Scientists seek freedom in animal testing

BANGALORE: The National Institute of Immunology and the Indian Institute of Science have demanded the reconstitution of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experimentation in Animals (CPCSEA) with neutral members at the helm, not animal activists.
Staunch animal activists in the CPCSEA have been opposing experiments on animals in national laboratories.This has raised the hackles of the scientist community, which is seeking decentralisation of the CPCSEA.
‘‘The committee is filled with activists who have only one agenda — antivivisectionist agenda,’’ National Institute of Immunology (NII) director Sandip K Basu told The Times of India on the sidelines of the 90th Indian Science Congress here on Sunday.
‘‘We hope the government will reconstitute the CPCSEA with neutral members who are not committed activists,’’ Basu said.
The current barriers in immunology research are leading to another danger — unproductive research, said Prof G Padmanabhan, president of the NII council and former director of the Indian Institute of Science. ‘‘Scientists in vaccine development, and academic institutions on the whole, are now looking for easier options which are scientifically interesting.’’
‘‘It has not been possible for us to do any meaningful animal experimentation for years. There is one central committee that reserves the right to permit import of any animals. Much of immunology research is conducted on transgenic animals that have to be imported,’’ Basu said.