The Dieter Lütticken Award 2008 for alternatives in animal testing was presented in Rome, Italy, last week to to Dr Ivo Claassen for developing an alternative quality control method for poultry vaccines at the Central Veterinary Institute (CVI) in Lelystad (the Netherlands).

The €20,000 award was presented during a special session celebrating the 50th anniversary of the launch of the 3R principles by Russell and Burch during the 7th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences in Rome (Italy).

The Dieter Lütticken Award 2008 is presented to Dr Ivo Claassen (centre) by Dr Rene Aerts (left), vice-president R&D biologicals at Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health and Dr Dieter Luetticken (right).

Dr Claassen received the Dieter Lütticken Award 2008 for the leading role that he had in an interdisciplinary team at the CVI that has developed an in vitro potency test for the routine quality control of inactivated Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) vaccines. Traditionally, quality control of NDV vaccines included an in vivo potency assay in chickens, whereas the alternative method allows avoiding the use of chickens. The new method has also been included in the European Pharmacopoeia monograph as an additional potency assay to release Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccines. The research project was largely funded by the Department of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in the Netherlands.

Dr Claassen commented: "The development and validation of this assay and finally the inclusion of the assay in the European Pharmacopoeia monograph on inactivated NDV vaccines was a very successful project by an interdisciplinary team from the CVI in close collaboration with the European Directorate on Quality of Medicines (EDQM) in Strasbourg (France) and I am very happy and honoured it has now received wide recognition with this prestigious award."

The presentation of the Dieter Lütticken Award 2008 coincides with the 50th anniversary celebration of the publication by Russell and Burch titled, 'The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique', outlining the 3R principles of reduction, refinement and replacement of animal testing, the leading principles today applied for alternatives to testing with animals.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health fully subscribes these principles and actively supports and runs its own initiatives to reduce the need for test animals. With the international Dieter Lütticken Award for alternatives in animal testing, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health strives to stimulate research to reduce, refine and/or replace the use of animals in testing for development and manufacturing of veterinary medicines. The Company is a member of EPAA, the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing.

Candidates for the Dieter Lütticken Award are selected by a jury panel composed of experts from public institutions in the animal health and animal testing sector. Applications for the Dieter Lütticken Award 2009 can be submitted until 15 November 2009.

For submissions and more details, please contact Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health - Global Communications Animal Health ([email protected]).