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Introduction: Björn Ekwall Memorial Award 2014

Introduction: Björn Ekwall Memorial Award 2014 Dr Tuula Heinonen, from the Univer sity of Tampere, Finland, received the 2014 Björn Ekwall Memorial Award, in recognition of her achievements in the promotion and implementation of alternative methods, through the development of human cell-based tissue/organ models, as well as the estab- lishment of the Finnish Centre for Altern ative Methods (FICAM). The Award was presented to Dr Heinonen at the 9th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences (24–28 August 2014, Prague, Czech Republic), where she gave the Björn Ekwall Memorial Award Lecture, Better Science with Human Cell-based Organ and Tissue Models. Dr Heinonen has contributed substantially to the field of in vitro toxicology, particularly by developing new in vitro 2-D and 3-D models to replace animal experimentation in toxicological, pharmaceutical and basic research. Such cell and tissue models are based on cells differentiated from human (adult) stem cells, human induced pluripotent stem cells or human primary cells. To mimic the normal functions of human tissues, the models combine sev- eral of the cell types present in a given tissue with a supporting material; the strategy for assay development follows the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) principle. The models and assays developed by Dr Heinonen’s research group could be used for testing the efficacy and safety of pharmaceuticals, as well as for basic and mechanistic research. For example, one of the models — the angiogenesis model — has been validated and is applicable for both biomedical and toxicological purposes. In addition to drug development, these models can also be used for the safety testing of industrial chemicals. Tuula Heinonen studied for an MSc in Biochemistry at the University of Turku, and was awarded her PhD in 1982. She then became adjunct professor in Toxicology at the University of Turku (1984), and in Biochemistry at the University of Helsinki (1993). For over 25 years, she worked in the pharmaceutical industry, in the safety assessment of chemical and biotechnology substances. In 2007, Dr Heinonen moved to the University of Tampere and set up the Finnish national centre for alternatives. After the Finnish Centre for Altern ative Methods (FICAM) was successfully founded, in 2008, Dr Heinonen remained as its director. FICAM is supported by the Ministry of Agri culture and Forestry and the Ministry of Education and Culture, and now has official status in Finland. Under Dr Heinonen’s direction, the laboratory facilities have been improved to those of a high-level research laboratory, with GLP status and the ability to function as a reference laboratory for EURL-ECVAM. Dr Heinonen’s research group consists of about 20 people (senior scientists, postdoctoral and doctoral students, and technicians), and is investigating functional human tissue/organ models for use in biomedicinal and toxicological safety evaluation in place of the use of experimen- tal animals. FICAM also functions as an educational centre, and organises courses on alternative methods. Dr Heinonen is recognised, both nationally and internationally, as an expert in cell toxicology, regulatory toxicology, alternative methods, GLP, and validation research, and is a senior lecturer on alternatives to animal experimentation at other universities in Finland. Her valuable work focuses on the development of human cell-based models to achieve more-relevant results for risk evaluation and drug development when compared to data from animal experiments. Dr Heinonen was the President of the Finnish Society for Toxicology (1997–1999). Currently, she is the President of the Scandinavian Society for Cell Toxicology and FINCOPA (the Finnish Consensus Platform for Alternatives), and the Finnish representative in the EU PARERE (Preliminary Assessment of Regulatory Relevance) Network. Ada Kolman Hanna Tähti on behalf of the Board of the Björn Ekwall Memorial Foundation (BEMF; www.bemf.eu) E-mail address for correspondence: Ada Kolman, ada.kolman2@gmail.com http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Alternatives to Laboratory Animals SAGE

Introduction: Björn Ekwall Memorial Award 2014

Kolman, Ada; Tähti, Hanna
Alternatives to Laboratory Animals , Volume 43 (1): 1 – Mar 1, 2015
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Publisher
SAGE
Copyright
© 2015 Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments
ISSN
0261-1929
eISSN
2632-3559
DOI
10.1177/026119291504300101
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Dr Tuula Heinonen, from the Univer sity of Tampere, Finland, received the 2014 Björn Ekwall Memorial Award, in recognition of her achievements in the promotion and implementation of alternative methods, through the development of human cell-based tissue/organ models, as well as the estab- lishment of the Finnish Centre for Altern ative Methods (FICAM). The Award was presented to Dr Heinonen at the 9th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences (24–28 August 2014, Prague, Czech Republic), where she gave the Björn Ekwall Memorial Award Lecture, Better Science with Human Cell-based Organ and Tissue Models. Dr Heinonen has contributed substantially to the field of in vitro toxicology, particularly by developing new in vitro 2-D and 3-D models to replace animal experimentation in toxicological, pharmaceutical and basic research. Such cell and tissue models are based on cells differentiated from human (adult) stem cells, human induced pluripotent stem cells or human primary cells. To mimic the normal functions of human tissues, the models combine sev- eral of the cell types present in a given tissue with a supporting material; the strategy for assay development follows the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) principle. The models and assays developed by Dr Heinonen’s research group could be used for testing the efficacy and safety of pharmaceuticals, as well as for basic and mechanistic research. For example, one of the models — the angiogenesis model — has been validated and is applicable for both biomedical and toxicological purposes. In addition to drug development, these models can also be used for the safety testing of industrial chemicals. Tuula Heinonen studied for an MSc in Biochemistry at the University of Turku, and was awarded her PhD in 1982. She then became adjunct professor in Toxicology at the University of Turku (1984), and in Biochemistry at the University of Helsinki (1993). For over 25 years, she worked in the pharmaceutical industry, in the safety assessment of chemical and biotechnology substances. In 2007, Dr Heinonen moved to the University of Tampere and set up the Finnish national centre for alternatives. After the Finnish Centre for Altern ative Methods (FICAM) was successfully founded, in 2008, Dr Heinonen remained as its director. FICAM is supported by the Ministry of Agri culture and Forestry and the Ministry of Education and Culture, and now has official status in Finland. Under Dr Heinonen’s direction, the laboratory facilities have been improved to those of a high-level research laboratory, with GLP status and the ability to function as a reference laboratory for EURL-ECVAM. Dr Heinonen’s research group consists of about 20 people (senior scientists, postdoctoral and doctoral students, and technicians), and is investigating functional human tissue/organ models for use in biomedicinal and toxicological safety evaluation in place of the use of experimen- tal animals. FICAM also functions as an educational centre, and organises courses on alternative methods. Dr Heinonen is recognised, both nationally and internationally, as an expert in cell toxicology, regulatory toxicology, alternative methods, GLP, and validation research, and is a senior lecturer on alternatives to animal experimentation at other universities in Finland. Her valuable work focuses on the development of human cell-based models to achieve more-relevant results for risk evaluation and drug development when compared to data from animal experiments. Dr Heinonen was the President of the Finnish Society for Toxicology (1997–1999). Currently, she is the President of the Scandinavian Society for Cell Toxicology and FINCOPA (the Finnish Consensus Platform for Alternatives), and the Finnish representative in the EU PARERE (Preliminary Assessment of Regulatory Relevance) Network. Ada Kolman Hanna Tähti on behalf of the Board of the Björn Ekwall Memorial Foundation (BEMF; www.bemf.eu) E-mail address for correspondence: Ada Kolman, ada.kolman2@gmail.com

Journal

Alternatives to Laboratory Animals – SAGE

Published: Mar 1, 2015

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