November 1997 News

Spielmann wins Russell and Burch Award

November 1, 1997

Horst Spielmann, head of the German National Center for the Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments, has received the 1997 Russell and Burch Award from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

The award is presented annually to a scientist who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of alternatives, and in particular, the Three Rs approach to alternatives--namely, methods that refine existing tests to minimize animal pain and suffering, reduce the number of animals needed for a test, or replace whole animals with in vitro or other methods.

The award honors the work of William Russell and Rex Burch, who launched the Three Rs approach in 1959 with the publication of their book, The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique.

HSUS presented Spielmann with the award at a dinner in his honor Nov. 12. He also received a specially bound volume of Russell and Burch's book, signed personally by the authors, as well as a trophy and $5,000.

Andrew Rowan, HSUS senior vice president, said Spielmann has been a leader in the alternatives field throughout Europe, while directing work for the center, better known by its German abbreviation, ZEBET. He has conducted research, managed multi-laboratory projects, and served on many advisory boards.

At ZEBET, he has participated on the management teams of large-scale validation studies on alternatives in the fields of phototoxicity, embryotoxicity, eye irritation and skin irritation, among others.

In addition to his work at ZEBET, Spielmann is the German representative on the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), chairman of the European Research Group for Alternatives in Toxicological Testing (ERGATT), president of the Middle European Society for Alternatives to Laboratory Animals (MEGAT), and associate editor of the journal Alternatives to Laboratory Animals (ATLA). He also serves as an expert on several national and European boards for funding research and on the editorial boards of In Vitro Toxicology in the United States and Alternativen zu Tierexperimenten (ALTEX) in Switzerland.

Spielmann is the seventh scientist to win the award. Past winners include:

Alan Goldberg, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, for his pioneering leadership in the area of alternatives to animal testing
Charles Branch, professor, Auburn University, for developing computer-based alternatives to the use of animals in teaching veterinary physiology
Coenraad Hendriksen, of the Dutch National Institute of Health and Environmental Protection, for developing in vitro alternatives to animal use in vaccine testing
Michael Balls, of ECVAM and the Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME), for his leadership in advancing alternative methods
Robert Van Buskirk of the State University of New York at Binghamton, for his contributions to the advancement of alternative methods in the field of safety testing
Andrew Rowan, then director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, for his tireless efforts in promoting alternative methods and his insights into the process of refinement.

The primary criteria for selecting winners of the Russell and Burch Award are the significance of the candidate's scientific contribution to the alternatives field and his or her commitment to the Three Rs approach.