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October 2001 News
Specialist in Non-human Primates Receives GlaxoSmithKline Award
October 2, 2001
Dr. Leah Scott, a pharmacologist and specialist in non-human primates, has been awarded the GlaxoSmithKline Laboratory Animal Welfare Prize for 2001. Scott received the prestigious award for her efforts in developing and promoting the use of minimally invasive techniques for monitoring laboratory animals.
Scott, a founding member of the European Marmoset Group and the European Primate Resources Network, works at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down in Wiltshire. She is known internationally for promoting advances in remote monitoring of conscious unrestrained animals, particularly non-human primates. More recently she has championed the use of radiotelemetry techniques to monitor behavioral and physiological responses in various experimental situations. Such techniques contribute to animal welfare by reducing stress and often the number of animals used.
While these techniques often involve pre-implantation of electronic monitoring devices, the subsequent benefits to the welfare of the animals involved are substantial. High quality data are transmitted to receivers without the need for handling, restraint or removal of animals from their normal environment and social grouping. Data can be collected on multiple indices to allow a greater understanding of the effect of a particular treatment, often reducing the need for additional studies.
The GlaxoSmithKline Prize is awarded annually by the Research Defence Society (RDS) for significant contributions to improving the welfare of animals in laboratories or techniques that reduce the number of animals required. Its aim is to reward achievements in the Three Rs of alternatives-reduction, refinement, or replacement.
The prize has been awarded every year since 1994, previously under the name the SmithKline Beecham Laboratory Animal Welfare Prize. This year's prize will be presented at a ceremony in London later in the year.
For more information, see the RDS web site: here.