Two Harbors scientist backed by PETA

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PETA has teamed with the McGrath Family Foundation of San Diego to give a $62,000 grant to the International QSAR Foundation to develop computer models to test the cancer-causing potential of chemicals and drugs in their development stages. In animal-based carcinogenicity testing for a single chemical, more than 400 animals are fed chemicals for one to two years and are then killed.

Gil Veith has developed sophisticated models toward eliminating the use of animals in cancer testing. He works from his rural Two Harbors home with scientists around the globe developing alternatives to testing chemicals on animals. He was the lab director at the Environmental Protection Agency in Duluth for 11 years. After that, he worked with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris and started the International QSAR Foundation, based out of Duluth.

“This grant is literally a lifesaver, helping to make tests quicker and keeping animals out of the mix,” said PETA’s Kathy Guillermo. “In time, these new computer models will save millions of animals from painful and deadly cancer tests.”

“The science PETA is sponsoring is critical to the elimination of animal use,” Veith said. “PETA puts its money where its mouth is and has steadfastly supported better use of science to reduce reliance on animal testing.”

The foundation develops non-animal methods for chemical testing and has been instrumental in the development of a collection of computer models and databases that can be used to estimate toxicity without the use of animals for a wide range of chemicals and health effects.

More than 30 countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development use the testing to avoid using animals.

Tags: animal testing, two harbors, qsar foundation, peta, fccnetwork