research

I-CARE gives its support, with any possible mean, to the process of substituting Fetal Calf Serum (FCS) as cell culture media with animal free ones.

I-CARE bases its initiative on the inspiring lecture given by dr. Franz Gruber (Altex Editorial Board) at the "11th Congress on Alternatives to Animal Testing", Linz, 2003, and on the databases and studies developed by the "Zentrum für Ersatz und Ergänzungsmethoden zu Tierversuchen" and by "Focus on Alternatives".

Recently, at the ""th World Congress on Alternatives & Animal Use in the Life Sciences", Berlin, 2005, two posters have been presented on the subject:

• "Alternatives to animal serum for cell culture - 2005" (Falkner et al, 2005, Altex, Volume 22, Special Issue, p. 329)
• Adaptation of cell lines to chemically defined minimal (cdm) media and evaluation of a protocoll for cryo-preservation of cells cultured in absence of animal derived components (Gonzalez et al, 2005, Altex, Volume 22, Special Issue, p. 331)

Using in-vitro cell cultures is today a valuable and necessary methodology in biomedical research. In order to create in-vitro cultures a serum must provide the cell nutrition, growth factors and cytokines. Currently, animal derived serum are used, basically the Fetal Calf Serum (FCS).

The British Cattle Veterinary Association estimates that in Britain 150.000 pregnant cows are slaughtered every year. Among them, about 40.000 are at their last stage of pregnancy, and bear almost formed, healty calves.

After being anesthetised they are bled to death for about 30 seconds.

The calves seem to die about 30-90 seconds after their mother's death. This means that the fetus is still alive when the cow is being dismembered.

The fetus is then removed during evisceration and blood is extracted via cardiac punture without any anesthesia.

Both the sensitivity to pain and the resistance to anoxia in mammalian fetuses are largely demostrated. Thus, one of the most important alternative methodology to animal use in biomedical research, cell cultures, is based on serum obtained by animal suffering.

The estimates say that one to two millions bovine fetuses are subjected, every year, to this cruel process.

I-CARE supports the use of FCS free cell culture media for the following reasons:

• I-CARE is against a science that kills and harms.
• There is un underlying contradiction, on ethical grounds, on using alternative methods based on animal suffering.
• From the 14th to the 24th week, bovine fetuses develop pain sensitivity, caused by the first cerebral activities in both brain hemispheres, the process of myelinization of sensorial paths, the connection of Thalamo to the cerebral cortex, the building of the sinapses within the cortical-talamo system, and the starting of noticeable activities within the cerebral cortex.
• A 20-30 weeks old fetus feels pain more than an adult individual.
• Various scientifical problems connected to FCS use: undefined composition, risk of contamination, batch-to-batch variability in compostion and lack of reproducibility.
• Various alternatives do exist: chemically defined media, complementatios of non-serum origin, non-animal derived proteins and protocols/systems/bioreactors for serum free usage which allow for a better control and more media standardization.
• FCS media is more expensive of alternative ones.

The existent alternatives are freely available on:

• The database "Serum Free Cell Culture Media - Updated Product Guide 1/2004-2005" compiled by the "Zentrum für Ersatz und Ergänzungsmethoden zu Tierversuchen"
• The table "Serum-Free Media for Cell Culture" compiled by Focus on Alternatives, July 2005.
• Interactive database about serum free medias and cell lines