Dr. D. (Damiën) van Berlo

“Animals are precious – I’ve known that since I was a small child. However, for now, we cannot ensure the safety of chemicals and food and medicines and the effectiveness of medicines without the use of laboratory animals. Some animal procedures also generate knowledge that is used to benefit the animals themselves, for example to prevent and treat disease in pets. The replacement of laboratory animals will become a reality in the future, and it’s already possible in certain cases. Where we can’t replace the laboratory animal in today’s research, we can still make sure that as much information as possible is obtained from as few animals as possible in the experiment, that research is only executed when it is profoundly important to society, and that each animal used experiences the best possible care and the least possible discomfort. That is the goal of the Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD), and I’m happy to contribute to achieving that goal. 

My approach is to use my expertise with regard to the animal procedures that are mandated to meet legal requirements (the regulatory tests for safety and effectiveness) to critically scrutinise every project application together with my colleagues. Do the costs of the experiment outweigh the societal benefits? Are there no alternative methods available that could be used to answer all or part of the research question? There is a great responsibility in the work of the CCD. This responsibility is borne by my fellow members with strong complementary expertise, and I am very keen to contribute to that work.”