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Inventory of the Spanish Institutions and Scientists Involved in Alternatives to the use of Laboratory Animals (Refinement, Reduction or Replacement)+

Inventory: 10. The Promoters of Alternatives

Different activities have been organized for the promotion and the development of alternative methods in Spain, including the creation of new entities, the interconnection of people by means of internet, and private support for the organization of meetings and courses, etc.

Several scientific societies have included the promotion of alternative methods within their own activities. Among the most relevant can be included:

Spanish Toxicology Society (AET), Spanish Society for the Science of Laboratory Animals (SECAL), Spanish Society of Animal Research (SEEA), Spanish Society of Pharmacology (AEF), Spanish Group of the Chromaffin Cell, the Spanish branch of the Society of Cell Biology, etc.

However, other groups have been created with the main purpose of promoting alternative methods, including GEFTIV, ICLAS/CSIC-WG, GTEMA and REMA.

10.1.- Spanish Group on Pharmaco-Toxicology in vitro (GEFTIV): Informal Group

Establishment and composition: The Grupo Español de Farmacotoxicología in vitro was established in 1992, and has 43 members (Zucco and Vignoli, 1998).

Aims:

The aims of the group are to facilitate contacts and exchanges among the pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetic industries as well as researchers working in the biomedicine and biotechnology fields at the University, and other research centres that may be interested in these techniques.

Main areas of interest:

Development of cellular models to assess basal cytotoxicity and target-organ toxicity (primary cultures of different organs or tissues , immortalized human cells, cell lines).

Development of tests to assess toxicity, interpretation of the data, and critical analysis of the possibilities and limitations of in vitro studies.

Drug metabolism (human and animal species cultured hepatocytes, transient or permanent CYP expressing cellular systems, microsomes).

Mechanisms of toxicity

Production:

A number of a newsletter in 1995, and two books on alternative methods (In vitro alternatives to animal pharmacotoxicology; In vitro methods in Pharmaceutical research) were published by the Secretary and the Coordinator of the group.

Contact Person:

Collaborations:

- ETCS, Spanish Branch of the European Tissue Culture Society
- SEBC, Spanish Cell Biology Society
- SECAL, Spanish Society of the Science of Laboratory Animals
- SET, Spanish Toxicology Society

10.2.- THE ICLAS/CSIC Working Group on Complementary Methods (ICLAS/CSIC-WG)

Establishment and composition

In September 1994, the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS), a non-governmental organization for international cooperation in laboratory animal science, created a working group to promote complementary and alternative methods to reduce, refine and replace the use of laboratory animals.

The members of the group are:

Dr. Eduardo de la Peña - Spain (Chair)
Dr. Francisco González Mencio - Cuba
Dr. C.F.M. Hendriksen - The Netherlands
Dr. Kai Pelkonen - Finland
Prof. Horst Spielmann - Germany
Dr. R. Fosse. Norway

Main areas of interest:

A meeting of the ICLAS/CSIC Working Group on complementary methods was held in the Centro Regional de Salud in Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain on April 28-29, 1995 under the chairmanship of Dr. Eduardo de la Peña, ICLAS Scientific Member for Spain.

The objective of this meeting was to obtain a list of recommendations to be presented to the ICLAS Governing Board and General Assembly that was held in Helsinki, Finland, on July 1-7, 1995. Professor Garcia Partida, President of the ICLAS Spanish committee, expressed his gratitude to all those who participated and stressed the significance of this report of the meeting.

The scientific rationale for alternatives development is based upon the 3Rs concept of Russell and Burch--replacement, reduction and refinement. In general, sessions focused on the harmonization of approaches to the development and validation of alternative methods. Validation was defined as the process whereby the relevance and reliability of a procedure are established for a particular purpose.

Several issues related to validation were discussed, including criteria, approaches, and problems associated with previous studies. Several recommendations focusing on the role ICLAS can take in fostering the development and implementation of alternatives were also formulated.

Production:

Publication "ICLAS/CSIC Working Group on Complementary Methods", de la Peña E, Guadaño A, Barrueco C, Repetto G, Gonzalez Menció F, Garcia Partida P, Madrid, 1995

Contact Person:

Collaborations:

- ECVAM: European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods
- OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(Dra. E. Valcarce Spanish Coordinator on toxicology methods)
- AET: Spanish Toxicology Society
- ETAC: Group of Alternative Toxicological Methods in Cuba
- EUROTOX: European Society of Toxicology
- CICYT: Interministerial Commission of Science and Technology (E)
- SECAL: Spanish Society for Scientific Laboratory Animals
- SEEA: Spanish Society for Animal Research
- SEMA: Spanish Society of Mutagenesis
- GTEMA- Spanish Group on Alternative Methods

10.3.- GTEMA- Spanish Group on Alternative Methods(AET)

Establishment and composition

After several years of informal contacts between members of the Spanish Toxicology Society, agreement on the convenience of the formal constitution of the group was eventually reached due to the excellent opportunity provided when Spanish participants attended the Working Group on Complementary Methods in1995. The group was formally established in 1995 as a speciality group of the Spanish Toxicology Society (AET), and has 95 members.

Aims:

The main objective of the Grupo de Trabajo Especializado en Métodos Alternativos is to stimulate cooperation and the co-ordination of scientific activities contributing to the development of new experimental methods, in vivo and in vitro, which will reduce the number of animals used, refine techniques in order to reduce animal suffering, or replace the use of animals altogether (the three "Rs").

Another aim is to stimulate the participation of Spanish research groups in method prevalidation and validation programmes and to promote the regulatory acceptance of alternative methods, particularly in vitro toxicity methods.

Main areas of interest:

Main interest areas of GTEMA members are:

- basal cytotoxicity
- organ-specific toxicity: irritation, absorption, neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, etc.
- development of model systems
- metabolism
- mechanisms of action and effects: apoptosis, differentiation, oxidative stress.
- mutagenicity
- alternatives in education

Production:

- Stimulation of co-ordinated projects and application for grants related to alternative methods
- Dissemination of information about activities in the field of alternatives in the official journal of the Society: Revista de Toxicología
- GTEMA Newsletter (in Spanish), 4 numbers/year from 1996, distributed to all the members of the Spanish Toxicology Society (400)
- E-mail network: [3ERRES] GTEMA Distribution List: e-mail messages, 15 numbers/year, from 1996, distributed to more than 100 members in 7 countries.
- Internet web site: http://tox.umh.es/aet/gtema/

Contact Person:

Collaborations:

- ECVAM: European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods
- OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
- AET: Spanish Toxicology Society
- ETAC: Group of Alternative Toxicological Methods in Cuba
- ERGATT: European Research Group for Alternatives in Toxicity Testing
- ESTIV: European Society of Toxicology in Vitro
- EUROTOX: European Society of Toxicology
- CICYT: Interministerial Commission of Science and Technology (E)
- ICLAS/CICYT/CSIC Working Group on Complementary Methods
- SECAL: Spanish Society for the Science of Laboratory Animal
- SEEA: Spanish Society for Animal Research
- SEMA: Spanish Society of Mutagenesis
- ADDA: Spanish Society for the Defence of Animal Rights

10.4.- REMA- Spanish Network for the Development of Alternative Methods

Establishment and composition

The designated members of the Promoter Commission were: Drs Eduardo de la Peña, José V. Castell, Guillermo Repetto, Adela López de Cerain, Domingo Gargallo, and Eugenio Vilanova

Aims:

To create a reference point for Spanish scientific associations, interested in alternative methods (in biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, environmental, etc), in order to favour and promote joint initiatives.

Main areas of interest:

To potentiate the interchange of ideas, the preparation of professionals, research in the field, bi-directional communication with the administration, the industry, and in general, to increase the representativeness of Spain in international forums. In summary, inform, form and develop activities on alternatives.

Production:

- Gascó P, Barrueco C and Guadaño A (1997) Acta de la Reunión para el Desarrollo y la Coordinación con ECVAM de los grupos españoles interesados en Métodos alternativos.

- REMA (1998) de la Peña E, Castell JV, Repetto G, López de Cerain A, Gargallo D, Vilanova E. Documento de Trabajo sobre la Constitución de la Red Española para el Desarrollo de Métodos Alternativos (REMA). Revista de Toxicologia 15: 133-142

- Internet web site: http://tox.umh.es/rema/

Contact Person:

Fuente / Source: Guillermo Repetto, Ana del Peso, Manuel Salguero, Manuel Repetto (1999) Inventory of the Spanish Institutions and Scientists Involved in Alternatives to the use of Laboratory Animals (Refinement, Reduction or Replacement) Revista de Toxicología 16: 50-127.