Call for Increased Openness Receives Continued Response

We are pleased to tell you that our letter from America’s scientific community calling for increased openness in animal research continues to receive lots of attention. Here’s a brief update.

The Letter

For those unfamiliar with the effort, Speaking of Research organized an open letter from America’s scientific community advocating for greater openness and communication about the use of animals in health research. The response was more than we had hoped. We  originally planned to submit the letter for publication once we had received 200 signatures. However, nearly 600 scientists, veterinarians and other laboratory staff members or students from research organizations signed on, including 4 Nobel Prize winners.

News Coverage Continues

In addition to having the letter published in both the print and online editions of USA Today, the effort was also covered by Science Magazine. That article notably featured comments from Carol Greider, Ph.D., one of the Nobel Prize-winning scientists who signed the letter:

“I read the letter and decided within minutes that I would sign it,” Greider, a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine biologist and 2009 Nobel laureate, tells Science. “Animal research is very important to understanding fundamental biological mechanisms.”

But that’s not all, the story was also covered by the following publications:

The Scientist: US Scientists’ Letter Calls for Transparency in Animal Research

ALN Magazine: Nobel Prize Winners Lead Call for Greater Openness in Animal Research

Undark: Featured in this story summarizing the day’s top news

We would like to applaud and thank all of those who took part. You surpassed expectations and demonstrated that it is not too late to protect both current and future health research benefitting both humans and animals.

Next steps: The Speaking of Research Rapid Response Network 

However, the open letter is just the start. It was the inaugural action of the Speaking of Research Rapid Response Network, which gives scientists, the research community and its supporters a chance to advocate for and defend research. Click this link to learn more about the network and sign up here.