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3 Minute 3Rs podcast: October 2022 transcript

Statistical planning, human cell cultures for toxoplasma and preventing boredom in laboratory rodents

Papers behind the pod:

  1. Piper SK et al. (2022). Statistical review of animal trials—A guideline. Biomimetrical Journal  00:1–12. doi: 10.1002/bimj.202200061
  2. Gargaté MJ et al. (2022). Parallel Propagation of Toxoplasma gondii In Vivo, In Vitro and in Alternate Model: Towards Less Dependence on the Mice Model. Pathogens 11(9):1038.

     doi: 10.3390/pathogens11091038
  3. Mieske P et al. (2022). Bored at home?—A systematic review on the effect of environmental enrichment on the welfare of laboratory rats and mice. Frontiers in Veterinary Science doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.899219

 [NC3Rs]

It’s the third Thursday of October, and you’re listening to 3 Minute 3Rs, your monthly recap of efforts to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research. This month we have a paper on each R, let’s start off with reduction and improving statistical planning: 

[NA3RsC] 

Good statistical planning and design are essential to justify the need and moral defensibility of any research study – and they are a key part of the 3Rs concept of Reduction. If errors are made, conclusions may be misinterpreted and further proliferated. However, statistical review can be challenging, especially if you are not a trained biostatistician. Furthermore, current animal review forms may not even give enough information to allow for a proper review. 

Therefore, a German team has developed a helpful form to collect key biostatistical planning information. This form and partner user guide can help both applicants and reviewers improve statistical planning and design. Ultimately, by unifying the standards to evaluate animal research the team hopes to increase both the quality and translation of preclinical research. 

Read the short communication in Biometrical Journal to learn more about this helpful form and guidance on its use.  

[NC3Rs] 

Next, a replacement opportunity for toxoplasma studies.  

Infection by toxoplasma gondii poses a serious health risk to unborn babies and those with compromised immune systems. Mouse models have been instrumental in advancing our knowledge of this highly prevalent protozoan. But now, human cell cultures present an opportunity to reduce the number of mice needed to study the T. gondii parasite. 

A Lisbon-based team have investigated alternative approaches to continuously propagating the parasite in live mice. Rather than inoculating one mouse after another, they found that they were able to maintain the virulence and phenotypic characteristics of the strain by alternating human cell cultures with an animal host. 

The authors caution that they have only validated this method for a single strain of T. gondii, but they were able to maintain the RH strain for the full 10-month study period, while using significantly fewer mice than their usual approach. 

Read the full article in Pathogens

[NC3Rs]

And finally, can we refine rodent experience by preventing boredom? 

[LabAnimal] 

Environmental enrichment is increasingly used to improve the living conditions of laboratory animals and enhance sensory, motor and social stimulation.   

To gain further insight into how environmental enrichment influences laboratory rodent welfare, the German Center for the Protection of Laboratory Animals conducted a systematic analysis investigating the effect of housing conditions on different wellbeing indicators in mice and rats. They noted the measures of activity, cognition, motor function and behaviour described in the literature, actually resonated with symptoms of boredom and that including environmental enrichment alleviates boredom-like symptoms such as stereotypic and depressive-like behaviour.  

This study shows that boredom is measurable in laboratory rodents, identifies potential interventions to prevent boredom in experimental animals and confirms that a stimulating environment is essential for the wellbeing of mice and rats.  

To learn more about this study, read the full paper in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.    

[NC3Rs]

That’s it for this month’s episode. 3 Minute 3Rs is brought to you each month by Lab Animal, the North American 3Rs Collaborative, and the NC3Rs. If you have a minute more, why not help more people find the show by rating or reviewing wherever you listen? Thanks for tuning in, we’ll see you again next month for another 3Rs update.