Meet the team making it happen

FRAME is founded in Wimbledon in 1969 by animal lover Dorothy Hegarty, who believed the arguments of anti-vivisection societies are too simplistic and unlikely to achieve their purpose. Hegarty was introduced to the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) by the biologist Charles Foister.

The first FRAME Toxicity Committee is established.

FRAME presents its first report on alternatives to using animals for toxicity testing at a conference at the Royal Society. The charity established that for an assay to be validated, it must be reliable, reproducible and relevant for the toxicity predicted.

With the help of funding from the Maurice Laing Foundation, ATLA, formerly a pamphlet-style publication, relaunches as a peer-reviewed international scientific journal.

FRAME acts as an advisor to the government, along with the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Committee for the Reform of Animal Experimentation (CRAE) to advise the government on the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act. This act came into force in 1986.

FRAME receives its first ever government grant to research replacement methods, which helped to kick-off its pioneering laboratory research.

FRAME receives the first Marching Animal Welfare Award from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).

FRAME collaborates with three other tissue culture laboratories to develop an in vitro method for assessing the relative acute toxicities of chemicals. The success of FRAME’s project catches the attention of Avon and Boots, who both have their chemicals tested by FRAME using validated assays that give them the confidence to go from the in vitro assay to directly testing on their human panels, eliminating the use of in vivo animal testing.

The INVITTOX database, a collection of protocols for in vitro methods in toxicology, is established. This follows FRAME’s publication of ‘The FRAME approach to the development, validation and evaluation of in vitro alternative methods.’ The INVITTOX database is now part of the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods’ (ECVAM) Scientific Information Service.

The FRAME Laboratory opens. It is still conducting research into alternatives at the University of Nottingham Medical School, and FRAME provides a block grant every year to sustain the research.

The FRAME lab, through its development and validation of tissue culture methods, assists the introduction of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) – a set of principles intended to assure the quality and integrity of non-clinical laboratory studies, into in vitro methodology.

FRAME becomes a founding member of Focus on Alternatives. This represented a significant step to promote dialogue between all UK groups that focus on replacement alternatives.

The first FRAME Annual Lecture is delivered by 3Rs pioneer, Bill Russell.

2000-2003 – EU regulators accept FRAME’s first three replacement alternatives to animal-based toxicity testing. One of these, a phototoxicity test, had been validated in a 1997 study that involved the FRAME lab.

FRAME is involved in the EU AcuteTox Project – a collaboration between several international laboratories that looked at assays for predicting human liver, kidney and neural toxicity.

FRAME’s 40th anniversary year is marked by a series of events including seminars on 21^st century drug development, and human alternatives to animal experimentation.

FRAME takes part in European Commission Consultation on Alternative Methods for Cosmetics Testing.

FRAME launches the PiLAS website (Perspectives in Laboratory Animal Science) to provide a platform for informal discussion of current challenges facing bio-scientists.

Professor Michael Balls is made FRAME Life President.

FRAME publishes a review of the use of dogs in drugs testing in ATLA, which reveals that the use of dogs as second species does not add any additional useful human relevant information.

The first FRAME debate is held.

FRAME rebrands to keep pace with changing technologies.

FRAME celebrated it’s 50th anniversary with a Summer Symposium, the launch of its Summer Studentship Programme and an anniversary Annual Lecture.

FRAME appoints new Chief Executive Officer, Celean Camp to work closely with the FRAME team, the Board of Trustees and the charity’s partners to drive forward necessary changes in policy and practice to help FRAME to achieve its ultimate aim of eliminating the need to use laboratory animals in any kind of medical and scientific procedures.

FRAME joins the Alliance for Human Relevant Science.

FRAME CEO Celean Camp shares “We’re delighted to be joining the Alliance for Human-Relevant Science. FRAME has been championing the promotion of human-relevant methods in research and testing via collaborative working for many years. It is incredibly positive to see so many like-minded organisations joining together for greater impact. I am excited to see what can be accomplished!”