November 1998 News

HSUS Honors Two Government Scientists

November 23, 1998

On Nov. 2, government representatives William Stokes and Neil Wilcox received Certificates of Recognition from the Humane Society of the United States for "their outstanding contributions toward the advancement of alternative methods of toxicity testing" at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Under the Russell and Burch Program, the HSUS honors scientists who have made "outstanding contributions toward the advancement of alternative methods in the areas of biomedical testing, research, or higher education." The award is named in honor of William M. Russell and Rex L. Burch, the scientists who formulated the Three Rs approach of replacement, reduction, and refinement.

The certificate is a means of recognizing "the important role scientists themselves can and do play in advancing the cause of animal protection in laboratories," according to HSUS.

Stokes is the director of the National Toxicology Program's Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods, based at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, NC. He also co-chairs the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM). First established as an ad hoc committee in 1994, and then as a standing committee in 1997, ICCVAM coordinates the federal government's involvement in the development, validation, and regulatory acceptance of alternative testing methods.

Neil Wilcox is a senior science policy officer with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He chaired ICCVAM's predecessor, the Interagency Regulatory Alternatives Group (IRAG) and has been actively involved in the formation and work of ICCVAM. He also was pivotal in the formation of the Subcommittee on Toxicology to the FDA's Scientific Advisory Board, which is helping the agency incorporate in vitro tests and other alternative approaches into regulatory protocols.

Both Stokes and Wilcox serve on the Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing as well as the Science Advisory Panel of the Institute for In Vitro Sciences.

Through their efforts, Stokes and Wilcox (and their colleagues) have established a framework for the federal government to work with industry in developing and validating alternative methods, as well as a process by which the government can evaluate new alternatives for regulatory purposes.

Beginning next year, the Russell and Burch Award will be bestowed every three years at the triennial World Congress on Alternatives, with Certificates of Recognition presented in years between the congresses. The next award will be presented in August 1999 at the World Congress in Bologna, Italy.