Responsibility and Animal Welfare

To make progress in the fight against cancer, we use all available methods and model systems: We conduct research with molecules or proteins, with cell and tissue cultures, with tumor tissue samples, organoids or with computer models. Epidemiological and clinical studies also provide valuable results. But cancer is a disease that affects the whole body. As the tumor grows and spreads, the cancer cell comes into close contact with countless other cells and tissues in the body, to which it sends signals and from which it in turn receives messages. All these interactions contribute significantly to the development and progression of cancer. This complexity can only be mapped in a living organism, which is why we cannot do without studies on animals in cancer research.

In addition to research directly aimed at improving cancer medicine, basic biomedical research accounts for a significant proportion of our scientific activities . This involves understanding cell biology and the disorders that can lead to the development of cancer. In order to answer such fundamental questions, studies on animals are indispensable. The results of such basic research often provide the basis on which novel therapeutic approaches can be developed.

Where animal experiments are required, we use mice in the vast majority of cases, but there are also studies on rats, clawed frogs and guinea pigs. A team of veterinarians specializing in laboratory animal science is in charge of animal husbandry.

When dealing with animals, we are committed to the legally prescribed "3R rule": We carry out as few animal experiments as possible (reduction), we try to reduce the burden on animals through constant further development (refinement) and, wherever possible, to replace them with alternatives (replacement). We are aware of our ethical responsibility in dealing with laboratory animals.

Qualified animal keepers and veterinarians monitor the welfare of the animals. The DKFZ's animal welfare officers regularly inspect the enclosures; official inspections take place - sometimes unannounced - several times a year. Our laboratory animals have sufficiently large, furnished cages in which they can live out their natural needs and behaviors as far as possible.

At the DKFZ, we carry out the obligatory training in laboratory animal science as a prerequisite for animal experimentation. We also offer a wide range of different further training courses for scientists working in animal experiments.