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Department Experimental Toxicology and ZEBET

The protection of laboratory animals according to the 3Rs principle has already been an integral part of the BfR's scientific work since the establishment of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in 2002 and the creation of the Centre for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments (ZEBET).

The amendment of the Animal Welfare Act in 2013 entrusted the BfR with additional tasks in the field of laboratory animal protection. The increase in requirements led to the opening of the German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) at BfR in 2015, into which ZEBET was integrated.

The BfR performs the following tasks:

  1. Publication of the non-technical project summaries in accordance with § 8 (6) TierSchG and § 41 TierSchVersV;
  2. Advising the responsible authorities and animal welfare bodies in matters related to the acquisition, breeding, accommodation, care and use of animals in procedures in line with § 15a TierSchG and § 45 TierSchVersV;
  3. Advising the responsible authorities in matters related to alternatives to animal experiments in accordance with § 46 TierSchVersV;
  4. Cooperation with the responsible authorities of other member states and the European Commission on issues concerning the regulatory relevance and suitability of the alternative methods recommended for validation in line with § 16g (2) TierSchG.

To ensure that these tasks are carried out and improve its scientific tasks in political consulting, ZEBET develops and validates new alternative methods and assessment strategies in line with the 3R principle with the goal of replacing or at least reducing animal experiments not only in the authorisation process but also in basic research.

Within the scope of the 3R concept, refinement shall be promoted. Therefore, animal welfare and laboratory animal science are other areas of main interest within the department. In addition, the department is reporting about alternative methods to animal experiments in toxicology and basic research.

The department also represents Germany within the scope of international agreements and programmes on health topics and chemicals safety. Thus, the research field of the department covers a variety of different toxicodynamic and -kinetic aspects relevant for risk assessment.

Through the establishment of a joint professorship between the BfR and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the 3R principle is spread within academia and is implemented in basic research. Moreover, research on alternative methods to animal experiments is intensified with focus on experimental toxicology.

The department "Experimental Toxicology and ZEBET" is subdivided into six units:

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Other documents

 (1)
Date Title Size
29.02.2024
Print Version
Organisation Chart of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment 135.5 KB
PDF-File

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Press releases

 (16)
Date Title Keywords
07.01.2019
01/2019
Strengthen science, avoid unnecessary animal experiments animal model , German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R)
08.11.2018
39/2018
Avoiding animal experiments: an opportunity for science, medicine and consumer protection animal model , German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), research
12.09.2018
27/2018
Science learns from its mistakes too 3R-Research, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), research
03.07.2018
23/2018
Research: Spectacular but wrong? research
16.04.2018
14/2018
Systematic analysis of data from animal models reveals opportunities and limitations in the preclinical and clinical research animal protection, laboratory animals
20.12.2017
52/2017
New options for more animal welfare: deeper insight into animal tests promotes targeted development of alternative methods animal testing , Centre for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments (ZEBET) , laboratory animals
23.06.2017
24/2017
Support in the protection of laboratory animals: Better results with fewer animals and less suffering alternative methods , animal testing , Centre for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments (ZEBET)
14.02.2017
04/2017
Experts sought for the protection of laboratory animals animal protection
09.12.2016
50/2016
BfR method for targeted genome data comparison of humans and animals receives research prize animal protection, animal testing , Centre for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments (ZEBET) , laboratory animals
16.06.2016
21/2016
Fewer animal experiments due to optimal animal model selection animal testing , Centre for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments (ZEBET) , laboratory animals
25.04.2016
14/2016
More research for more animal protection animal testing , laboratory animals , research
17.12.2015
39/2015
Alternative method to animal experiments used for testing Botulinum Neurotoxin-containing medical products animal testing , Centre for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments (ZEBET) , laboratory animals
24.04.2015
11/2015
More research on the protection of test animals needed alternative methods , animal testing , Centre for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments (ZEBET)
09.03.2015
07/2015
Database AnimalTestInfo: German initiative for more transparency in animal experiments alternative methods , Centre for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments (ZEBET) , databases
08.08.2014
21/2014
Assessment of pain and suffering in test animals animal testing , animal welfare , laboratory animals
01.10.2012
27/2012
Professor Dr. Gilbert Schönfelder, Toxicologist at the Charité, to become the new Head of the Department of Experimental Toxicology and ZEBET at the BfR personal data

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Head of Department


Prof. Dr. Gilbert Schönfelder

Contact

Visitors' address
Diedersdorfer Weg 1
D - 12277 Berlin

Postal address
Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10
D - 10589 Berlin

Tel.
+49-30-18412-29000
+49-30-18412-29001

Fax
+49-30-18412-29099

E-Mail
bf3r@bfr.bund.de

Specialist Publications - Open Agrar publications database

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