of a greater interest and I know that the contributions made in this area could significantly impact the healthcare industry by providing patients with safer medicine at an increased effectiveness.

 

You can take action for animals, by uniting with us now!

Many human relevant approaches have been introduced into the scientific world, but unfortunately, the use of animals in medical research is entrenched and institutionalised, with many researchers still viewing animal experiments as the gold standard. This is our time to make change happen. Our work is funded entirely by your generous support, so please make a donation today to help us free animals from laboratories for good.

Support the next generation of scientists who are innovating the future of research, and join us in building a brighter future for humans and for the animals.

 

 

 

Page last modified on July 7, 2022 1:09 pm

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Summer Student 2022: Fengjiao Zheng

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Summer Student 2022: Fengjiao Zheng

Exploring animal free simulated lung fluid to develop lung toxicology models

Supervisor name and institution: Dr Laura Urbano, University of Hertfordshire

Project summary:

Inhalation is a major exposure route for humans, making toxicity testing essential. To this day, inhalation toxicity testing using mice and rats is the only available option for regulatory purposes, despite the recognition that such studies lack relevance to humans.
Recent efforts have been focused on developing alternative, cell-based models which avoid the use of animals and are more human relevant. However, these models are still lacking essential aspects such as the interactions between the materials to test and the fluids that cover the inner surface of the lungs. Such interactions can lead to changes to the particles after inhalation, leading to different toxicity compared to the initial “naked” particle.

For my project I will explore the effect of animal free simulated lung fluid on environmental nano and microparticles in order to develop better human relevant models for lung toxicology.

Animals project will replace: Mice and rats

Get to know Fengjiao…

Why do you want to participate in animal replacement summer studentship?

I strongly believe that animal should not be used in research or to test the safety of products.  Initially, the animal’s rights are violated when they are used in research. Animals are exposed to experiments that are often painful or cause permanent harm or death, and they are never offered the choice of refusing to participate. The pain and suffering inflicted on experimental animals is not worth any potential advantages to human.  Further, animal experimentation is entirely unnecessary because effective alternatives are accessible.

How will the Summer Student Programme help to kick-start your career as an animal free researcher?

This project and the additional training provided by the animal Free Summer School will further allowing me to kickstart my research career by improving my research, laboratory, critical thinking abilities, as well as the summer school offers the valuable opportunity that enables to networking with like-minded people that also have strong believes in animal free research.

How does your project fit in with your degree?

I am very dedicated to pursuing a career in research, development and analysis of medicine design, and the Studentship would allow me to gain the laboratory skills while also supporting the replacement of animals in science, a discipline that I am strongly committed to.

What are your future plans and career aspirations?

In addition, by work in nano and microparticles in this project will help inform my future research in the MSc pharmaceutical degree and future career in the research area towards nanoparticles for the lungs. I plan to gain more knowledge in drug research analysis, particularly polymers and nanotechnology by enrol for a Doctorate in pharmaceutics.

 

You can take action for animals, by uniting with us now!

Many human relevant approaches have been introduced into the scientific world, but unfortunately, the use of animals in medical research is entrenched and institutionalised, with many researchers still viewing animal experiments as the gold standard. This is our time to make change happen. Our work is funded entirely by your generous support, so please make a donation today to help us free animals from laboratories for good.

Support the next generation of scientists who are innovating the future of research, and join us in building a brighter future for humans and for the animals.

 

 

 

Page last modified on July 7, 2022 12:56 pm

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Summer Student 2022: Rebecca Thornton

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Summer Student 2022: Rebecca Thornton

Developing a tool to replace animal-derived antibodies used for neurological conditions

Supervisor name and institution: Sheree Smith, Leeds Beckett University

Project summary:

The ability to specifically identify different proteins underpins all scientific research. Currently, the most widely used tools to identify proteins are animal-derived antibodies. There are greater than 20,000 known proteins expressed in the human body, so generating tools to specifically identify these proteins is a must.

There is, however, an animal free alternative – the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) aptamer. Aptamer is derived from the Greek ‘aptus’, meaning ‘to fit’. The aptamer forms unique shapes that enable it to bind specifically to its protein target. Even better, it can be produced in the lab, entirely animal free.

For my project I will generate a ssDNA aptamer to detect a specific human protein receptor called the formyl peptide receptor (FPR1).

Research surrounding the FPR1 receptor has indicated to be key in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, neurological cancers such as glioblastoma, and brain injury.

Animals project will replace: Mice, rabbits, rats and sheep

Get to know Rebecca…

Why do you want to participate in animal replacement summer studentship?

Animal welfare has always been important to me, having switched to a vegetarian diet when I was 14 years old after independently researching the widespread effects of the animal agriculture industry. At this age I had limited knowledge of how widespread the use of animals and animal derived products was in other sectors, but I knew that it was something I felt strongly about and wanted to do my part towards reducing. Pursuing further education in the scientific field throughout my A-Levels and degree, I learnt how much scientific research relies on animal research and lab practices involving animal derived products. Wanting to pursue a career in science, I had to acknowledge that these practices do occur, and it seemed as though it was simply an accepted practice in the industry to allow for the progression of scientific research. This led me to question whether I would need to do the same to pursue a career in science.

In order for there to be change in the research industry, there has to be people entering the sector who have the ability to question these methods, research alternatives and educate and encourage others in the field to follow different protocols.

How will the Summer Student Programme help to kick-start your career as an animal free researcher?

An animal replacement summer studentship is an exciting opportunity for me. Being able to undertake a project in the lab where these alternative options are explored is an ideal starting point for an education and career, driven by and guided by animal free methods, where in the future I could do my part to encourage alternatives to be explored further. The project will not only give me the invaluable skills and experience to help with this but will allow me to apply and build confidence in my lab skills and learn new methods. This all being in an animal free way, not only aligns with my personal beliefs, but also makes an excellent starting point for a future in an animal free career, particularly in areas where I may have otherwise been hesitant or uncomfortable to take part in.

Why is research without the use of animals important to you?

I think that any aspect of life that can be followed without harming animals should be strived towards. As humans we have a responsibility to limit the harm we make towards other sentient beings and I strongly believe that any research that benefits us as humans, shouldn’t be at the expense of animals. It’s very easy for the general public to turn a blind eye to the methods that are used by scientists to advance medical research for our own benefit, but we have a responsibility to find methods that avoid animal use and educate others on these alternatives. Also, animals are not always perfect models for humans and so the use of animals in some research is not as relevant as it could be. Human based models often make a better option, therefore efforts need to be put into animal free research specifically to find these alternatives.

How does your project fit in with your degree?

This summer project would give me valuable lab experience to help me in my degree and third year project specifically, which is also centred within neurobiology, exploring the differentiation of neuronal cells. Within my final year project, I hope to use human derived SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells in order to keep my data human relevant. Unfortunately, the typical protocol for culturing these cells involves supplementing media with foetal bovine serum and the detaching of the cells uses trypsin, which is often derived from pigs. As these methods are standard practices, taking part in this summer project will be a useful insight into alternative methods that can be used and I am eager to learn ways in which these components can be compensated for, in an animal free way.

What are your future plans and career aspirations?

During my time in education so far, my love for academia and the sciences has always been reflected in my work. Undertaking my degree in Biomedical Sciences and speaking with academics and postgraduate students has developed this interest further and given me insight into the possibility of a career in research. I am eager to pursue this summer studentship to explore this option further and confirm if research is the career path I wish to follow.

 

You can take action for animals, by uniting with us now!

Many human relevant approaches have been introduced into the scientific world, but unfortunately, the use of animals in medical research is entrenched and institutionalised, with many researchers still viewing animal experiments as the gold standard. This is our time to make change happen. Our work is funded entirely by your generous support, so please make a donation today to help us free animals from laboratories for good.

Support the next generation of scientists who are innovating the future of research, and join us in building a brighter future for humans and for the animals.

 

 

 

Page last modified on July 7, 2022 9:06 am

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Summer Student 2022: Pawel Pokorski

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Summer Student 2022: Pawel Pokorski

Prediction of nanomaterials (small particles) toxicity on humans in lung research

Supervisor name and institution: Dr Fiona Murphy, Heriot-Watt University

Project summary:

Nanomaterials are particles with extremely small dimensions, 100 times smaller than the width of a human hair. As the nanotechnology industry grows, concerns have been raised over the impact of increasing exposure to these new materials may have on human health. Assessing the safety of new materials, such as nanomaterials, has led to ethical concerns over the numbers of animals needed to conduct standard toxicity testing.

If a new nanomaterial can be shown to cause the same responses as a known toxic material in simple experiments which mimic what happens inside the body when humans are exposed, a prediction can be made that the nanomaterial will also be toxic to human health.

This approach is called grouping. Grouping different nanomaterials which are shown to behave similarly to known toxins that do not involve animals or animal products is one promising approach to reduce the number of animals used in toxicology studies.

My project aims to test the grouping approach to predict multi-component nanomaterials toxicity to reduce need for animal testing for these new materials.

Animals project will replace: Mice and rats

Get to know Pawel…

Why do you want to participate in animal replacement summer studentship?

As a rising researcher, I believe that animal testing raises serious ethical concerns, as it may promote unnecessary use, suffering and killing of animals. Humans (as beings able to make informed decisions) should instead contribute to the protection of, in fact, helpless creatures and support the idea of equality of the whole Animalia kingdom as inhabitants of the world with equal right to life.

How will the Summer Student Programme help to kick-start your career as an animal free researcher?

The studentship will help me to kick-start my career as an animal free researcher because it will largely contribute to the development of a broad array of in vitro cell culture and assaying techniques. The project will also highlight the importance of ethics in research which is a value that every real scientist should be familiar with.

Why is research without the use of animals important to you?

The participation in the Studentship is an invaluable help to take part in global efforts aiming to prevent animal suffering, simultaneously creating more scientifically valuable methods. The research without experimenting on animals is significant for me because it remains in keeping with my personal values which would not allow me to harm and cause suffering of any animal.

How does your project fit in with your degree?

The research on the validation of a testing strategy for the assessment of multi-component nanomaterials allows for exploring the frontiers of biology and chemistry which were the essence of my pharmaceutical chemistry degree. My course introduced cellular metabolism and the theory behind multiple assaying techniques. Despite it being mainly from the point of view of candidate drugs toxicity testing, all the principles are transferable to nanotoxicity testing too. The project will allow me to consolidate and expand the gained knowledge as well as practical skills which remains crucial in the post-lockdown times.

What are your future plans and career aspirations?

The project will help me to gain new laboratory skills and expand on the existing ones which remains crucial in the post-lockdown times. The obtained experience will be a base for my further development and could facilitate the pursuit of an academic career by e.g., making my future Ph.D. applications more attractive. 

 

You can take action for animals, by uniting with us now!

Many human relevant approaches have been introduced into the scientific world, but unfortunately, the use of animals in medical research is entrenched and institutionalised, with many researchers still viewing animal experiments as the gold standard. This is our time to make change happen. Our work is funded entirely by your generous support, so please make a donation today to help us free animals from laboratories for good.

Support the next generation of scientists who are innovating the future of research, and join us in building a brighter future for humans and for the animals.

 

 

 

Page last modified on July 7, 2022 8:59 am

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