Search our 3Rs resource library

Use the filters below to narrow down our resources to those relevant to your role, the model you are interested in, or by topic area. Filters are best used by combining two or more to narrow down the results.

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Resource topic

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109 results

Microphysiological systems

Information and support for the adoption of alternative approaches and technologies.

Guidance

Illustration showing the various organs that an organ-on-a-chip can model, including the retina, brain, heart, lungs, kidneys and intestines.

Using masking/blinding in in vivo experiments

Practical guidance and examples of strategies that can be used to mask group allocation in animal studies.

Guidance

Two persons with one wearing a mask over their eyes

Minimising non-human primate use in drug development

Opportunities to reduce the use of non-human primates in toxicology programmes.

Guidance

Cynomolgus macaque looking at the camera with a plastic swing in the background

External link

Procedures with Care

A series of video tutorials to develop skills in the administration of substances and apply best practice in aseptic surgical techniques in rodents.

Guidance | Webinar and video

A white mouse on a technician's gloved hands

Archiving best practice

Archiving can provide a back-up to production colonies, minimise genetic drift, reduce the need for tick-over colonies and preserve valuable models.

Guidance

Adapting environmental enrichment protocols

Guidance on modifying our example protocols to design your own studies.

Guidance

A macaque drinking from a hanging water bottle while sitting on a colourful swing

Evaluating enrichment approach 3: Motivation tests

Guidance on using motivation tests to evaluate environmental enrichment.

Guidance

Apparatus for investigating the strength of motivation of mice to burrow

Evaluating enrichment approach 1: Monitoring behaviour using an ethogram

Guidance on using ethograms to evaluate environmental enrichment, including examples.

Guidance

Rats in a playpen with plastic balls, bedding and a plastic wheel

Evaluating enrichment approach 2: Preference tests

Guidance on using preference tests to evaluate environmental enrichment.

Guidance

Apparatus for investigating the preference of mice for different colour cages

Example enrichment study protocols

Guidance on how to conduct an evaluation of environmental enrichment.

Guidance

Blood sampling: Rat

Information on techniques for sampling blood in the rat, covering non-surgical, surgical and terminal techniques.

Guidance

A brown and white rat in a cage, with an icon of a needle and syringe on a yellow background in the corner of the image.

Blood sampling: Vascular catheters

Guidance on catherisation for blood sampling in laboratory animals.

Guidance

Two vascular catheters of different sizes, with an icon of a needle and syringe on a yellow background in the corner of the image.

Wildlife research

Guidelines on implementing the 3Rs in both field and captive studies.

Guidance

Blood sampling: Ferret

Approaches for sampling blood in the ferret, covering surgical and terminal techniques.

Guidance

Close up of a brown and white ferret's face, with an icon of a needle and syringe on a yellow background in the corner of the image.

Chair training of non-human primates

Survey of the approaches used for training monkeys for chair restraint.

Guidance

Housing and husbandry: Rabbit

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory rabbit.

Guidance

Two white rabbits in a floor pen. The cage is grey and you can see sawdust and straw on the floor. The closest rabbit is sitting on a raised ledge looking towards a food hopper which contains hay and carrots. The other rabbit can be seen exploring the floor towards the back.

Moving to animal-free scaffolds for the construction of 3D organotypic models

Resources and information on the innovative technologies available to replace animal-derived scaffolds.

Guidance

A white icon of a scaffold on a purple background

Housing and husbandry: Cat

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory cat.

Guidance

A technician with cats in a play area. The technician is wearing a white protective suit, mask, hair net and laboratory gloves. She is holding a piece of string which one of the cats is rearing up to play with. One cat sits on a shelf to the left, another is walking along the floor looking at the camera.

Housing and husbandry: Rat

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory rat.

Guidance

A rat accepting a treat, in this case a cereal cheerio snack, from a technician. The rat sits on top of a housing box within a cage (the lid is open). The technician is reaching in with a gloved hand, and the black and white lister hooded rat is reaching up to take the treat.

Rat playpens

The positive impact playpens have on laboratory rat welfare, and guidance on how to set one up in your institution.

Guidance

A tall cage which has been used to create a rat playpen. There are three different tiers with ladders to allow the rats to climb up between each one. A number of white rats can be seen moving between the different levels. Enrichment and play objects are available on each level including an cardboard box that used to hold laboratory gloves, coloured balls, tubes, a wheel and a raised platform on the top level with some bedding material.

Housing and husbandry: Guinea pig

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory guinea pig.

Guidance

White guinea pigs in floor pen. Each enclosure holds around three to five guinea pigs and is separated with clear perspex partitions so the animals can see each other. Each enclosure has a silver box to create shade and shelter. The floor is covered in sawdust and straw.

Sharing and archiving of GA mice

Guidance document on opportunities to reduce and refine the use of GA mice through cryopreservation and sharing.

Guidance

The front cover of the "Sharing & archiving of genetically altered mice" document on a green background.

Acute toxicity testing

Reducing and refining acute toxicity tests in the pharmaceutical and chemicals industries.

Guidance

Environmental safety testing

Providing an evidence base to refine and reduce the use of vertebrates in (regulatory) ecotoxicology studies

Guidance