The Lush Prize recently awarded Gradient scientist Lindsey Borton and Medtronic scientist Kelly Coleman the 2026 Lush Prize for Political Advocacy award for their work on alternatives to animal-based testing.

BOSTON, May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Gradient announces that Principal Toxicologist Lindsey Borton and Medtronic Sr. Distinguished Toxicologist Kelly Coleman have been awarded the 2026 Lush Prize for Political Advocacy for their work on alternatives to animal-based testing. Their award-winning research used a science-based approach to show shortcomings of an animal-based test used on medical devices and support of non-animal-based alternatives that do not compromise the safety of the device and human use.  Borton and Coleman were selected from 60 nominations across all award categories, representing projects in 25 countries, with12 total prizes awarded.  The award was announced at a live event ceremony in London, UK, and also on YouTube.

To see a short video that the Lush Prize created about the research, please visit:  https://lushprize.org/2026-prize/2026-prize-winners/

Lush Prize is a collaboration between the campaigning cosmetics company Lush and the campaigning research group Ethical Consumer. The £250,000 prize fund is the biggest prize in the non-animal testing sector, and is the only award to focus solely on the complete replacement of animal tests. It has been rewarding excellence in the field since 2012.

Borton and Coleman documented their work in an article that was published in the journal, Alternatives to Animal Experimentation (ALTEX). 

Read the article in ALTEX:  Borton, L; Coleman, K. 2025. "Material-mediated pyrogens in medical devices: Myth or reality?" ALTEX – Altern. Anim. Ex. doi: 10.14573/altex.2504231.

In this article, Borton and Coleman used an evidence-based toxicology approach to determine whether material-mediated pyrogens (MMPs) exist in a medical device context, and whether the rabbit pyrogen test (RPT) could detect the presence of MMPs in or on a medical device.  The implications of their research have the potential to reduce animal-based testing requirements. 

"The Lush prize is an honor and recognition of the impact of our research.  The elimination of the rabbit pyrogen test in favor of more robust evaluation methods enhances the safety of medical devices," said Lindsey Borton, of Gradient. 

For more information on the prize, please visit https://lushprize.org. 

About Lindsey Borton:  Lindsey Borton is a principal toxicologist and engineer with industry experience in medical device biological safety and risk assessment.  At Gradient, she develops strategies for the biological safety assessment of medical devices in support of European, US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), and other worldwide medical device regulations.  Ms. Borton also performs toxicological risk assessments of extractable and leachable compounds for human health risk assessment.

About Gradient: Gradient is an environmental and risk sciences consulting firm renowned for scientific excellence. We provide cutting-edge risk sciences consulting services to design and strategize responsive and protective solutions to environmental and human health challenges.

About Lush: Lush is a campaigning manufacturer and retailer of fresh handmade cosmetics with shops in 52 countries. The Lush Prize is one element in a broader campaign called 'Fighting Animal Testing'.  www.fightinganimaltesting.com

About Ethical Consumer: Ethical Consumer Research Association is a not-for-profit research co-operative specialising in independent research into social, animal welfare and environmental issues. www.ethicalconsumer.org  

Please join us in congratulating Lindsey Borton and Kelly Coleman on the 2026 Lush Prize.

Contact:
Bethany Vasecka
Director of Marketing, Gradient
Bethany.Vasecka@gradientcorp.com

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SOURCE Gradient LLC