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New German laboratory animal welfare prize awarded
Researchers in Hanover and Ulm are jointly awarded the first Handel Prize.
This month, the German Research Council (DFG) has awarded a new prize to scientists whose work has improved the protection of animals used in research.
The inaugural awards went to Klaus Otto, 51, professor of experimental surgery and anaesthesiology at the central animal laboratory of the University of Hanover's Medical School, and Lisa Wiesmüller, 43, head of gynaecological oncology at the University of Ulm. The Ursula M. Händel Animal Protection Prize, which carries a cash award of €12,500 (US $16,200), was created with a cash donation from Mrs. Händel, a long-time supporter of animal protection issues.
Hans-Joachim Bode, program director of the DFG's Life Sciences Division and a coordinator of the new prize, said that the DFG set up the award for two reasons: "Firstly, Mrs. Ursula Händel gave us the money to promote animal protection in research. Secondly, the DFG always has an interest in high standards in research and the protection of animals."
Otto was recognized for his work to find more accurate means of measuring the effectiveness of general anesthesia on animals used in research. Instead of traditional measuring methods such as heart rate, blood pressure, and pupil dilation, Otto uses electroencephalograms to measure brain activity. Wiesmüller was honoured for developing a test using human cell culture to detect potential carcinogenic effects or genetic damage from medicines and food additives. Such testing currently requires the use of animals.
But not everyone in Germany is satisfied with the new award. Harald Ullmann, vice president of the German branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said that simply improving the protection of animals used in research is not enough. "We would like to see the number of animals used for research fall to zero," he said.
More than 2.126 million animals were used in Germany for research in 2001, according to a report prepared for the Bundestag, Germany's upper house of Parliament. Of the total, some 1.024 million were mice, 512,393 rats, 303,590 fishes, 117,890 rabbits, and 63,665 birds. Among larger animals, some 11,661 pigs, 2,402 cattle, 4,430 dogs, and 648 cats were used.