WORC.Community’s Post

Revisiting the 3Rs with a more holistic approach...👇🏽👇🏽

We welcome the positive impact of the 3Hs Initiative, led by Professor Emma Robinson at the University of Bristol. 🌟 The 3Hs approach focuses on refining rodent Handling, Housing and Habituation to improve animal welfare through the adoption of practical and validated techniques. ✅ Recognising and refining the lifetime experiences of lab animals is key to reducing cumulative severity. This resource can be integrated with our "Roadmap" approach, to ensure that suffering is minimised at every opportunity, particularly for animals experiencing severe suffering. 🐀 #3Hs #refinement #animalwelfare

The visionary vision of some people can change the world! I was blessed to have a grandson with autism spectrum disorder and, with that, to be able to understand a little the value of the work of this woman who is an icon of animal welfare. Good reading.. #CevaAnimalWelfare #OnePlanet #OneCeva -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🐄 Pioneering Innovation: Temple Grandin's Impact on Animal Science and Neurodiversity At Ceva Animal Health, we celebrate visionaries like Temple Grandin who transform industries through unique perspectives. Her groundbreaking work in animal welfare and autism advocacy demonstrates how neurodiversity drives extraordinary innovation. Key insights: • Revolutionized livestock handling systems • Champion for understanding autism • Proved cognitive diversity's immense valueInspiring change, one breakthrough at a time. #CevaAlternativeInnovation #CevaAnimalWelfare #CevaNeurodiversity

Your preclinical research is progressing seamlessly toward clinical trials. You attend a meeting to discuss findings and next steps. But suddenly, you’re confronted with an unexpected agenda item: OLAW Review of Animal Welfare Noncompliance.  In this blog by Christian Garcia, PhD, and Ashlie N. Reker, PhD, learn what happens when an OLAW violation occurs, and consider 3 key steps organizations can adopt to uphold animal welfare practices. #invivoresearch #AnimalWelfare #OLAWCompliance

🔎 NEW STUDY looked to clarify the 3Rs Principles in Animal Experimentation. Authors examined the conceptual foundations of the 3Rs principles—Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement—in animal experimentation. Originally defined by Russell and Burch in 1959, these principles serve as essential standards for the ethical use of non-human animals in research, yet they have notable limitations. The study delves into the inconsistencies and challenges faced by researchers and institutions globally in applying the 3Rs effectively. By providing revised definitions of the original 3Rs, the authors aim to eliminate confusion and enhance the practical implementation of these principles. Key insights include: 🔎 A review of the original definitions from Russell and Burch's foundational work, The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique. 🔎 Identification of limitations and inconsistencies in current interpretations of the 3Rs. 🔎 Proposed specifications for revised definitions to optimise animal welfare in research settings. The study is a crucial step towards refining the ethical framework for animal experimentation, with significant implications for future research practices. 🔗 Read the paper here: https://lnkd.in/gCws7mU6

Calling all researchers! Have you completed (or almost completed) research in the world of animal services? Best Friends National Conference invites you to submit your research to our BFNC Poster Sessions, where animal welfare conference attendees can directly interact with researchers in a relaxed, social atmosphere. Researchers visually display highlights of their work and disseminate information about their research, initiative, or project face-to-face with a wider audience in the animal welfare field.  At BFNC Poster Sessions, conference attendees have the opportunity to directly interact with researchers as well as: 🟠 Casually browse the information and consume the data at their leisure 🟠 Speak with the researchers directly to ask questions, provide pertinent input, and inspire continued evolvement of the research 🟠 Make recommendations for additional important topics to be studied  🟠 Express interest in being involved in future research projects Submit your BFNC Poster Session proposal here by November 15: https://lnkd.in/eR4sPQaS Email learning@bestfriends.org with any questions about the Best Friends National Conference Research Poster Session.

🐄 Pioneering Innovation: Temple Grandin's Impact on Animal Science and Neurodiversity At Ceva Animal Health, we celebrate visionaries like Temple Grandin who transform industries through unique perspectives. Her groundbreaking work in animal welfare and autism advocacy demonstrates how neurodiversity drives extraordinary innovation. Key insights: • Revolutionized livestock handling systems • Champion for understanding autism • Proved cognitive diversity's immense valueInspiring change, one breakthrough at a time. #CevaAlternativeInnovation #CevaAnimalWelfare #CevaNeurodiversity https://lnkd.in/d3QMwCGi

Abstract submission for ISESSAH 2025 is open!   It is our pleasure to announce that abstract submission for the ISESSAH conference 2025 is now open! The congress will take place in Utrecht, the Netherlands, from 14-16 October 2025.   The International Society for Economics and Social Sciences of Animal Health (ISESSAH) aims to improve animal health policies, programmes and projects through more nuanced use of concepts and tools available in economics and social science disciplines. This year the main theme of the conference is “Towards multiple societal burden animal health decision-making”. Therefore, this year the ISESSAH conference will place special emphasis on incorporating the multiple societal burdens of animal diseases into the animal health decision-making process. You will be asked to select a specific topic that fits your abstract best. These topics are: 1.     Analysis of multiple burdens (environmental, public health, One Health, animal welfare and other societal burdens) in combination with animal health problems.  2.     Economic burden of animal health problems from animal to global level.  3.      Understanding animal health (and One Health) decision-making from animal to global level.  4.     Free communications on topics that are related to the domain of ISESSAH.    Authors should submit abstracts at the latest on March 2, 2025 (CET 12 pm) by going to the website https://lnkd.in/dZJGEPzr   Further information regarding the conference and registration will soon become available at https://lnkd.in/dZJGEPzr In case of questions, please contact the local organizers through ISESSAH2025@uu.nl We look forward to welcoming you to Utrecht in October 2025!   Wilma Steeneveld, Chair of the Organising Committee Mariska van der Voort, Chair of the Scientific Committee Ron Bergevoet Ingrid Dahmen

Many of us are familiar with the principles of the 3Rs. But did you know the framework has been expanded to 12Rs? In this recent commentary, the authors referenced the expanded framework while reasoning on the original 3Rs by Russell and Burch, in light of current understanding of animal consciousness and suffering. Here's how they revisited the original framework: 🔄 Replacement remains the ultimate goal. The aim is to eliminate the use of animals in research, testing, and education altogether. Until then, Reduction and Refinement must work hand-in-hand, even in studies designed to benefit animals directly - such as vaccine development for pets. 📉 Reduction is more than shrinking sample sizes. It’s about fostering collaboration across institutions, enabling better data sharing, and reducing the overall number of animals used while producing more impactful and reliable results. 🛠️ Refinement prioritizes minimizing suffering. This involves advancing research methods, enriching animal environments to support natural behaviors, and, when feasible, opting for species with fewer welfare needs. 📖 Long-story-short, the evolution of the 3Rs today reflects a holistic, compassionate approach to animal welfare in research, where innovation and collaboration drive progress. 👏 Bravo to the authors for such a compelling discussion! What are your thoughts on the evolution of the 3Rs framework? Let’s discuss! 💬 p.s. Thanks to WORC.Community for spreading this nice read! #3dbiology #3rs #organoids #spheroids #animaltesting

🧬It's Research Appreciation Day! To mark the occasion, we're delighted to announce the funding of two research projects under the topic: “Breeding for better welfare: enabling human behaviour that leads to animals experiencing a better life” Those projects (more information below) consider the human element in animal care, at the heart of the ‘One Welfare’ concept. This concept recognises the interconnectedness between humans and animals and suggests that by improving mental health, we can ensure better animal welfare practices. 👇 🐑 Breeding animals for resilient feet: On-farm decision-making and the role of culling in sheep lameness management and breeding strategies ­Investigators: Beth Clark vet and Niamh Mahon Grant amount: £14,908 Link: https://lnkd.in/e4VjvDzQ Findings will provide in-depth insights into the challenges associated with culling to manage lameness and the barriers and facilitators to implementing changes on-farm. 🐖 Increased culling of neonatal piglets: investigating the impact of super-prolific breeding programmes on human health and associations with animal care ­Investigator: Emma Baxter Grant amount: £9,999  Link: https://lnkd.in/eDuCCahW This research investigates the impact of culling surplus neonatal piglets on the mental health and well-being of stockworkers and how this relates to animal care. Both AWF-funded projects have started and are expected to finish in February/March 2025.