In January, several Oxford University undergraduates formed a group, called Pro-Test to support the use of laboratory animals in biomedical research. They were inspired by a local 16-year-old high-school student, Laurie Pycroft, who had decided to challenge the hundreds of protestors regularly demonstrating against the university's plans to build an animal-testing facility on campus. Less than a year after its formation, Pro-Test is being credited by the UK media for turning the tide of public opinion in favor of animal testing. "There's been a real sea change," says Pro-Test spokesperson Iain Simpson, a 19-year-old second-year student in politics, philosophy, and economics at Oxford. "A year ago, not one medical research charity would make a public statement about animal research. Now more than 100 UK medical research charities have statements in support of animal research on their Web sites."
Simpson and Pycroft will share their experiences at the American Association for ...
