LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE
40% written test
10% surgical skills
50% ECO applications and presentation
INTRODUCTION
ASSIGNMENT: Design a project: file for an ethical approval for a project. They check if you know what to put into
such a file, what is complying with legislation, what are the best practices,... They see if the design of the project
is a good application. They don't test how you comprehend scientific literature.
HISTORY-ETHICS
HISTORY
1
,2
,3
,CRUELTY AGAINST AN IMALS ACT (1867)
In 1867 in the UK, a legislation was written down which stated you cannot be cruel to animals: e.g. no vivisection.
In Europe everything was still allowed. This was a reaction against for example Magendie who held performances
to which you could buy tickets to watch a vivisection on a dog. Also they were the first to say we protect lifestock,
we protect our pets, but we also have animals to be used for research. Only included vertebrates, not non-
vertebrates:
- Vertebrates
- You can only use t hem once
- Use anesthesia
- Kill immediately after
- Benefit should outweigh the animal suffering
In Belgium, there was influence and input predominantly from scientists from Germany, such as Kant. Also, there
was the catholic tradition, so we wanted to be as close to God as possible. There was only the possession act
(strafwetboek 1867): you cannot harm someone else's possession: you cannot harm someone else's dog. Had
nothing to do with the animals but just with ownership. Also no specification of laboratory animals or
experiments was added here.
Later, in new UK legislations, the re-use of animals was allowed too in certain cases.
NATIONAL ANTI-VIVISECTION SOCIETY (+- 1910)
In the UK, there was a big demonstration against vivisection and some animal studies that were shown to
students. Scientists were thinking over the fact if you should do animal studies to repeat something, and not just
use them to make advances in science: should we not be more specific. The discussion shifted to preventing
harm, rather t han questioning the value of animal research. Antibiotics were used more and more but these did
not always work: Brown dog affair.
4
,3 R'SCONCEPT (1959)
Concept by Russel and Burch: the principles of humane experimental technique. They are in order and this
order is important:
1. REPLACEMENT
Can you do it in a non-lab animal experiment : e.g. by using a non-vertebrate animal, or an embryonic or larval
form. Now it is also possible to do a lot in vitro or in silico. if so use those instead of animals
2. REDUCTION
If you decide you can't use an alternative: you should do it with the lowest number of animals possible: sample
size calculation, perhaps re-use animals, report negative data,...
what is a good number for robust data but without overuse
3. REFINEMENT
Use anesthetics, use in vivo imaging in order not to kill animals at certain time points, cage enrichment,
analgesics, ... to make procedures more humane.
fe invastigation of a complex mechanisms
4. RESPECT? might become newly added
TOM REGAN: THE CASE FOR ANIMAL RIGHTS (1983)
Regan is an animal right activist (not animal welfare activist: two different opinions). His opinion is that rights
equal to duties. He has translated the deontology of Kant into a new viewpoint that also considers animals.
shouldn’t touch upon the rights of an animal —> one of those is to live —> cannot let it die.
He still makes a distinctions between moral agents vs moral patients. We are moral agents because we are able
to discuss and reason, if someone cannot do this they are moral patients. BUT we should still consider them
because they have emotions: we should still apply the deontology to moral patients. He extents the view of Kant
to include animals. AND we have the duty to look after these moral patients: we are obliged to not use moral
patients and respect their rights, esp. Their right to live and not to serve as a means. He is against ALL use of
animals: no life-stock, no lab animals, no pets. Cannot touch upon an animal because we can’t touch upon the
rights <-> welfare : can be used but needs to be in the best situation.
EUROPEAN DIRECTIVES AND BELGIAN LAWS
1. 1986: European directive
2. 1986: Belgian law on animal welfare
1. Mentions laboratory animals and animal experiments
2. Registrations
3. KB's (implementation)
3. 2010: new European directive refinement
4. Implementation of new EC (KB 2013)
5
, 5. 2014 animal welfare moved to the gewesten (Flanders)
Europe wrote down a European directive: guidelines that was devoted to lab animals. The member states who
signed and ratified the directive, must implement it into their legislation. Belgium adopted this directive the same
year. 2010: revision of the directive: also put up the function system, later on also implemented in Belgium.
EFFECTS ON NUMBER OF ANIMALS USED IN EXPERIMENTS
X-axis: starts in 1995: when directive was well defined & punishments where added
Y-axis: number of animals used in experiments
There was also a lack time of responding: a clear effect is only seen in 1997. Emphasizes
the importance of the force of law.
The New European directive was really optimistic: animals to be used only when
necessary, in low numbers & most refined methods. By 2000 they wanted no animals to be used. But by 2000 t
here was discovery of transgenic lines: new plateau. New directive more emphasis on refinement.
Other milestones in Belgium that reduced the number of animals:
2005: you cannot use animals for cosmetics anymore
2009: ban of experiments on great apes in an animal experiment
- Important: when do we consider something an animal experiment!
2011: ban of the use of animals for tobacco
Phillip - Morris: big company in Brussels with big development unit for studies of asthma and smoking . Every day
there were people protesting there against the animal use. This forced Belgium to make new regulations. But
they just moved to another country where it is possible to continue their actions.
THE PROCESS OF ALLOWING LAB-ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS
Not all animal experiments are allowed, and every animal experiment should undergo a procedure to seek for
approval with an ethics committee. These people should be experts in certain domains. We want to have as
many viewpoints as possible and dissonant voices to have a thorough revision of the ethical legislations. This is
because everyone has decision cubes but the number of blocks in which row depends on a person.
3 dimensions of which the importance is different for everyone:
1. The importance of research
2. The likelihood of clinical benefit
3. The amount of animal suffering
We need people with critical opinions who speak up which results in moving
forward (eg Philip Morris).
6
40% written test
10% surgical skills
50% ECO applications and presentation
INTRODUCTION
ASSIGNMENT: Design a project: file for an ethical approval for a project. They check if you know what to put into
such a file, what is complying with legislation, what are the best practices,... They see if the design of the project
is a good application. They don't test how you comprehend scientific literature.
HISTORY-ETHICS
HISTORY
1
,2
,3
,CRUELTY AGAINST AN IMALS ACT (1867)
In 1867 in the UK, a legislation was written down which stated you cannot be cruel to animals: e.g. no vivisection.
In Europe everything was still allowed. This was a reaction against for example Magendie who held performances
to which you could buy tickets to watch a vivisection on a dog. Also they were the first to say we protect lifestock,
we protect our pets, but we also have animals to be used for research. Only included vertebrates, not non-
vertebrates:
- Vertebrates
- You can only use t hem once
- Use anesthesia
- Kill immediately after
- Benefit should outweigh the animal suffering
In Belgium, there was influence and input predominantly from scientists from Germany, such as Kant. Also, there
was the catholic tradition, so we wanted to be as close to God as possible. There was only the possession act
(strafwetboek 1867): you cannot harm someone else's possession: you cannot harm someone else's dog. Had
nothing to do with the animals but just with ownership. Also no specification of laboratory animals or
experiments was added here.
Later, in new UK legislations, the re-use of animals was allowed too in certain cases.
NATIONAL ANTI-VIVISECTION SOCIETY (+- 1910)
In the UK, there was a big demonstration against vivisection and some animal studies that were shown to
students. Scientists were thinking over the fact if you should do animal studies to repeat something, and not just
use them to make advances in science: should we not be more specific. The discussion shifted to preventing
harm, rather t han questioning the value of animal research. Antibiotics were used more and more but these did
not always work: Brown dog affair.
4
,3 R'SCONCEPT (1959)
Concept by Russel and Burch: the principles of humane experimental technique. They are in order and this
order is important:
1. REPLACEMENT
Can you do it in a non-lab animal experiment : e.g. by using a non-vertebrate animal, or an embryonic or larval
form. Now it is also possible to do a lot in vitro or in silico. if so use those instead of animals
2. REDUCTION
If you decide you can't use an alternative: you should do it with the lowest number of animals possible: sample
size calculation, perhaps re-use animals, report negative data,...
what is a good number for robust data but without overuse
3. REFINEMENT
Use anesthetics, use in vivo imaging in order not to kill animals at certain time points, cage enrichment,
analgesics, ... to make procedures more humane.
fe invastigation of a complex mechanisms
4. RESPECT? might become newly added
TOM REGAN: THE CASE FOR ANIMAL RIGHTS (1983)
Regan is an animal right activist (not animal welfare activist: two different opinions). His opinion is that rights
equal to duties. He has translated the deontology of Kant into a new viewpoint that also considers animals.
shouldn’t touch upon the rights of an animal —> one of those is to live —> cannot let it die.
He still makes a distinctions between moral agents vs moral patients. We are moral agents because we are able
to discuss and reason, if someone cannot do this they are moral patients. BUT we should still consider them
because they have emotions: we should still apply the deontology to moral patients. He extents the view of Kant
to include animals. AND we have the duty to look after these moral patients: we are obliged to not use moral
patients and respect their rights, esp. Their right to live and not to serve as a means. He is against ALL use of
animals: no life-stock, no lab animals, no pets. Cannot touch upon an animal because we can’t touch upon the
rights <-> welfare : can be used but needs to be in the best situation.
EUROPEAN DIRECTIVES AND BELGIAN LAWS
1. 1986: European directive
2. 1986: Belgian law on animal welfare
1. Mentions laboratory animals and animal experiments
2. Registrations
3. KB's (implementation)
3. 2010: new European directive refinement
4. Implementation of new EC (KB 2013)
5
, 5. 2014 animal welfare moved to the gewesten (Flanders)
Europe wrote down a European directive: guidelines that was devoted to lab animals. The member states who
signed and ratified the directive, must implement it into their legislation. Belgium adopted this directive the same
year. 2010: revision of the directive: also put up the function system, later on also implemented in Belgium.
EFFECTS ON NUMBER OF ANIMALS USED IN EXPERIMENTS
X-axis: starts in 1995: when directive was well defined & punishments where added
Y-axis: number of animals used in experiments
There was also a lack time of responding: a clear effect is only seen in 1997. Emphasizes
the importance of the force of law.
The New European directive was really optimistic: animals to be used only when
necessary, in low numbers & most refined methods. By 2000 they wanted no animals to be used. But by 2000 t
here was discovery of transgenic lines: new plateau. New directive more emphasis on refinement.
Other milestones in Belgium that reduced the number of animals:
2005: you cannot use animals for cosmetics anymore
2009: ban of experiments on great apes in an animal experiment
- Important: when do we consider something an animal experiment!
2011: ban of the use of animals for tobacco
Phillip - Morris: big company in Brussels with big development unit for studies of asthma and smoking . Every day
there were people protesting there against the animal use. This forced Belgium to make new regulations. But
they just moved to another country where it is possible to continue their actions.
THE PROCESS OF ALLOWING LAB-ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS
Not all animal experiments are allowed, and every animal experiment should undergo a procedure to seek for
approval with an ethics committee. These people should be experts in certain domains. We want to have as
many viewpoints as possible and dissonant voices to have a thorough revision of the ethical legislations. This is
because everyone has decision cubes but the number of blocks in which row depends on a person.
3 dimensions of which the importance is different for everyone:
1. The importance of research
2. The likelihood of clinical benefit
3. The amount of animal suffering
We need people with critical opinions who speak up which results in moving
forward (eg Philip Morris).
6
