A GROUND-breaking drug testing technique which could save pharmaceutical

companies millions of pounds and reduce the need for animal testing, is being

developed in York.

Xceleron, a York-based company, is developing a procedure which would cut the need for extensive animal testing in drugs trials. Known as microdosing, the technique would allow tiny amounts of new drugs to be safely given to human volunteers.

This would allow drug manufacturers to make better informed choices when

selecting drugs to develop in full clinical trials.

The procedure has been endorsed by the Government's Animal Procedures Committee and could reduce the number of apes and monkeys used in drug testing and cut the cost of developing drugs.

Xceleron chief executive Professor Colin Garner said microdosing was an exciting new technique, which would help cement York's reputation as a science city.

He said: "It is going to be highlighting what goes on in York. We hope there will be other companies being created in York that will use this approach to develop new drugs."

An international trial on microdosing is due to be completed by early next year. While the clinical part of the trial is taking place in Holland, the analysis of the results will be carried out at Xceleron's base at the York Biocentre at Heslington.

Prof Garner said: "We are very excited about it. There is a lot of pressure for pharmaceutical companies to reduce the use of animals, and microdosing uses very low doses of drugs so it has no safety issues for the human volunteers.

"We are creating a new way of doing things for customers from all over the world."

Animal rights groups welcomed the company's work.

Elaine Toland, senior campaigns officer at Animal Aid, a charity, which campaigns for the abolition of vivisection, said: "Xceleron are to be commended for their progressive approach to drug safety testing which will more accurately predict any adverse side effects in people and also save animals' lives."

Wendy Higgins, campaigns director of the British Union of Anti-Vivisection (BUAV), said: "We would welcome the development of any techniques which ultimately mean eradicating animal experimentation. I would like to see the efforts of a company like Xceleron mushroom and completely change the face of drug testing from animal testing to completely modern, cutting edge, more reliable human-based testing."

Updated: 10:35 Monday, September 01, 2003