Photos from the 7th World Congress on Alternatives

This new In the Spotlight is a compilation of photos taken at the 7^th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences (WC7), held in Rome, Italy from August 30-September 3, 2009. The 20 photos are not inclusive of all major events and key participants, but give some flavor of the Congress. Special thanks to Michael Hughes of the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, who kindly supplied some of the photos. The other photographers for this “WC7 Photo Journal” include AltTox representatives Sherry Ward and Martin Stephens.

Over 950 stakeholders from more than 40 countries participated the WC7, which featured more than 250 lectures and 400 formal scientific posters. The outcomes reported by the Congress Co-chairs, Thomas Hartung and Herman Koetter, were that the new developments presented at this meeting, including the implementation of genomics, computational technologies, and high-throughput testing systems for assessing chemical and product safety, will “within the next decade…result in an unprecedented decrease in the use of experimental animals.”

AltTox participation in the 7^th World Congress included an oral and poster presentation about the website. We also held an informal meeting of AltTox editorial board members and forum moderators. The AltTox Forum hosted a message string for conferees to post any observations or thoughts about the WC7.

Enjoy the photos!