Summary LAS
Legislation
Fluctuation of lab animals → Development of alternatives, ethics, legislation, more responsible use
and high costs → decrease
Development of transgenic animals → increase
Old definition of lab animals→Every living vertebrate animal including free living and/or
reproducing larval forms
New definition of lab animals→ Every living vertebrate animal including free living and/or
reproducing larval forms AND some invertebrae and mammalian
embryonic forms from the last third of term
All for the used or intended lab experiments
Animal experiment → Every use of a living vertebrate animal for the experimental and other
scientific purposes. Can inflict pain, suffering, discomfort or
permanent injury
- Including: every treatment that has the purpose or the
consequence of the birth of an animal in such a condition
- Excluding: non-eperimental treatments in agriculture and
veterinary practice
- Exception: of the least painful, in modern practice accepted
methods to kill or mark the animal (so called humane methods)
An animal should not be used more than once in experiments that inflict serious pain and suffering
Purpose of lab animals →
- Production and control of sera, vaccines or diagnostics
- Toxicological and pharmacological research
- Diagnose of diseases
- Education
- Answer scientific questions
Housing and taking care of lab animals →
- Housing conditions, environment, space to move, feed, water and
care
- Daily control of animals and environment
- Regular control by vet or expert
Source and ID of lab animals→
- No stray pets, lost or abandoned animals
- Mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits,
- Primates, dogs, cats and (quail) → marked individually and
permanent → immediately after weaning
- Farm animals
- Special demands for threatened species in the wild
- Register of all animals coming and going lab
Stats info every year government →
, - Numbers per species
- Numbers per type of experiment
Responsible use of lab animals →
- Experiments must be restricted to the absolute minimum
- May only be performed if there is no other method
- May only cause pain, suffering or injury if unavoidable
- May only be performed under anaesthesia unless the pain,
suffering or injury is less than the anaesthesia
- If anasethesia is not possible, analgesics or another method
- Animals must never be subject to serious pain, great discomfort or
suffering
- The choice of animals species must be considered → pref. with
lowest neurophysiologic degree
Before start animal experiment →
- Governmental lab licence
o Overview and map of rooms
o Overview of the experiment
o List of species and their source
o Overview of staff:
▪ Lab director: responsible manager
▪ Expert: responsible for the lab animals
▪ Project leader: Responsible for the experiments
(C FELASA)
▪ Biotechnicians: Conducts the experiments
(B FELASA)
▪ Animals caretaker (A FELASA)
- Permission of the Ethical Committee
o Evaluate planned experiments
o Set up of ethical criteria
o Advise labs and government
o Report to the government
o Professional secrecy for the members
▪ Lab director
▪ Project leader
▪ Biotechnician
▪ Vet or expert
▪ Independent member
o Form contains→
▪ Staff repsonsible for the project
▪ Purpose and description
▪ Number and species of animals with degree and
duration of pain, suffering and injury
▪ Anaesthesia, analgesia and post-operative
recovery care
▪ Alternative methods
▪ Humane endpoints and euthanasia
o Retrospective assessment
o Non-technical summary
- Animal Welfare body
, o Set-up by every user (lab or breeder) include animal
caretaker, scientist, vet or expert
o Tasks→
▪ Advise on animal welfare
▪ Review internal operational processes
o Goals→
▪ Improve animal welfare
▪ Better follow-up of humane endpoints
▪ Improve protocols
▪ Improve transparancy
▪ Rules/laws are followed
- Others
o Import license for non EU member animals
o Bio-security dossier
o Radio-activity use in lab animals
Animal Welfare assesment → gives information about the possible harm that is being inflicted to the
animals due to a DNA change. Data on breeding, behavior, lifespan, development of tumors or other
changes have to be recorded. The information is being assembled in an AWA document. The overview
of the symptoms will result in a final decision whether the phenotype is harmful or not. A workgroup
of the ethical committee evaluates the AWA, the classification and the severity to that specific
transgenic strain. Preparing and evaluating the AWA gives more administrative work BUT much more
attention is given to the effect of DNA change on the health of the animal and the people will know
better how to alleviate pain and suffering in those animals.
GS3 → depending on the phenotype, the animals get a classification, based on whether it’s harmful or
not.
- GS1 are wild type animals that do not have a harmful phenotype
- GS2 are genetically modified animals with non-harmful
phenotype
- GS3 are genetically modified animals with harmful phenotype
o When a lab wants to breed animals of a GS3
classification, they need an approval of the ethical
committee. They have to submit a GS3 project to the ECD
and describe there:
▪ Which strain
▪ What the likely phenotype is
▪ What measures are being taken to improve the
well-being of the animals
Safety
Important that →
- Avoid danger and risks to yourself and environment
- Avoid occupational disease
- Be aware of possbible danger, know what you are working with
- Avoid and control exposure to danger
- Reduce risk by means of the way you work → standard
operational procedures prevent industrial accidents and disease
- Get proper training and education
Possible hazards→
, - Physical hazards
o Trauma
▪ Sharp objects, machines and material,
maintenance, light, ergonomic hazards animals
inflicted wounds
o Fire
▪ Combustible material. Inflammable gasses and
liquids, electricity and liquid nitrogen
o Noise
▪ Animals, machines → wear protection
o Electricity
o Apparatus under pressure
▪ Autoclaves
▪ Bottles of gas
▪ Heating solutions
o Radiation
▪ Lasers
▪ UV-radiation
▪ Ionising radiation
• Alfa, beta and gamma radiation
• Internal and external contamination
- Chemical hazards
o Risk analysis
o New hazards
▪ Natural infections
▪ Viral vectors for gene therapy
▪ Transgen animals that express receptors for
human pathogens or proviral DNA
o Infectious agents
▪ Class 1: no disease in healthy human
▪ Class 2: Moderate risk, human disease after
exposure
▪ Class 3: Respiratory transmission can cause
serious/lethal disease
▪ Class 4: Agent with high risk of lethal disease, no
therapy
o Biosecurity:
▪ Class 1:
• Rooms lockable and window in door
• Animals cannot escape
• Information indication at door
• Indication of door open or not
• Must be desinfectable
• Windows shut
• Washing nearby
• Sink and coathangers in the room
• No eating, drinking, smoking etc.
▪ Class 2:
• Everything from class 1
• Biohazard sign at the door
Legislation
Fluctuation of lab animals → Development of alternatives, ethics, legislation, more responsible use
and high costs → decrease
Development of transgenic animals → increase
Old definition of lab animals→Every living vertebrate animal including free living and/or
reproducing larval forms
New definition of lab animals→ Every living vertebrate animal including free living and/or
reproducing larval forms AND some invertebrae and mammalian
embryonic forms from the last third of term
All for the used or intended lab experiments
Animal experiment → Every use of a living vertebrate animal for the experimental and other
scientific purposes. Can inflict pain, suffering, discomfort or
permanent injury
- Including: every treatment that has the purpose or the
consequence of the birth of an animal in such a condition
- Excluding: non-eperimental treatments in agriculture and
veterinary practice
- Exception: of the least painful, in modern practice accepted
methods to kill or mark the animal (so called humane methods)
An animal should not be used more than once in experiments that inflict serious pain and suffering
Purpose of lab animals →
- Production and control of sera, vaccines or diagnostics
- Toxicological and pharmacological research
- Diagnose of diseases
- Education
- Answer scientific questions
Housing and taking care of lab animals →
- Housing conditions, environment, space to move, feed, water and
care
- Daily control of animals and environment
- Regular control by vet or expert
Source and ID of lab animals→
- No stray pets, lost or abandoned animals
- Mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits,
- Primates, dogs, cats and (quail) → marked individually and
permanent → immediately after weaning
- Farm animals
- Special demands for threatened species in the wild
- Register of all animals coming and going lab
Stats info every year government →
, - Numbers per species
- Numbers per type of experiment
Responsible use of lab animals →
- Experiments must be restricted to the absolute minimum
- May only be performed if there is no other method
- May only cause pain, suffering or injury if unavoidable
- May only be performed under anaesthesia unless the pain,
suffering or injury is less than the anaesthesia
- If anasethesia is not possible, analgesics or another method
- Animals must never be subject to serious pain, great discomfort or
suffering
- The choice of animals species must be considered → pref. with
lowest neurophysiologic degree
Before start animal experiment →
- Governmental lab licence
o Overview and map of rooms
o Overview of the experiment
o List of species and their source
o Overview of staff:
▪ Lab director: responsible manager
▪ Expert: responsible for the lab animals
▪ Project leader: Responsible for the experiments
(C FELASA)
▪ Biotechnicians: Conducts the experiments
(B FELASA)
▪ Animals caretaker (A FELASA)
- Permission of the Ethical Committee
o Evaluate planned experiments
o Set up of ethical criteria
o Advise labs and government
o Report to the government
o Professional secrecy for the members
▪ Lab director
▪ Project leader
▪ Biotechnician
▪ Vet or expert
▪ Independent member
o Form contains→
▪ Staff repsonsible for the project
▪ Purpose and description
▪ Number and species of animals with degree and
duration of pain, suffering and injury
▪ Anaesthesia, analgesia and post-operative
recovery care
▪ Alternative methods
▪ Humane endpoints and euthanasia
o Retrospective assessment
o Non-technical summary
- Animal Welfare body
, o Set-up by every user (lab or breeder) include animal
caretaker, scientist, vet or expert
o Tasks→
▪ Advise on animal welfare
▪ Review internal operational processes
o Goals→
▪ Improve animal welfare
▪ Better follow-up of humane endpoints
▪ Improve protocols
▪ Improve transparancy
▪ Rules/laws are followed
- Others
o Import license for non EU member animals
o Bio-security dossier
o Radio-activity use in lab animals
Animal Welfare assesment → gives information about the possible harm that is being inflicted to the
animals due to a DNA change. Data on breeding, behavior, lifespan, development of tumors or other
changes have to be recorded. The information is being assembled in an AWA document. The overview
of the symptoms will result in a final decision whether the phenotype is harmful or not. A workgroup
of the ethical committee evaluates the AWA, the classification and the severity to that specific
transgenic strain. Preparing and evaluating the AWA gives more administrative work BUT much more
attention is given to the effect of DNA change on the health of the animal and the people will know
better how to alleviate pain and suffering in those animals.
GS3 → depending on the phenotype, the animals get a classification, based on whether it’s harmful or
not.
- GS1 are wild type animals that do not have a harmful phenotype
- GS2 are genetically modified animals with non-harmful
phenotype
- GS3 are genetically modified animals with harmful phenotype
o When a lab wants to breed animals of a GS3
classification, they need an approval of the ethical
committee. They have to submit a GS3 project to the ECD
and describe there:
▪ Which strain
▪ What the likely phenotype is
▪ What measures are being taken to improve the
well-being of the animals
Safety
Important that →
- Avoid danger and risks to yourself and environment
- Avoid occupational disease
- Be aware of possbible danger, know what you are working with
- Avoid and control exposure to danger
- Reduce risk by means of the way you work → standard
operational procedures prevent industrial accidents and disease
- Get proper training and education
Possible hazards→
, - Physical hazards
o Trauma
▪ Sharp objects, machines and material,
maintenance, light, ergonomic hazards animals
inflicted wounds
o Fire
▪ Combustible material. Inflammable gasses and
liquids, electricity and liquid nitrogen
o Noise
▪ Animals, machines → wear protection
o Electricity
o Apparatus under pressure
▪ Autoclaves
▪ Bottles of gas
▪ Heating solutions
o Radiation
▪ Lasers
▪ UV-radiation
▪ Ionising radiation
• Alfa, beta and gamma radiation
• Internal and external contamination
- Chemical hazards
o Risk analysis
o New hazards
▪ Natural infections
▪ Viral vectors for gene therapy
▪ Transgen animals that express receptors for
human pathogens or proviral DNA
o Infectious agents
▪ Class 1: no disease in healthy human
▪ Class 2: Moderate risk, human disease after
exposure
▪ Class 3: Respiratory transmission can cause
serious/lethal disease
▪ Class 4: Agent with high risk of lethal disease, no
therapy
o Biosecurity:
▪ Class 1:
• Rooms lockable and window in door
• Animals cannot escape
• Information indication at door
• Indication of door open or not
• Must be desinfectable
• Windows shut
• Washing nearby
• Sink and coathangers in the room
• No eating, drinking, smoking etc.
▪ Class 2:
• Everything from class 1
• Biohazard sign at the door
