Animal experimentation: UNIGE awards its 3R prize

From left to right , the laureates Francis Rousset and Pascal Senn. (c) UNIGE - UNIGE rewards a study that has made it possible to produce auditory neurons, which are essential for research on certain forms of deafness, without using laboratory mice. Reducing the number of animals used, refining methodologies to limitsuffering, replacing the animal model as often as possible: the 3R principle, applied by research teams at the University of Geneva , is the basis of the ethical approach in the field of animal experimentation. This year, the UNIGE 3R prize - awarded since 2016 - rewards a study performed at the Department of clinical neurosciences of the Faculty of Medicine on the in vitro culture of auditory neurons. Results published in the journal Hearing research , show that it is possible to avoid animal experimentation by harnessing a specific type of stem cell. The UNIGE 3R prize will be awarded on June 7, during the Faculty of Medicine graduation ceremony. Since 2016, the University of Geneva has awarded its annual "3R" prize - for 'reduce,' 'refine,' and 'replace' - to recognize research aimed at limiting animal experimentation.