Swansea University researcher wins £10,000 prize to help end animal testing

Please note, this page has been archived and is no longer being updated.

Dr Kate Chapman, a researcher officer in Swansea University’s Medical School, has won £10,000 in this year’s 2016 Lush Prize, the largest prize fund for the complete replacement of animal experiments.

Dr Chapman was announced as a winner on Friday 11 November at the 2016 Lush Prize Awards Dinner in London.

Twenty-seven-year-old Dr Chapman from Bridgend was recognised within the Young Researcher category for developing a test that could potentially contribute to the replacement of the two-year rodent cancer experiment.

The test uses a combination of healthy human cells and a range of test chemicals, including chemicals similar to alcohol and oestrogen, to assess whether these chemicals have the potential to cause cancer. It is hoped that this new test system will lead to effective chemical safety testing without animals in the future.

Now in its fifth year, the Lush Prize has so far provided over £1.5 million to support strategic projects helping to end animal testing in toxicology research, across 27 countries.

Dr Chapman is one of 15 young researchers under the age of 35 from across the globe receive a prize of £10,000.

Dr Kate Chapman

Dr Chapman, said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been awarded the Lush Young Researcher Prize. The prize money will help me to continue research towards improving animal-free DNA damage testing, by further investigating the use of 3D human skin models."

Lush Prize spokesperson, Craig Redmond, added: “The Lush Prize has gone from strength to strength. In five years we have been able to provide £1.5 million towards ending animal testing through science, public awareness and lobbying for legislative change. Rolling out additional Young Researcher prizes this year is part of our plan to support the next generation of scientists who can bring forward progression in non-animal research and ensure regulatory acceptance of these tests, both to move away from unethical animal use and provide research methods that are directly relevant to human health.”