A University of Aberdeen scientist will establish the UK's third, and Scotland's only, Animal Replacement Centre (ARC) within the University's Institute of Medical Sciences.
Professor Valerie Speirs, Chair in Molecular Oncology, received a grant of £25,000 from the Centre for Human Specific Research and will use it to establish the Animal Replacement Centre (ARC) and further her commitment to animal-free testing in cancer research.
The establishment of the ARC will enable Professor Speirs and her team to continue their work at the forefront of human-specific, animal-free approaches in cancer research.
ARCs are laboratories funded by the Centre for Human Specific Research, an initiative of Animal Free Research UK. They replace animals in medical research, instead championing innovative, ethical, human-specific methods. The Aberdeen ARC – the first in the UK north of London – will advance human-specific methodologies, including developing advanced human breast tissue models and using interdisciplinary approaches to design experiments that replace the use of animals.
A central aim of the Aberdeen ARC is to play a vital role in supporting the next generation of research leaders. This includes enabling mid-career researchers to transition with confidence to human-specific research programmes, ensuring that expertise, leadership and ambition are embedded and shared across the research community.
Along with the grant, Professor Speirs has been honoured with a plaque in the University’s Institute of Medical Sciences building, in recognition of her work and its innovation.
Professor Speirs said: “From the very start of my research career, I was always interested in using human tissues and cells to study disease and learned from a mentor, the late Dr Ian Freshney, who was a pioneer in human cell culture.
“I realised early on that when researching a human condition there was no better model than using human tissues and cells. This has remained with me throughout my career and I have been fortunate to implement this by collaborating with pathologists who have been able to provide human tissues which I have used in my work.
“The Centre for Human Specific Research ARC grant will allow my team to continue building our work towards using animal-free approaches in cancer, as well as supporting early to mid-career researchers with innovative ideas for animal-free approaches but maybe don’t know where to start. Currently our work is focused on identifying and implementing robust animal-free replacements in cell culture, which is one of the bread-and-butter experimental approaches that many scientists use.
“I am both humbled and thrilled to receive this wonderful accolade from the Centre for Human Specific Research. More than the plaque itself, it’s the recognition behind it that matters. It gives a sense of pride, but also gratitude towards the many people who have supported me along the way.”
Dr Ross Dobie, Head of Science at the Centre for Human Specific Research, said: “Professor Valerie Speirs has been awarded a Centre for Human Specific Research ARC grant, recognising her group’s continued commitment to advancing human-specific research. As an internationally recognised leader and advocate for human-focused breast cancer research, Professor Speirs is at the forefront of developing and applying innovative, human-centred, animal-free approaches. This grant, along with the accompanying plaque, highlights her group as one of the Centre for Human Specific Research’s flagship labs, pioneering human-relevant scientific methods. Her work stands as a powerful example of how human‑specific approaches can drive meaningful progress in biomedical research.”