BEAGLE FREEDOM PROJECT AWARDS $50K GRANT TO DR. KATHERINE TSAIOUN, DIRECTOR OF EBTC AT JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, FOR PIONEERING NEW STUDY AIMED TO ELIMINATE ANIMAL-BASED RESEARCH

BEAGLE FREEDOM PROJECT AWARDS $50K GRANT TO DR. KATHERINE TSAIOUN, DIRECTOR OF EBTC AT JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, FOR PIONEERING NEW STUDY AIMED TO ELIMINATE ANIMAL-BASED RESEARCH

LOS ANGELES, CA (February 21, 2017) – Earlier this month, the national non-profit, animal rescue and advocacy organization Beagle Freedom Project (BFP), announced four chosen winners of its first ever ‘Beagle Freedom Prize’.

Commemorating the first winner, Dr. Katherine “Katya” Tsaioun – Director of the Evidence-Based Toxicology Collaboration (EBTC) at John Hopkins University – BFP is providing a $50K grant to fund the EBTC project, a study that seeks alternative solutions for replacing the use of animals in experiments.

“BFP is delighted to award Dr. Katherine Tsaioun with the necessary resources to advance her research and studies to the next level,” explains Kevin Chase, Vice President of BFP. “Our long-time goal and motivation has always been to promote alternative models and methodologies that will replace the use of animals in experiments. Other alternatives do exist; we just simply need to explore them.”

The EBTC project uses a systematic review approach by comparing liver toxicity in human patients, experimental animals (including beagles), and non-animal (in vitro) tests. Dr. Tsaioun’s team, comprised of stakeholders from academic, industry, and non-profit sectors, will inspect the literature on ten marketed drugs that have reported adverse liver events, or lack thereof, in humans. The objective of the study is to increase understanding of inter-species differences, frequently observed in adverse drug reactions. Additionally, the research team will explore the ability of the in vitro tests in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ToxCast program, in order to predict such reactions in humans. The results will provide a direct objective comparison of the ability of animal tests, and non-animal tests, to predict drug-induced liver toxicity in humans.

Today, regulatory agencies worldwide require the use of beagles and other animals to assess human safety. There are studies from previous years that prove animal tests have limited ability at predicting how drugs and other products affect humans. Systematic review and additional evidence-based methodologies are the gold standard of clinical research, and the EBTC is pioneering their translation to the science of toxicology.

BFP negotiates with laboratories around the world for the release of beagles and other animals, helping to set them free from the grueling life of being tested for cosmetics, products, and scientific curiosities. The non-profit has strong celebrity support from stars such as Sia, Chelsea Handler, Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, Maria Menounos, Whitney Cummings, Nikki Reed, and Ian Somerhalder, to name a few.

For more information on Beagle Freedom Project, or to interview Kevin Chase, please contact Eileen Koch of EKC PR, a full service Branding, Marketing, and Public Relations firm at 310.441.1000 or email Eileen@ekcpr.com. Visit www.EKCPR.com.