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UC Center for Animal
Alternatives School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis |
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Wendy Koch (USDA/APHIS/Animal Care, Western Sector) said that PIs appear to handle Replacement and Reduction well. The third R, Refinement, needs to be introduced.
Nikki Simpson (UC Berkeley IACUC Coordinator) said that PIs are confused, that the search takes time and if possible, that time to do it should be reduced.
Rick Van Sluyters (UC Berkeley IACUC Chair) said that we should acknowledge that scientists already consider alternatives-- better ways to complete their research-- throughout their careers. It's an issue of saying. I know you know, and helping PIs tell the assurance team that they do know how. UC research is competitively funded, often technology driven. Product testing is driven by other pressures.
At Roche BioScience Peg Murphy said that most protocols are Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) protocols, the bottom line is money, and funding usually comes from overseas. Roche uses a variety of alternative models (cell, organ, tissue culture, etc.). She was happy to hear that the concept of the 3d R is broadening. She would like to see better ways to ensure an effective narrative, an appropriate literature search, and the use of the electronic resources in a way that is fast, easy to do, and comprehensible to lay people and the USDA.
JoAnne Boorkman (UC Davis Health Sciences Library, layperson, UC Davis IACUC) was interested not only in the appropriate literature search, but also always to the questions, why this species? Why these numbers? She emphasized that PIs are independent, want direction only, and not courses. The UC Davis IACUC support staff works with PIs to resolve questionable areas before each IACUC meeting. She would like to see built into the mandatory training for animal technicians a component on alternatives and the alternatives literature search. She helped build into the Campus Veterinarian's web site information on available databases and their usefulness to certain types of research. More recent protocols reflect the use of additional databases.
Susan Lessick (UC Irvine Science Library) was interested in providing a resource consultancy for complex searches and appropriate education for the PIs. PIs prefer to do the searches themselves. She and Jo Anne Boorkman agreed that librarians would help develop a list of hedge terms for alternatives.
Although EmBASE, now owned by Elsevier, is useful as an additional resource to MEDLINE and BIOSIS Previews, one cannot be assured that use of EmBASE would be effective in every case. MELVYL will be bringing online the full text of science and technology journals in experimental mode.
Lynette Hart (Director, Center) mentioned that the public perceives alternatives, progress toward their use, and the number of animals used in biomedical research quite differently than the biomedical community perceives them. Both the public and the biomedical community have legitimate concerns. As director of the Center, she would like to see all constituencies come together over common goals. This approach has worked for the pet overpopulation councils, both in California and nationwide. The Center is establishing bridges with the public using alternatives in teaching. It would like to have campus teams successfully using alternatives and techniques which others can follow. The gap in the public perception of the life sciences is at heart a failure to understand science and the scientific research process, let alone understand alternatives. How do we address the concerns regarding transgenic animals, environmental enrichment, and improvement of husbandry?
David Anderson (Center information specialist) asked if different types of research implied different types of alternatives approaches. No, life sciences research is a spectrum, from basic research to individual techniques. Nikki Simpson will furnish participants a paper by McKeown, which discusses ten of the biggest clinical breakthroughs that came from basic research. Rick Van Sluyters also recommended James Burk's TV series Connections. Animal work is more complex, harder, requires more money to perform and the results present more noise than non-animal work. Although there are situations in which animals are prima facie required, we (and Wendy Koch emphasized this) should not stop trying to 3R alternatives.
Refinement is open-minded. Ask the PIs what they have done, and why is it done? Why animals? Why this animal?
In working with pain and (di)stress, the Animal Welfare Act is a performance standard: minimize the pain and distress. As refinements evolve and the scientific need changes, quality assurance will also evolve and change. As the USDA vets receive training, and establish relationships, they are able to suggest 3R improvements to PIs and their institutions.
In response to the 3rd R, Refinement, Wendy Koch has told PIs, Think like you are the animal, from the time it is taken from the cage until the time it is returned to the cage.
1/8/1997
UC Center for Animal Alternatives
