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Interviews

Interview with professor Gianni Tamino (12/05/2015)

Part. I

 

Part. II

 

 

Interview with Ray Greek, president of the American AFMA (12/05/2015)

 

 


[Source: antidote-europe.org]

Interview with professor Marco Mamone Capria

01/04/2015

CV: Marco Mamone Capria holds a Ph. D. in Mathematics and since 1990, has taught geometry, mathematical physics, history of science and epistemology to undergraduates, graduates and post-graduates at the University of Perugia, Italy. At present he teaches a graduate course on “Geometrical Methods in the Theory of Relativity”.

For six years (1997-2003) Professor Mamone Capria was a member of the Ethical Committee of his university, and has organized several international conferences, five of which (2001-2011) were part of the project “Science and Democracy”, which he co-ordinates (www.dmi.unipg.it/mamone/sci-dem).

Since 2007...

 

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Dr Susanna Penco on the use of human cell lines

23/01/2014

Dr Susanna Penco is a biologist who specialises in general pathology and is a researcher in the department of experimental medicine at the University of Genoa in Italy. She teaches at the school for medical science and pharmacology. Her main research interest lies in the use of human cell lines for application to the study of cancer and also for testing cosmetic products. In addition, Dr Penco has co-authored several articles published in the international scientific literature and has written books and education manuals. She was the recipient of the 2013 DNA prize...

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Dr Samuel Constant on the challenge of starting an alternative methods company

10/11/2013

Antidote Europe (AE): Could you tell our readers how your team came to launch this company and how you became interested in non animal replacement methods?

Samuel Constant (SC): There were two reasons: (1). A desire to develop and promote model systems to predict toxicity that were scientifically and ethically more acceptable than using laboratory animals, and (2) the challenge of starting our own company.

In the course of our research work in academia, we realised that many modern in vitro models were...

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Dr Meg Lewis on her "Quasi-Vivo System"

22/08/2013

Antidote Europe (AE): At what point in your science training did you begin to question the value of animal models with respect to human medicine? What are your current views on animal experiments in the field of research and testing and how did you come about them?

Meg Lewis (ML):

It wasn’t until my current post that I became aware of the inefficacies of animal experiments, almost 4 years after I’d completed...

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Interview with Nick Jukes, Co-ordinator of InterNICHE

30/05/2013

Antidote Europe (AE): Your academic background is that of physics. Please could you tell our readers how you made the transition from this field to becoming the head of what is surely the most successful organisation for promoting the replacement of harmful animal use in education and training worldwide?  Was there a particular event in your life that altered the course of your career or was this a gradual process?

Nick Jukes (NJ): My interests had always been in the arts and the sciences, but I chose the sciences at university. My previously passive support of environmental awareness and animal rights flourished towards the end of my degree due to the vibrant atmosphere of...

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Dr Martin Ashby on animal experimentation

16/08/2012

Dr Ashby has seen patients prescribed drugs costing thousands of pounds a month who are nonetheless not receiving adequate nutrition, hydration and basic care. Something is profoundly wrong with the healthcare system, he observes.
Dr Martin Ashby obtained his medical degree from University College London Medical School, having first completed his studies in psychology. After training as a GP he became the Lead GP for a service providing GP services to the homeless in North London.Three years later he returned to general practice at...

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Professor Larry Hansen on ethical dilemmas

23/05/2012

Professor Hansen provides a courageous and unique perspective on dealing with the ethical dilemmas he has faced in his career.
Lawrence Hansen obtained his medical degree in 1977 in Illinois. He then specialised in psychiatry and neuropathology before further specialisation in geriatric neuropathology and surgery.He has taught in the neurosciences since 1988 at the University of California in San Diego and has received several awards of...

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Dr Adrian Stallwood on animal experiments

19/09/2011

Dr Stallwood, who teaches medical undergraduates using increasingly realistic manikins and models, argues that to influence the public against animal experiments, “we must communicate specifics, not slogans.”
Dr Adrian Stallwood graduated in Medicine from St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School, London in 1995. He then worked as a junior doctor in London, in high-intensity posts where learning took place almost exclusively “on the job”.He relocated to Wales in 1997, and after further hospital and community practice, began a career in Emergency Medicine. He is now...

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Dr Bernard-Pellet on preventive medicine

11/02/2012

Dr Bernard-Pellet explains why we should teach medical personnel and patients the art of healthy living through sensible lifestyle and nutrition.
After completing his secondary school studies, Jerome Bernard-Pellet went on to obtain his medical degree at the Necker Faculty of Medicine in Paris. His keen interest in primary prevention saw him obtain additional qualifications in epidemiology and
 biostatistics.He is currently a general practitioner locum in Paris. Having decided to specialise in the field of nutrition...

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Anne Keogh on heart research

23/05/2011

Anne Keogh—currently Professor in Medicine and Senior Heart Transplant Cardiologist at St Vincent’s Hospital and President in 2000/01 of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation—vehemently opposes the use of animal models in heart research on both ethical and scientific grounds.
Professor Keogh is Joint Head of the Clinical Research Program in the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney and...

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Elisabeth Devilard on cosmetics

29/09/2010

Dr Elisabeth Devilard, formerly a cancer researcher, is now senior scientist at cosmetics manufacturer L’Occitane. “The progress made in the last ten years in the field of molecular biology, coupled with our knowledge of the biology of human skin, provides us with an unprecedented arsenal of reliable techniques that clearly surpass animal tests,” she says.
Dr Elisabeth Devilard obtained her PhD in cellular and molecular biology, before joining the Paoli Calmette Institute at the centre for cancer research in Marseille, where she spent the next 13 years studying the mechanisms underlying some of the most common cancers...

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Steve Kaufman on animal-free research

08/02/2011

An assistant professor of ophthalmology, Dr Kaufman explains that learning ophthalmic surgery does not require practicing on animals.
Dr Stephen Kaufman graduated from Yale University in 1981, where he received several awards of distinction before completing his medical studies at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1985. He then went on to specialise in ophthalmology at New York University Department of Ophthalmology. Dr Kaufman is currently an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology...

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Neal Barnard on diabetes

15/07/2010

In 2003 Neal Barnard was awarded a $350,000 research grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effect of a low-fat vegan diet on diabetes. In this interview with Dr Andre Menache, Dr Barnard explains how people were able to reduce their medications and sometimes come off them entirely.
Neal D. Barnard, MD, is a leader in preventive medicine, nutrition, and research. As an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University and a researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health, he has led key research studies to improve the health of people with diabetes...

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Ray Greek on medical research

15/06/2010

Dr Ray Greek is author and co-author of five books that challenge the value of animal experiments from a strictly scientific perspective. His latest book, entitledAnimal Models in Light of Evolution (co-authored with Professor Niall Shanks), deals in considerable detail with the question of predictivity.
Ray Greek received his MD from the University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Medicine in 1985 and completed his residency in anesthesiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989. He is board certified in Anesthesiology with sub-specialty certification Pain Management. He has practiced...

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Andrew Knight on humane education

16/03/2010

As a veterinary student in Australia, Andrew Knight campaigned for humane education — and succeeded!
Andrew Knight completed his veterinary degrees in Western Australia in 2001. He completed a post-graduate certificate in animal welfare science, and passed the US veterinary examinations, in 2005.He received a Fellowship from the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics in 2009. This world-class centre is dedicated to enhancing the ethical status of animals...

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Margaret Clotworthy on Safer Medicines Campaign

15/09/2009

As a member of the Safer Medicines Campaign, Margaret Clotworthy points out a number of new developments in medicine, including a recent innovation by VaxDesign of Florida in mimicking the complex human immune system.
Margaret Clotworthy first realised she wanted to be a scientist watching Tomorrow’s World on the BBC. At secondary school she won 2nd prize in a national physics essay competition, writing an imaginative piece about...

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Jarrod Bailey on GM animals

16/12/2008

The massive production of genetically modified animals, especially mice, has led to much hype in the media about prospective cures for a whole range of human conditions. However, new genetic data suggests that mouse models may not be relevant for studying human disease.
Following the completion of his PhD in viral genetics in 1998 at Newcastle University, England, Jarrod Bailey spent seven years as...

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Jarrod Bailey on human-based research

12/12/2006

Dr Bailey spends much of his time communicating the scientific basis of opposition to vivisection to the public, to politicians of the UK and European parliaments.
Following the completion of his PhD in viral genetics in 1998 at Newcastle University, England, Jarrod Bailey spent seven years as a senior postdoctoral research associate examining the causes of premature birth in humans, using human tissue samples. During this time he developed...

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Michael Coleman on modern toxicology

16/09/2008

As a postdoctoral fellow, Michael Coleman sought to reduce drug toxicity in patients using research based on various animal- and human-based models. When he did eventually succeed in producing a therapeutic regimen that reduced the toxicity of a sulphone drug, dapsone, he was struck by the relative uselessness of the animal models.
The following interview is with yet another courageous scientist, by the name of Michael Coleman. We use the word “courageous” because Dr Coleman is clearly a forward-thinking toxicologist...

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John Pippin on heart research

17/06/2008

A highly respected cardiologist, by October 2004 Dr Pippin had become an outspoken opponent of vivisection and an advocate for alternative research methods, He was also founding director of cardiovascular medicine and medical imaging at the Cooper Clinic. Clinic founder and president Dr. Kenneth Cooper gave him an ultimatum: stop his public opposition to animal research or leave the clinic.

Dr. Pippin is the author or co-author of more than 60 articles and abstracts that have been published in leading medical journals. He also has served as an invited speaker and panelist for the NIH National Human Subjects Protection Workshop...

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