Understanding Animal Research

Our BARN Digest news feed is updated daily with news on animal research across the UK, including from UAR signatories and major news outlets. Check it out on our website at https://lnkd.in/ekibCzdj #NewResearch #LifeSciences #AnimalResearch

🎉 Celebrating a Fantastic Day at CRUK Cambridge Institute BRU! 🎉 Today, we welcomed over 50 friends and family members into our facility, giving them a unique opportunity to learn about the incredible work we do here, including the vital role that laboratory animals play in advancing research. 🧬🔬 We were proud to showcase not only our cutting-edge science but also the exceptional standards of care and welfare we maintain for our animals, ensuring their well-being is a top priority. We hope our guests found the experience informative and insightful. A big thank you to our sponsors, everyone who attended and made the day so special. We’re already looking forward to the next event! 🙌 Tecniplast Datesand Anthony Iglesias Charles River Laboratories Vet-Tech Solutions Agenda Resource Management Ltd Institute of Animal Technology Andy Humes Emily Gilroy Claire O'Rourke Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute Mike Mitchell Understanding Animal Research

Researchers at the University of Oxford were awarded funding by Cancer Research UK to develop the first ever vaccine to prevent ovarian cancer. Animal research was key to advancing the development of this promising new vaccine, mostly mice. Studies using mouse tumor models demonstrated the vaccine's ability to increase levels of tumor-infiltrating T cells, which play a crucial role in recognising and attacking cancer cells. Additionally, scientists studied immune responses in animal models - often mice - to understand how to induce the body to produce more T-cells that are specifically tailored to recognise and kill ovarian cancer cells. The vaccine also involves research using the chimpanzee adenovirus vector (ChAdOx1), a technology similar to the one used in the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers use these vectors in primates to confirm the safety and efficacy of these types of vaccines in eliciting a robust immune response before moving to human trials. If this research is successful, clinical trials will take place, and hopefully women can one day benefit from this vaccine. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eSGMx77w #AnimalResearch #VaccineDevelopment #OvarianCancer #NewResearch

After nearly 100 years of efforts, Egypt is officially free of malaria - a disease that has been present in the region since ancient times. “Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history and not its future,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), in an article published on WHO's website announcing the historic event. While newer technology will continue to reduce and replace the number of animals used in research, this current feat would have been impossible without animal research, and millions of lives will benefit because of it. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eNWJTnEA #Malaria #MalariaVaccine #AnimalResearch

The University of Hong Kong, a UAR Oceania member, recently created a virtual tour inside their animal facilities, including footage of their animal techs in action. The University of Hong Kong's Centre for Comparative Medicine Research is an internationally accredited research centre which has long been at the forefront of laboratory animal medicine in the Asia-Pacific region, being the largest and most advanced research animal facility in Hong Kong, China. This is a great step towards openness and transparency in how animals are used in research globally 👏 Check out the rest of their facility here: https://lnkd.in/e5zFJ5Mf and watch several others from leading UK universities here: https://lnkd.in/eim9-MzP #AnimalTechnicians #ResearchLab #ResearchTransparency #AnimalResearch

Don't miss our webinar this Thursday on openness and the culture of care. This webinar will discuss the interrelated concepts of welfare, care and openness. These three key “soft skills” of animal research are fundamental to effective communication, happier animals, happier staff and ultimately better science. The past two decades have seen huge developments in all three of these areas, but the ties that bind them together are not always considered. John Meredith (UAR) and Bella Lear (UAR Oceania) will look at why those ties exist, and some of the impacts experienced when one of these key skills is lacking in the workplace. They will consider how our knowledge of these areas has grown over time, as well as the role they are likely to play in future research. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eXHcMHvF

We were glad to have been able to add some balance to this conversation. Chris Magee, UAR Head of Policy and Media, was quoted in an article published by The Independent today: “Those who do animal testing are also the biggest investors in non-animal technology by a massive margin, and about 80 per cent of bioscience funding goes to non-animal methods." Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eY3tRRaM

Are pets at risk of catching and transmitting mpox? Mpox (previously known as “monkey pox”) is a viral zoonotic disease which means it can spread from animals to humans. Many animals can carry the virus, but not all species are affected in the same way. Some small mammals can be infected with mpox without showing symptoms, while primates can get sick and display similar symptoms as humans. Which species are really at risk according to research? Read more in our new article: https://lnkd.in/gbjYpsyt #AnimalResearch #MonkeyPox #mpox #VeterinaryResearch

Nominations for the IAT's Andrew Blake Tribute Award come to a close tomorrow. Animal technicians play a crucial role in animal welfare, and the Andrew Blake Tribute Award recognises exemplary technicians for contributions they have made to improving standards of animal welfare. The award commemorates Andrew Blake, who founded the charity Seriously Ill for Medical Research to support researchers facing increasingly aggressive animal rights extremism. Andrew suffered from Friedrich’s ataxia, a debilitating neurological condition, and so was passionate about the need for medical research. He died at the age of 39 in 2002. Visit https://lnkd.in/dRWKrvp [iat.org.uk] to learn more and submit and entry. #AnimalTechnicians #AnimalResearch #MedicalResearch #AnimalWelfare

What animal research was behind the 2024 Nobel Prize awarded for the discovery of microRNA? The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery in nematode worms that tiny pieces of RNA, called microRNAs, play a key role in controlling and regulating gene activity in animals and plants. The C. elegans worm was also in the spotlight for other Nobel prizes, including the discovery of the genetic regulations of organ development and programmed cell death in 2002 and of RNA interference in 2006. The work being recognised currently can help scientists better understand embryological development, normal physiology and diseases such as cancer. Read more about the Nobel prize-winning research in the C. elegans in our new article: https://lnkd.in/etxQPDKx #NobelPrize2024 #NobelPrize #AnimalResearch #microRNA #Medicine