Advancing refinement of laboratory animal use

Alternatives to laboratory animals : ATLA, 2004

The Three Rs are the main principles used by Animal Ethics Committees in the governance of animal experimentation, but they appear not to cover some ethical issues that arise today. These include: a) claims that certain species should be exempted on principle from harmful research; b) increased emphasis on enhancing quality of life of research animals; c) research involving genetically modified (GM) animals; and d) animals bred as models of disease. In some cases, the Three Rs can be extended to cover these developments. The burgeoning use of GM animals in science calls for new forms of reduction through improved genetic modification technology, plus continued attention to alternative approaches and cost-benefit analyses that include the large numbers of animals involved indirectly. The adoption of more expanded definitions of refinement that go beyond minimising distress will capture concerns for enhancing the quality of life of animals through improved husbandry and handling. Targ...

Journal of Oral Tissue Engineering, 2009

Worldwide, animal use figures for scientific purposes have been conservatively estimated as approximately 127 million in 2005. Over 11 million living non-human vertebrates were used within Japan in 2004. This was second only to the USA, which used approximately 17 million animals in 2005. The scientific and regulatory limitations inherent within the use of animal models during human clinical and toxicological investigations are substantial, and increasingly recognized. A previous trend of decreasing animal use is reversing, largely due to increased use of genetically-modified animals, and the implementation of largescale chemical testing programs. These developments demonstrate the need for considerably greater awareness and implementation of the 3Rs the replacement, reduction and refinement of laboratory animal use within governmental, academic and commercial sectors. These principles are widely recognized as essential to good laboratory animal practice. They may increase research quality and the robustness of procedures; result in reduced timeframes and resource consumption; and provide more reliable human clinical and toxicological outcomes. An overview of 3Rs principles, and of strategies likely to increase their implementation, is therefore provided. Combinations of such strategies may have synergistic effects, improving scientific outcomes whilst decreasing animal use.

The scientific and logistical limitations incurred by the use of animal models of humans within bio- medical research and toxicity testing are substantial, and increasingly recognized; as is social concern about, and consequent regulatory restriction of, laboratory animal use. In defiance of these factors, such use remains enormous. Based on best estimates, 11,154,961 living non-human vertebrates were subjected to fundamental or medically-applied biomedical research, toxicity testing, or educational use, within Japan, in 2004; which was second only to the US. Additionally, the use of geneti- cally-modified animals, and the implementation of large-scale chemical testing programs, are increas- ing laboratory animal use internationally. These trends demonstrate the need for considerably greater awareness of, and compliance with, the principles of the 3Rs␣namely, the replacement, reduction and refinement of laboratory animal use␣within governmental, academic and commercial sectors. These principles are widely recognized as essential to good laboratory animal practice. They may increase research quality and the robustness of outcomes, result in reduced timeframes and resource consump- tion, and jointly benefit consumers, industry and laboratory animals. An overview of 3Rs principles, and of strategies likely to increase their implementation, is therefore provided. Combinations of such strategies may have synergistic effects, improving both scientific outcomes and animal welfare.

ALTEX, 2011

Development of improved communication and education strategies is important to make alternatives to the use of animals, and the broad range of applications of the 3Rs concept better known and understood by different audiences. For this purpose, the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing in Europe (CAAT-Europe) together with the Transatlantic Think Tank for Toxicology (t(4)) hosted a three-day workshop on "Teaching Alternative Methods to Animal Experimentation". A compilation of the recommendations by a group of international specialists in the field is summarized in this report. Initially, the workshop participants identified the different audience groups to be addressed and also the communication media that may be used. The main outcome of the workshop was a framework for a comprehensive educational program. The modular structure of the teaching program presented here allows adaptation to different audiences with their specific needs; different time schedules can be ea...

Science and engineering ethics, 2015

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is entrusted with assessing the ethics of proposed projects prior to approval of animal research. The role of the IACUC is detailed in legislation and binding rules, which are in turn inspired by the Three Rs: the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. However, these principles are poorly defined. Although this provides the IACUC leeway in assessing a proposed project, it also affords little guidance. Our goal is to provide procedural and philosophical clarity to the IACUC without mandating a particular outcome. To do this, we analyze the underlying logic of the Three Rs and conclude that the Three Rs accord animals moral standing, though not necessarily "rights" in the philosophical sense. We suggest that the Rs are hierarchical, such that Replacement, which can totally eliminate harm, should be considered prior to Reduction, which decreases the number of animals harmed, with Refinement being considere...

Annual Review of Biomedical Sciences, 2008

Passantino A. Application of the 3Rs Principles for Animals Used for Experiments at the Beginning of the 21 st Century. ARBS Annu Rev Biomed Sci 2008;10:T27-T32. In 1986 the Council of Europe adopted Directive 86/609/EEC on the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes, which seeks to improve the controls on the use of laboratory animals, to set minimum standards for their housing and care, and addresses in broad terms the training of personnel handling animals and supervising experiments. It also aims at replacing animals with non-animal methods wherever possible, as well as encouraging the development and validation of such replacement methods. Where animals have to be used, the Directive aims to ensure that it is only the minimum number, and that any animal suffering is the minimum necessary to achieve the scientific objective. In view of the important progress made in science at the beginning of the 21st century, of the new techniques now available and of the increased sensitivity regarding animal rights, an updating of the Directive is necessary. In particular, it has become increasingly apparent that the Directive needs to be revised to promote improvements in the welfare of laboratory animals and to further encourage the development of alternative methods. In this review the need to introduce more severe criteria for laboratory experiments on animals, taking ethical aspects into account (specifically the application of the Three Rs principle), is explained. Among the solutions that could improve the control of experimental activity, there could be a cross-check control, made every year, of the number of animals used by the authorized research structures and the number indicated in their scientific output.

Joint diseases and related surgery, 2022

Many animals have similar body compartments and physiology as humans; therefore, they are used in scientific research and studies. The use of animals in medical research has a long history dating to the anatomical studies of Aristotle on various animals. Although there are serious concerns about the appropriate methodology and moral issues in animal studies and the transfer of data to humans, the use of animals in experiments has increasingly continued to the present day. [1] Currently, millions of animals are sacrificed worldwide annually, and many are suffering in harmful conditions for medical research involving the development of several medicines, vaccines, or surgical techniques. [2-4] The 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine) are recommended as fundamental principles for the use of animal model. [5] Replacement involves the alternative models to animal experiments such as in vitro methods or computer modelling. Reduction means to propose the minimum number of animals required to achieve the purpose of the research. Refinement consists of many

The contribution of animal experimentation to biomedical research is of undoubted value, nevertheless the real usefulness of animal models is still being hotly debated. Laboratory Animal Science is a multidisciplinary approach to humane animal experimentation that allows the choice of the correct animal model and the collection of unbiased data. Refinement, Reduction and Replacement, the B3Rs rule^, are now widely accepted and have a major influence on animal experimentation procedures. Refinement, namely any decrease in the incidence or severity of inhumane procedures applied to animals, has been today extended to the entire lives of the experimental animals. Reduction of the number of animals used to obtain statistically significant data may be achieved by improving experimental design and statistical analysis of data. Replacement refers to the development of validated alternative methods. A Laboratory Animal Science training program in biomedical degrees can promote the 3Rs and improve the welfare of laboratory animals as well as the quality of science with ethical, scientific and economic advantages complying with the European requirement that Bpersons who carry out, take part in, or supervise procedures on animals, or take care of animals used in procedures, shall have had appropriate education and training^.

EMBO Reports, 2007

Journal of oral tissue engineering, 2007

The history of animal use in research laboratories around the world is outlined with particular attention given to the concept of alternatives (the three Rs of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement). Using data from the UK and the USA, the paper demonstrates how far the “alternatives” concept has advanced in the last thirty years and how much progress has been made over that period.