A unique patented assay for detecting and quantifying various substances inducing fever (pyrogens), the „PyroDetect System“, simulates human pyrogen-induced fever reactions better than any animal test available on the market. The Europ. Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods confirmed an easy manageability and the reliability of the assay, which now is introduced into the European Pharmacopoeia in 2010 as an alternative to the rabbit test.

In the News column of the current issue of ALTEX G. Krummenacher announces as headline “RUS: The Ural region stops inhumane education”. A formal agreement between Perm State Pharmaceutical Academy and the International Network for Humane Education (InterNICHE) was already signed on February 2010. The Academy is the tenth Russian higher education institute to sign such a contract concerning the introduction of alternatives to animal labs.

Environment minister Margit Conrad supports a research project of Mainz University, which should replace in the long term severe procedures on animals to study malfunctions of the blood-spinal cord barrier, that may occur after physical injuries of the spinal cord.

Scientists from the Medical University Jena, together with partners from industry, work on the development of a system ("Flusskammersystem"), that allows the real-time observation of the behaviour of living cells in the vessels of an artificial cell structure.


For reasons of reproducibility and animal welfare concern, a promising in vitro assay was developed by scientists in the Netherlands.

The BioMed-zet Life Science GmbH developed a new online database which provides information about serum free cell culture media.