Paul Furlong - Professor of clinical Neuroimaging, Aston University
What are the strengths and weaknesses of non-animal techniques in medical research?
The key strength lies in the ability to study neural activity and behavioural measures non-invasively in human volunteers. The only certain way to truly understand human cognition and human mental illness is to study these directly. Since these are unique to the human condition, animal models and mimicary of disease are poor substitutes.
Main weakness is the development and testing of drugs and therapies which require invasive approaches. Micro-dosing and human tissue testing offer promising strategies.
What are the main hurdles to the development of alternative methods to animal experiments in your field of research?
There needs to be a greater understanding of the relationship between the measures obtained non-invasively through neuroimaging and other related techniques, and the measures made invasively in animals.
There has to be greater accessibility to alternative techniques for the neuroscience community, together with opportunities for training to acquire new skills for scientists otherwise only exposed to in vitro or in vivo electrophysiology.
What are the main motivations to explore the use of non-animal methods?
The main motivation is to provide the best neuroscientific evidence for the treatment of human neurodevelopmental disorders, mental illness and disease. As stated earlier, the only certain way to truly understand human cognition and human mental illness is to study these directly.
How do the aims and objectives of the Dr Hadwen Trust fit in your research?
We too believe that excellence in medical research should be pursued, requiring alternatives to animal models and experiments because of the scientific imperative to explain human mental illness and disease.
From your own experience, do you find that the replacement of the use of animals in medical research is becoming more accepted in the Science community?
Reduction and refinement strategies are well embedded in the science community, particularly with funding incentives available for animal researchers. Acceptance of replacement has a long way still to go in my view.
In the future, what breakthrough would be necessary in order to promote and facilitate the development of non-animal methods?
There are some new technological developments that will enhance the sensitivity and specificity of neuroimaging techniques and these will further enhance the translational capabilities of these alternative techniques.
However, fundamentally the three key issues that will promote and facilitate developments are:
- Strategic targeted funding
- Availability and accessibility of alternative methods
- Training.
These factors need to be backed by a political desire at EU level