State Prize for Animal Research: Innovations in the service of the animals!

State Prize for Animal Research: Innovations in the service of the animals!

On May 19, 2025, the Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research awarded the State Prize to promote replacement methods for animal experiments. This prize is intended to reward outstanding scientific work that avoids using animal experiments or improve the keeping conditions of test animals. This year's award winners are Dr.in Catarina Martins-Costa, Dr.in Nina Corsini and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jürgen Knoblich from the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

You were awarded for your publication "Arid1b Controls Transcriptal Programs of Axon Project in an Organoid Model of the Human Corpus Callosum, published in the Journal Cell Stem Cell. Their research uses brain organoids that are cell groups produced in the laboratory and form organ -like structures. With the help of this model, the development of the Corpus Callosum could be reproduced, which was possible without animal experiments.

The role of organoids in research

Federal Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner emphasized the importance of this scientific excellence and the responsibility of research for social progress. The results of the research could lead to the development of new treatment strategies for patients and at the same time reduce the use of animal experiments in brain research. However, it should be noted that animal experiments in life sciences and medical research are still indispensable and a complete replacement is currently not possible.

The use of organoids as a model for animal experiments is a trend that is also noticeable in other research institutes. This is how the [Max Delbrück Center] (https://www.mdc-berlin.de/de/forschung-ierzeuche-3r/ohne-tier tests) is committed to animal experimental methods. The scientists there use human tissues, organoids and computer simulations to test hypotheses before animal experiments are considered. The aim is to reduce the number of animal experiments and thus promote animal welfare.

As part of the Berlin Einstein Center 3R, which was decided in 2020, various research groups are working on the development of alternative methods. These initiatives aim to increase the proportion of animal experimental methods in biomedical research. Current estimates indicate that over 50% of the methods used are cell models.

innovations by mini organs

Another interesting development in research are the organoid, which are known as mini organs and are obtained from human stem cells. Hans Clevers, a leading immunologist, advanced this technology to replace animal experiments with laboratory experiments. His teams have developed mini-intestine organoids and other organs used for tests of medication.

These laboratory breeding mini organs offer better results than traditional animal experiments. Examples of tests to prostate cancer organoids show promising results. However, organoids cannot simulate all body functions and sensory experiences, which means that they cannot completely replace animal experiments.

Research on organoids is developing rapidly, and automated manufacturing processes are being worked on to facilitate the production of these important models. This further strengthens the commitment to animal welfare and the improvement of the conditions for test animals.