Two years of Alzheimer's disease research was destroyed the night of April 5 when vandals broke into laboratories at the University of Minnesota, smashing equipment and releasing over 100 laboratory animals. Studies into Parkinson's disease, cancer and other diseases were also damaged. The Animal Liberation Front said the crime was carried out in the name of animal rights. A few weeks later, the ALF struck again, this time at the University of California San Francisco. More vital research was destroyed.

As this is being written, a bus carrying animal rights activists determined to stop primate research is crossing the United States, staging protests at research facilities. Already there have been several confrontations and arrests. The so-called Primate Freedom Tour concludes early September in the Washington area with protests and civil disobedience at the National Institutes of Health and a day-long rally in front of the White House on September 4.

In the face of such organized oposition by activists, it is critical to understand the issues surrounding the use of animals in research. Animal research has played a role in virtually all medical advances and discoveries of the twentieth century. As we enter the new millenium, our quest for treatments and cures will continue to be greatly aided by scientists' work with laboratory animals.

Please join Americans for Medical Progress, a national advocacy organization for biomedical research, on July 21 for a breakfast briefing on the importance of animal-based research in medicine and how it is threatened by animal rights activists. Speakers will include:

• Richard Bianco, Director, Experimental Surgery, University of Minnesota.

• Joseph Bielitski, D.V.M., M.S. Chief Veterinary Officer, NASA.

• John Fung, M.D., Ph.D. Chief, Division of Transplant Surgery, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh.

• Representative George Gekas (R-Pennsylvania)

• Michael Hayre, D.V.M. Vice President Comparative Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

• Hope and Ellen Siska Hope, 4 years old, survived bacterial meningitis, but was left deaf by the illness. She recently received cochlear implants. Her mother Ellen, a cancer survivor, lost an infant son to SIDS and has become a passionate spokesperson for the vital role of animals in research.

• Stephen Suomi, Ph.D., Chief, Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, National Institute of Child Health and Development at NIH

• Elaine Tuomanen, M.D., Chair, Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Each speaker will give a short, informal presentation followed by plenty of time for questions. Our aim is to provide a relaxed, give-and-take environment in which an open and honest discussion of animal research can take place.

The breakfast briefing will take place from 9:00 to 11:00 AM on July 21 in the Zenger Room at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. PLEASE NOTE THAT SPACE IS LIMITED, so we must know in advance if you plan to attend.

To RSVP, please call Mishka Mc Cowan at 703-836-9595 ext. 102.