After twelve months of preparation, the new Einstein Center for Alternative Methods in Biomedical Research will officially be launched this week. The Einstein Foundation will provide financial support amounting to €5.3 million until the end of 2026, but will make part of its funding subject to the Center's positive interim assessment by the Foundation's independent research board in 2024. The necessary funding will be made available by the State of Berlin in addition to the Einstein Foundation's basic budget.
The aim of the Einstein Center 3R (Replace, Reduce, Refine) is to develop new therapies for human diseases by improving the transferability of research while also taking into view animal welfare. Research will focus on 3D models of human tissue designed to offer a replacement to animal testing. These special cell cultures, known as organoids, can be cultivated to resemble individual organs both in function and in structure. They open a new window into understanding and treating human diseases, and, in some areas, offer a wider scope of possibilities compared to the analysis of individual cells or animal testing. The challenge lies in developing organoids that resemble human organs as closely as possible in terms of maturity and complexity, i.e. “micro-organs“ with their own vascular or immune systems.
“International experts and the Einstein Foundation's independent research board strongly support the establishment of the Einstein Center 3R. Its research approach, its structure, and the degree of collaborative exchange across its partner institutions have the potential to make Berlin a leading hub for research into alternatives to animal testing,“ said Prof. Dr. Günter Stock, Chair of the Einstein Foundation's Executive Board, commenting on the Center's funding approval.
Species-specific differences often limit the transferability of research insights gained during animal testing into practical treatment. Organoids, by contrast, offer biomedical researchers the major advantage of working directly with human cells. The Einstein Center will accommodate six research projects focusing on the intestines, lung, heart, brain, liver, and neuromuscular junctions, respectively. These will be complemented by two cross-sectional quality assurance projects designed to improve the models and define measures and principles to guide the projects' research. In addition, the Center will set up an imaging and analysis platform in order to improve the comparability of human and animal-based models regarding the specific characteristics of diseases such as COVID-19.
The governing mayor of Berlin and the city's senator for higher education and research, Michael Müller, said: “Together with the Charité, our universities, and our research institutes, we have done much in recent years to establish Berlin as an international research hub for exploring and developing alternatives to animal testing. The newly launched Einstein Center 3R is part of this effort, bringing together the outstanding expertise of Berlin's pioneering and innovative biomedical researchers. With its broad network of institutions, the city is taking on a leading role across Germany and internationally.
The founding institutions of The Einstein Center 3R are Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Technische Universität Berlin, in close cooperation with the Berlin Institute of Health, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), and the Robert Koch Institute.
The Center's long-term aim is to build a Berlin-wide research network that explores tissue models and develops cutting-edge projects. The 3R principle, introduced by William Russell and Rex Burch, seeks to substitute animal experiments with alternatives (replace), minimize the number of animals used in experiments (reduce), and ease the amount of stress put on animals (refine). Education and training will help early career researchers to rigorously employ this principle throughout their work. Communication and outreach programs will also play a significant role in the Center's activities.
“We are delighted that the Einstein Center 3R will now provide us with a cross-institutional framework that strengthens the role of the 3 R's, supports the development of alternative methods, and promotes exchange among researchers and projects across Berlin,“ added Prof. Dr. Axel Radlach Pries, Dean of Charité - Universitätsmedizin.
Source: Press Release Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Press Release Einstein Foundation
Website: Einstein Center 3R