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| Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments Hiroshi Itagaki, President |
| My name is Hiroshi Itagaki, and I have been appointed President of the Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments for two years (2007 to 2008) commencing this year. Personally, I myself do not feel equipped with the learning and ability to take on such a great role, but thankfully I am fortunate enough to have such well-experienced doctors serving with me as members of the board of directors and councilors, such as Vice President Dr. Yasuyuki Sakai, Director in Charge of General and Administrative Affairs Dr. Hajime Kojima, and Director in Charge of Accounts Dr. Yuko Okamoto. In such illustrious company, it is my intent to serve the Society to the best of my ability. |
| The Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments was founded in 1989 thanks to the diligent efforts of Honorary Member Dr. Tsutomu Sugahara. The Society was the first society in the world to be dedicated solely to alternatives to animal experiments, and the Society's activities have steadily taken root thanks to the work of the researchers who have been involved with the Society over the years. As you are aware, the Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments is what I see as a site for the exchange of opinions among the various people involved with the three Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) of alternatives to animal experiments. |
| To be more specific, the development of alternative methods, in particular the development of replacement alternatives (in vitro testing) can be roughly divided as follows, according to the stages of development. 1) Collecting basic information on the biological reaction to be replaced (for example, reactions at the molecular level and expression at the gene level of the target region; the dynamics of toxic substances within the body); 2) Reformulating biological reactions (including the creation of model testing methods and evaluations at the development facilities); 3) Validating testing methods and evaluations by specialists; and 4) Making the testing methods into guidelines and utilizing them. It is commonly believed to require ten or more years for one testing method to be made into a guideline as an alternative method. |
| Further, it is said that the key to the development of alternative methods lies in the collecting of basic information on the biological reaction that should be replaced. If the biological reaction to be replaced is still an unknown black box, one cannot but say that the development of alternative methods becomes extremely difficult. To resolve this, we must bring together and flesh out the expertise of researchers and doctors from a variety of research areas and specialties. In terms of validation and making guidelines, we need the participation of specialists from public institutions and from the corporations that utilize them. Meanwhile, for those testing methods where it is currently impossible to find replacement alternatives, we must find reduction alternatives (testing methods that use reduced numbers of animals) and refinement alternatives (testing methods that ease the pain of the animals). It is important for us to seek the opinions of veterinarians and those involved in animal welfare and to reach a consensus. Further, alternative methods must have a considerable understanding of the concepts behind life science research. From this perspective, it is also related to exploratory research areas on education and views of life. In this way, the interdisciplinary areas that the Society is involved with span an extremely wide range. It is my hope that current members and those who will go on to become members will deepen their understanding and thinking on animal welfare and the development of alternatives to animal testing in life science research through a variety of discussions with various doctors and specialists while still holding their own views and comprehending the composition and background of the Society. |
| I consider it my fundamental duty to uphold and value the environment and climate of the Society, which provides a site for researchers from a variety of areas and different specialties to gather and discuss amongst themselves, and helping it continue to do so. Thanks to the diligent efforts of former Presidents Dr. Yasuo Ohno and Dr. Noriho Tanaka, the 6th World Congress on Alternatives & Animal Use in the Life Sciences (WC6) is scheduled to be held in Tokyo in August 2007. The Society has taken on the role of sponsoring this congress together with the Science Council of Japan and the Alternative Congress Trust (ACT). Consequently, I would like to identify the first of our policies for the next two years as the total cooperation and support towards the success of WC6. |
| Looking forward to the convening of WC6, we have established cooperative relationships with other societies within Japan. Further, as this will be the first time for the congress to be held in Asia, satellite symposiums will be held in China and Korea. Korea in particular has been vitalized to such an extent that a society for alternative methods was established in early spring 2006, and I have been told that they are also moving towards establishing a society in China. Discussions with those involved in the protection of animal rights and animal welfare are also scheduled to be taken up as a theme. I believe that maintaining this domestic and international network that has been built up through this world congress will be extremely beneficial for the future activities of the Society, and I intend to take this up as the second of our policies. |
| The 2007 issue of the baby boom generation is one issue that is gathering attention in Japan. In this Society as well, many of the doctors and researchers including myself who have been involved with the activities of the Society are now approaching retirement in their current occupations. For this Society, making the long-sought dream of holding the world congress in Japan a reality, through the diligent efforts of various doctors and researchers, amounts to the achievement of one of our goals. I believe that for the future, we can use this as an opportunity for the activities of the Society to enter a stage where they will take further leaps. In order to do so, I believe that we must provide room for doctors and researchers from the generation that will take on the Society's activities in the future, and gradually carry out the transfer of power between generations for further improvement, while still treasuring and maintaining the environment and climate of the Society. As a result, our third policy should be the creation of an environment where doctors and researchers from the next generation can flourish. |
| In the coming two years of my term, I intend to operate the Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments in line with the three policies mentioned above. This Society is an extremely small one. With the cooperation of the members of the board of directors, secretaries, councilors, and all of you members, I hope to make the two years of my term a fruitful and fulfilling one for the Society. Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation. |
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