New Page: Corrections

Occasionally, when people write texts an error finds its way into the content. Of course, we are not excluded from this. As we aim to provide valid information and full transparency, we do not want such errors to be corrected in silence and secrecy, but rather as openly as possible. Therefore, today, we start a new page with corrections.

With that said, one mistake made on our side was on the subject of alternatives to animal testing. Originally, it was stated that the goal of in vitro testing is to improve animal testing (refine) and to reduce the number of animals used in experimentsUnfortunately, this is a misleading implementation of the 3Rs (replace, reduce & refine). In vitro tests are a classic example of replacement, whereby animal experiments are replaced with alternatives.

What the author of the text actually wanted to express was that in vitro tests are not a panacea that could replace all animal tests, but rather contribute in the long-term to their reduction. Therefore, we have removed the references from “Refinement” and “Reduction” and listed a second example, where in vitro tests as an alternative question: neuroscientific basic research, trying to understand how perception, memory, and decision making processes in the brain.

Link: Alternatives to Animal Research

Getting Out There

Last weekend we hit the streets of Tübingen to broadcast an important message to the local community. By lending a voice to science, Pro-Test Deutschland opened up the disccussion for animal experimentation. Individuals passing through Tübingen’s city centre were sure to notice the PTD Pavilion and the small group of members looking to spread the word.

With the distribution of over 500 informational pamphlets, open-minded individuals could delve further into the details of using animals for scientific research. Yes, there were supporters. And, of course, there were people with questions – lots of questions. For instance, questions on the use of animals in basic research.

Answers to these questions should be clear and we aim to build transparency and provide answers to these questions. Members of Pro-Test Deutschland are educated to discuss the details of such questions with you. The direct person-to-person communication afforded an excellent opportunity to engage with our diverse community. Overall, the outreach event fostered an environment of public discourse on a very difficult topic to discuss.

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Website development

We are continuously developing and improving our website. The following pages are worth following for updated information:

Alternatives to Animal Testing
Here we explain the most common alternative methods, examine their boundaries and discuss why there are currently no alternatives in some areas.

Frequently Asked Questions
We have recently expanded this page. New features include answers to questions about why basic research is essential for medical progress and whether it is true that many doctors are against animal testing.

Fact Check
Again, a lot has changed. New features include examples on the widespread allegations that many beneficial drugs, such as penicillin, would fail the current procedure of drug discovery or that insulin in guinea pigs causes congenital malformations, but not in humans. The Fact Check section explains these allegations in further detail and tries to show why these statements are incorrect.

Press Articles
Here we have compiled some interesting articles for more reading on the topic.

Become a Pro-Tester

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We cordially invite you to join Pro-Test Deutschland, a group recently founded to give scientists a voice and the opportunity to provide the public with reliable information and greater transparency on animal research.

Recently Nikos Logothetis, a world-renowned researcher gave up his work with monkeys after being continuously harassed by animal rights activists. His decision triggered an active discussion about the need for animal research in science among local residents and researchers. Now, we think it is time for us to speak up about basic research and unite those who support this cause.

Our goal is to promote public education about animal research. Ultimately, we aim to promote well-informed, balanced discussions on this delicate topic. We strive to help people develop an informed opinion about animal research by providing material that has been vetted for accuracy and credibility.

We intend to accomplish our objectives through the use of popular online forums and, in the long term, public education events (e.g. open houses, public discussions, meet and greets). Therefore, we released a public website, which includes a compilation of informative content as well as recent media articles and timely news coverage.

We are acting under the name Pro-Test Deutschland, a label that has attracted attention to the cause in other European countries, such as the UK and Italy. We are working closely with Pro- Test Italia and UK to compile an extensive database of information about basic research and to make this material accessible to our German audience.

We invite you to get involved. If you agree with us that something should be done for the sake of science, join our group! Joining Pro-Test Deutschland does not necessarily require a lot of your time and effort; however, all that is of course graciously accepted. As a supporter of this movement you will be another body, another vote, and another person with a voice to speak knowledgeably on the topic of animal research. To help us enhance our strength in numbers we are now calling out to you: sign up to become a Pro-Tester!

Sincerely yours,

The founding members of

Pro-Test Deutschland