Award for excellent communication on animal research
New immunotherapies against cancer, experiments that can pave the way for new pain medications, hearts that do not scar after a heart attack but renew muscle cells – it would be easy to skip a crucial aspect of scientific successes: animal research. The Max Delbrück Center consciously takes a different path. It communicates openly and transparently when new knowledge is based on experiments involving animals, explaining why these experiments are necessary, what the 3R principles (Replace, Reduce, Refine) entail, and what limitations current alternative methods have.
For this proactive approach, the German initiative “Understanding Animal Research” has awarded the Max Delbrück Center the quality seal of “Quality approval for exemplary communication of experimental animal research” for the second time. For more than ten years, “the center has consistently set standards in educating about animal research, with a clear focus on active dialogue with the public,” the judges stated.
Facilitating direct exchange
In addition to the comprehensive information available on the website, the initiative praises the Max Delbrück Center's events that facilitate direct exchange and encourage scientists to speak openly about animal research: “By actively interacting with the public and supporting educational events, the center contributes to building a productive dialogue on animal research.”
The seal was awarded to five institutions nationwide during the initiative's anniversary event on July 1, 2024. “Understanding Animal Research” was founded by the Alliance of Science Organizations and the German Research Foundation (DFG). The Max Delbrück Center is one of the 53 initial signatories of the Transparency Agreement Initiative, launched in 2021.
Further Information
- Information on the quality seal on the website of "Understanding Animal Experiments" (only in German)
- Animal research and ethics – information provided by the Max Delbrück Center
- Lab animal report, 2023
Contact
Jutta Kramm
Head of Communication
Max Delbrück Center
+49 (0) 30 9406 2140
jutta.kramm@mdc-berlin.de or presse@mdc-berlin.de
- Max Delbrück Center
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The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (Max Delbrück Center) is one of the world’s leading biomedical research institutions. Max Delbrück, a Berlin native, was a Nobel laureate and one of the founders of molecular biology. At the locations in Berlin-Buch and Mitte, researchers from some 70 countries study human biology – investigating the foundations of life from its most elementary building blocks to systems-wide mechanisms. By understanding what regulates or disrupts the dynamic equilibrium of a cell, an organ, or the entire body, we can prevent diseases, diagnose them earlier, and stop their progression with tailored therapies. Patients should be able to benefit as soon as possible from basic research discoveries. This is why the Max Delbrück Center supports spin-off creation and participates in collaborative networks. It works in close partnership with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in the jointly-run Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité, and the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK). Founded in 1992, the Max Delbrück Center today employs 1,800 people and is 90 percent funded by the German federal government and 10 percent by the State of Berlin.
