Understanding Animal Research

The 2024 Professor Sir Colin Blakemore Memorial Award goes to Professor Emma Robinson 🏆 Professor Robinson was recognised for her determined efforts to speak out about the value and reality of animal research at the University of Bristol at a time when the university was under intense scrutiny and pressure from activist organisations. She spoke with the public at the Bristol Neuroscience Festival about the use of animals in research to understand and treat mental health disorders, without shrinking from controversial subjects such as the forces swim test. Congratulations to Professor Robinson for going above and beyond normal expectations in raising awareness and public understanding of animal research 👏

Congratulations to the 2024 Openness Award winners, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) and The University of Manchester!🏆 The MRC LMB was recognised for their animal research Open Day, and the University of Manchester was recognised for holding an open debate on animal research. Both institutions went above and beyond their Concordat expectations on animal research transparency. 👏 Also, a special shoutout to the Association of Medical Research Charities, who were highly commended for their transparency in the use of animals in grants awarded to their member organisations. Read more about the award winners' contributions here: https://lnkd.in/eij5yDmb

The Openness Awards ceremony has arrived! Stay tuned tonight on X and Instagram stories for live updates and announcements. #ConcordatOpenness

In a new study, a single injection given for asthma attacks was more effective than the current treatment of steroid tablets. Every 10 seconds, someone has an asthma attack in the UK. These attacks can be deadly - four people with asthma will die every day in the UK. Currently, steroids are given for these attacks but have intense side effects, such as diabetes. Furthermore, many patients will need multiple courses of steroids, re-hospitalisation, or die within three months. In the new study, injection of benralizumab was shown to reduce the need for further treatment by 30%. The drug - benralizumab - was first studied in various animal models, including mice and nonhuman primates, which was then followed by human studies. Additionally, mouse models were used to study the pathophysiology of asthma prior to studying the administration of benralizumab. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e2iw3hzr #AsthmaResearch #DrugTesting #AnimalTesting #ResearchTransparency #AsthmaAttack

Here are my slides from yesterday's brilliant Wellbeing Wednesday session, organised by the Institute of Animal Technology. Empathetic, caring and competent animal technologists are fundamental to a good Culture of Care and better animal welfare - they need to be properly supported and retained. It's great to see that emotional labour is increasingly recognised, but does your establishment do enough? Feel free to share and use these slides to start a conversation ... PS thanks to Bella Lear for some of the slides!

We're excited to announce our 2024 Paget Lecturer, Professor Robin Lovell-Badge. Robin and his team made a major breakthrough in embryology in the late 80s and early 90s. By combining human and mouse genetics, they discovered the gene responsible for testicular development in all mammals, an achievement since recorded in biology textbook across the world. “The story hit all major news outlets. For months, we were in newspapers, and radio and TV shows,” describes Lovell-Badge. “I got very used to talking to journalists and the public about our experiments but also mouse genetics and embryology.” As a committed advocate for openness and transparency around animal research, Robin Lovell-Badge is a fervent believer in honesty. Public dialogue and surveys became a new way for him to explain the importance of science and research. He ultimately became a member of the Council of Understanding Animal Research as well as the advisory board for the Science Media Centre. “Scientific endeavours work much better if we’re open about them... For me, openness is a general principle for scientific research. Whether it’s animal research, or embryonic research, or any other controversial topic, it’s important that it’s out there and talked about.” Read more about Professor Lovell-Badge and his scientific journey here: https://lnkd.in/eCNe8pQV #ConcordatOpenness #Embryology #Biology

Meet Chicken Little: another pet from Real Pet Stories by the Foundation for Biomedical Research. Chicken Little contributed to important pharmacokinetic studies, but now she wears a 'Retired Research Hero' bandana. "Chicken Little’s story reminds us of the importance of animal research in helping keep our beloved pets healthy and thriving," says FBR. Read her full story here: https://lnkd.in/g7GYFDBS #AnimalResearch #AnimalTesting #DrugTesting

A researcher at The University of Manchester won a prize for finding a way to minimise suffering in animals when studying kidney disease. Kidney disease affects 10% of the human population, ranking as the 9th leading cause of death in humans, and zebrafish have served as a very useful model for studying it. This is because zebrafish have similar genetics to humans, containing 80% of human disease-causing genes, and they produce a massive amount of eggs externally - anywhere from 200-300 per week. Previously, it was nearly impossible to test zebrafish larvae for certain proteins - until Dr Richard Naylor designed a tool that could screen new drugs in zebrafish larvae quickly and easily, a technique that is now used across the globe. “Finding 3Rs solutions to animal research is incredibly important because as scientists we care about the welfare of the animals we are privileged to work with," says Dr Naylor. Read more about how this technique was made possible and how it helps scientists better study and create life-saving treatments for kidney disease: https://lnkd.in/e_fhF8a7 #AnimalResearch #AnimalTesting #NewScience #AnimalWelfare #Zebrafish

The 2024 Openness Awards are quickly approaching! This year's nominations include: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), Association of Medical Research Charities, The Francis Crick Institute, University of Hertfordshire, Swansea University, Imperial College London, The University of Manchester, and University of Glasgow. Watch our short video below to find out more, and stay tuned for the awards ceremony on Monday 2 December 2024. #AnimalResearch #AnimalTechnicians #ConcordatOpenness

Join the University of Washington for their first 3Rs Symposium on 21 November 2024! This engaging event will introduce you to an academic 3Rs program. They'll kick things off with a keynote presentation from Dr Lisa Levin, a leading advocate for the 3Rs, titled “Diplomacy, Policy, and Money: Packing Essentials for the Road to NAMsVille." Register here: https://lnkd.in/eKZzw2Xr #AnimalResearch #AnimalTechnicians #AnimalWelfare