Ana Isabel Moura Santos, Professor at NOVA Medical School, is now the Chair of the Board of the European Animal Research Association (EARA).
Ana Isabel Santos was elected as a member of the EARA's Board in 2021 and, since the beginning of 2023, is chairing this association's governing body.. “When we still depend on animal models to advance biomedical research, it is a privilege to have the opportunity to contribute to the coordination of an organization such as EARA, that promotes openness and information release to the Society in relation to research with animals”, says Ana Isabel Santos concerning this new role.
The moment is particularly relevant as the European Parliament is discussing the accelerated elimination of animal experimentation and its total replacement by alternative methods, even though there are no models that can replace whole animals with all their systemic interactions.
Ana Isabel Santos has developed a lot of work in the area of Laboratory Animal Sciences at the national and international level, having been one of the promoters of the Transparency Agreement on Animal Research in Portugal in 2018. The Professor has been president of the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA), is President-elect of the Education and Training Platform for Laboratory Animal Science, and is Chair of the Animal Welfare Agency (ORBEA) at NMS.
EARA brings together public and private institutions from academia, research and industry in the biomedical sector and has a very relevant role in disseminating information on the need to use animal models, with accurate and evidence-based information.