MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE 2015 LUSH PRIZE
EMBARGOED UNTIL November 20th, 2015
Lush Prize Awards Over $650,000 to Replace Animal Testing with 21st Century Technologies
The future of animal-free science received a monumental boost this week with a record total of $690,000
(£450,000) funding by the Lush Prize, the largest prize fund for the complete replacement of animal
experiments.
Scientists and campaigners from nine countries share the prize money and will receive their awards in London
on Friday, November 20th. The winners were selected by an international panel of experts from 51 shortlisted
science teams, organizations and individual researchers.
The Lush Prize – now in its fourth year – usually provides $385,000 (£250,000) annual funding to projects
working to end animal research in toxicology (chemical testing). The Prize is completely funded by Lush
Cosmetics. The North American branch of the global cosmetics company added another $305,000 (£200,000)
to the prize pot this year.
The prize fund rewards work in areas of science, training, public awareness, lobbying and young researchers.
For the first time, this year also awards five Black Box Prize winners for their work in mapping the world's first
'human toxicity pathway', fully explaining at a molecular level how a toxic chemical can enter the human body
and lead to a recurring allergic skin reaction.
Prof Michael L. Shuler and team at Cornell University
This year Michael L. Shuler, Former Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell
University, and team are recognized in the Science category for their work in developing new standards of
toxicology testing that can replace animal testing.
Shuler has partnered with UCF researcher Dr. James J. Hickman, Professor of NanoScience Technology,
Chemistry, Biomolecular Science and Electrical Engineering at the UCF NanoScience Technology Center.
They are awarded for developing Body-on-a-Chip systems, operated with tissues derived from human cell
sources, and are capable of simulating the human metabolism including toxic side effects. They can play a
significant role in determining the success of new pharmaceuticals without the use of animals.
Shuler’s team consists of: Mandy B. Esch, Assistant Professor, Syracuse University, Gretchen Mahler,
Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering at SUNY Binghamton and Tracy Stokol,
Associate Professor Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary
Medicine at Cornell University. Professors Esch and Mahler did much of this work while at Cornell University.
Hickman and Shuler are utilizing Hesperos, a startup biotech research and development company, to
commercialize the technology. Dr. Shuler is President and CEO and Dr. Hickman is Chief Scientist at
Hesperos.
“Body-on-a-Chip systems can play a significant role in determining the efficacy and toxicity of new
pharmaceuticals without the use of animals,” Dr. Shuler explained.
Aside from the ethical considerations of using live animal subjects to test potentially life-saving drugs, animal
testing is woefully inaccurate.
For every 50 drugs that are determined to be safe for animals, only one proves safe and efficacious in
humans,” Dr. Hickman said.
About the Lush Prize
A joint project between cosmetics company Lush and research group Ethical Consumer, the Prize is designed
to drive forward the complete replacement of animals in experiments, particularly in toxicology (chemical
testing) research.
Lush Prize judges believe that mapping this pathway, using 21st century technologies like genetics and
computing, represents a breakthrough into a future where a superior molecular science replaces the old,
imprecise technology of testing on animals.
Lush Prize has now provided a total of $1.874 million (£1.2 million) to end animal testing.
ENDS
PRESS ENQUIRIES
Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics US Public Relations:
Mandy Kirschner
mkirschner@lush.com
(347) 277-0943
Krystina Puleo
kpuleo@lush.com
(212) 965-0161
Crystal Carroll
ccarroll@lush.com
(604) 749-0843
NOTES TO EDITORS
The complete list of winners is below.
The Lush Prize is a partnership between Lush and Ethical Consumer to support animal-free toxicology and is
designed to reward groups or individuals working in the field of cruelty-free scientific research, awarenessraising and lobbying to help bring an end to animal testing. The £250,000 annual prize fund (boosted this year
by an extra £200,000) is the biggest prize in the non-animal testing sector, and the ONLY one to focus solely
on the replacement of animal tests. It seeks to focus pressure on safety testing for consumer products in a
way that complements projects already addressing the animal testing of medicines.
The Prize categories (http://www.lushprize.org/awards/)
 Public Awareness: public awareness-raising of on-going testing
 Science: for the development of replacement non-animal tests
 Training: training researchers in non-animal tests
 Lobbying: policy interventions to promote the use of replacements
 Young Researcher: to researchers under 35 years old specialising in replacements research
 Black Box: for a key breakthrough in human toxicity pathways research
About Ethical Consumer: Ethical Consumer Research Association is a not-for-profit research and consultancy
co-operative specialising in independent research into social, animal welfare and environmental issues.
www.ethicalconsumer.org
About Lush: Lush is a campaigning inventor, manufacturer and retailer of fresh handmade cosmetics with
shops in 49 countries. The Lush Prize is one element in a broader campaign called 'Fighting Animal Testing'.
Details of last year's prize winners can be seen at: http://www.lushprize.org/2014-prize/
Every year, it is estimated that more than 115 million animals are used in testing laboratories around
the world.
Lush Prize 2015 winners:
Name
Christophe Mas
Michael L. Shuler & team
Gilly Stoddart
Dmitry Leporsky
Bianca Marigliani
Ilka Maschmeyer
Elena Kummer
Jeremy Caplin
Lena Smirnova
Laura Bray
Organization
Oncotheis
Cornell University;
Hesperos; Syracuse
University; SUNY
Binghampton University;
University of Central
Florida
PETA International
Science Consortium Ltd.
Federal University of São
Paulo
Technical University of
Berlin and TissUse
Università degli Studi di
Milano
Iowa State University
Center for Alternative to
Animal Testing
Leibniz Institute for
Polymer Research
Country
Switzerland
USA
Prize category
Science
Science
UK
Training
Ukraine
Brazil
Training
Young Researcher
Germany
Young Researcher
Italy
Young Researcher
USA
USA
Young Researcher
Young Researcher
Germany
Young Researcher
Bob Diderich
Frank Gerberick
Terry Schultz
Andreas Natsch and
Roger Emter
David Basketter
Mojo Mathers
OECD Adverse Outcome
Pathway programme
Proctor & Gamble
University of Tennessee
Givaudan
France
Black Box
USA
USA
Switzerland
Black Box
Black Box
Black Box
DABMEB Consultancy Ltd
SOKO Tierschutz e.V.
Beagle Freedom Project
Green Party MP
UK
Germany
USA
New Zealand
Black Box
Public Awareness
Public Awareness
Lobbying