The Biologist article: Ethical, impactful and better science
As part of our 20-year anniversary celebrations we have published an article in The Biologist exploring how we have driven innovation in the 3Rs and applied emerging technologies to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals over the past two decades.
The way scientists plan, perform and publish biomedical research has changed significantly over the past 20 years. Advances in technology have given researchers more options so they can choose the most relevant tool to tackle their scientific question, new insights into animals' emotional states and behaviour to support the highest welfare standards and improved software and support to ensure that every animal used meaningfully contributes to the scientific knowledge base. At the NC3Rs we have been investing in new models and exploiting advances in technology and tools to advance the 3Rs since we were founded in 2004.
Simple changes can have profound effects for animal welfare and scientific results (such as picking up a mouse using a tunnel or cupped hand rather than by the tail or using grimace scales to support better pain management) and we work closely with the scientific community to build the evidence, confidence and skills needed to make best practice common practice.
Our work has driven the international momentum towards reproducible science, with our ARRIVE guidelines endorsed by journals, funders and universities and the Experimental Design Assistant used by over 20,000 scientists around the world.
We have been bold in our recommendations to regulators and collaborated with pharmaceutical and (agro)chemical companies to build confidence in replacement approaches when the scientific and regulatory framework is traditionally built around animal use, including our review of World Health Organisation guidance for the development, production and quality control of biologics, our Two Species project to reduce reliance on dogs, primates and minipigs in safety testing and our project using AI to develop a virtual dog to replace their use in chronic toxicity testing.
We will continue to challenge the status quo and champion innovative, evidence-based approaches to achieve wholesale change in the way animals are used in scientific research and testing. In the face of emerging new technologies over the next 20 years and the evolving ethical dilemmas they present, the 3Rs remain the constant guiding principle for ethical, impactful – and better – science.
Explore the evolving relationship between genetic modification and the 3Rs in our article in the Genetics Society Magazine.
