Responsible Research

The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association is one of the first signatories of the "Transparent Animal Testing" initiative. Professor Thomas Sommer, Scientific Director (interim), explains why.

The use of animals in research is a hotly debated issue, making fact-based and open communication all the more important. So the DFG and “Tierversuche verstehen” have teamed up to launch the “Transparency Agreement Initiative.” There are more than 50 initial signatories, including the MDC.

At MDC, we do research to promote human health and well-being. In our labs we employ cell cultures, organoids and computer models. We seek and develop alternatives to animal experiments. It remains a fact that, biomedical research is not possible without animal experiments. Our researchers tell us why.

When virologists become reality TV stars, biologists dream of life without illness, researchers debate organoids vs. animal testing with the general public, and biomedical scientists discuss the possibilities of AI, it can only be Berlin Science Week. This year, the MDC is holding a number of virtual events.

If mice live in pathogen-free housing conditions, they are not further burdened by immunodeficiency. This has been reported by researchers at the MDC, Freie Universität Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in PLOS ONE. For the first time, the researchers comprehensively investigated the well-being of these animals.

The board of the Einstein Foundation approved the preliminary stage of a new Einstein Center for the development of alternative methods for animal testing in biomedical research. The aim of the planned center is to reduce or replace animal experiments. It will be established in cooperation with the MDC.

The LabHive digital platform aims to provide necessary resources to diagnostic centres to enable more tests for SARS-CoV-2. Tobias Opialla from the MDC is one of 15 volunteers who has been involved in the project since the #WirvsVirus Hackathon organized by the German government.

SARS-CoV-2 is spreading fear, as many feel uncertain about how to deal with this epidemic. This is a reaction we can fully understand. But researchers around the world are working together to understand and help contain the new coronavirus.