Friday, July 03, 2009
Acting on behalf of Minister Klink of Health, Welfare and Sport, Annemiek van Bolhuis, deputy director-general for Public Health, awarded a ZonMw Pearl to Dr Kees Tensen of the Dermatology department at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC).
Dr Tensen took receipt of the prize as the head of the research laboratory of the department. The Pearl was awarded for the successful cultivation of human skin outside the body and its application in skin cancer research. An excellent alternative to animal testing has thus become available. As the cultivated skin is more comparable to human skin and animal skin, the cultivated skin is ideal for research into skin cancer.
After many years of development of a realistic skin model by Dr El Ghalbzouri, affiliated to Netherlands Toxicogenomics Centre (NTC), Dr Tensen has initiated use of this model in cancer research. In research subsidised by ZonMw, skin cancer was induced and genetically characterised in the skin model. Ultimately, this will lead to the development of new therapies.
What's more, the skin model offers commercial potential as its possible applications include testing the safety of medicines, cosmetics and chemical substances. Besides generating funds that can be invested in scientific research, it will also contribute to a reduction in the use of laboratory animals. Dr El Ghalbzouri received an earlier prize, namely the Public Prize for Alternatives to Animal Testing, for his work on the development and use of the skin model.