The scientist has developed a method that can reduce the number of laboratory animals used in research
Ronald Naumann.
© R. Naumann
To the Point
- 3Rs Implementation Award: Ronald Naumann received this award for his innovative approach in research that significantly reduces the number of laboratory animals used.
- Methodology: Naumann developed a method to test mouse sperm predictably for desired genetic mutations, based on the STR (Short Tandem Repeat) procedure.
- Impact: His approach has saved approximately 5,600 mice over the past four years by ensuring only scientifically valuable offspring are bred.
The 3Rs Collaborative, based in the USA, announced the winners of the 2025 3Rs Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement in research. Ronald Naumann, the head of the Transgenic Core Facility at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, received the 3Rs Implementation Award 2025 for reducing the number of animals in research significantly with a method that he developed. For this method, he received the 3Rs Prize of the International Society for Transgenic Technologies in 2022, together with Peter Dobrowolski, an expert in the analysis of genetic fingerprints, working at GVG Genetic Monitoring GmbH in Leipzig, Germany.
"For over 40 years, thousands of mice are bred with genetic mutations. But often, despite breeding many mice, none of the offspring have the desired mutation," explains Ronald Naumann. "Hence, a large number of offspring have no scientific value. In line with the 3R principles to reduce the number of animals for research, replace them with alternative methods, and refine their treatment, we have developed a new way to test sperm from mice predictably for desired genetic mutations. This method is based on a special analysis test, the STR (Short Tandem Repeat) procedure, which enables fast and reliable identification of genetic characteristics. As a result, only offspring that are of scientific interest for the respective experiment are bred. The approach allows mice to be bred efficiently without the need for large numbers of additional animals. This has already saved around 5,600 mice over the past four years."
Ronald has been working with laboratory animals since 1995 and established the Transgenic Core Facility at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in 2002. Furthermore, he played a key role in establishing many facilities worldwide and continues to support international scientific institutions with his broad expertise.
