Michael Festing
Michael Festing is a British research scientist best known for his work on animal testing. He is a member of the UK Animal Procedures Committee, which advises the Home Secretary on matters related to animal experimentation, one of five trustees of the Fund for the Replacements of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME), which is financed by the pharmaceutical and animal-testing industries, [1] and a council member of the Institute of Laboratory Animals Research USA. [2]
Festing has been criticized by the animal-rights movement for his investment in companies that engage in animal testing, including AstraZeneca, GSK, Alizyme, Akambis, Cambridge Antibody, Shire Pharmaceuticals, and Celltech. [3] [4]
He is the author of over 200 scientific papers on laboratory animal genetics and related issues. He has a particular interest in improving the design of animal experiments, particularly in the area of toxicology testing.
Life and education
Festing is a chartered statistician, has a Ph.D in quantitative genetics from Iowa State University, and a D.Sc. from the University of London.
He is the father of Simon Festing, the executive director of the Research Defence Society, which focuses on supplying information about, and defending, the use of animals in medical experiments in the UK.
References
- Brief biography of Michael Festing, PharmaDiscovery, retrieved February 22, 2006