Workshops and Conferences
Awards
Resources
Available on the World Wide Web
The Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW), the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), NIH, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will present a conference on December 7-8, 1998. The conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas. It will cover Federal policies, disaster planning, ethical cost-benefit assessment, occupational safety, environmental enrichment, fieldresearch, the roles of nonaffiliated members, review programs, and training. For more information, contact SCAW, 7833 Walker Dr., Suite 340, Greenbelt, MD 20770, phone: (301) 345-3500, fax: (301) 345-3503, e-mail: scaw@erols.com
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This conference is sponsored by the European Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) working group on humane endpoints and the Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM–National Institute of Public Health and the Environment) in The Netherlands. It will be held at the Hotel Figi in Zeist, The Netherlands on November 23-25, 1998.
There are moral, legal, social, and economic reasons for implementing humane endpoints in animal experimentation where animal well-being may be compromised, such as medical research, toxicity testing, and studies on infection including vaccine quality control. The purpose of this conference is to bring together people with expertise in these areas to present their latest research results with an emphasis on practical implications. Important issues relating to recognition and assessment of adverse effects in animals, and determination, validation, implementation, and acceptance of humane endpoints will be addressed. New techniques, new approaches, and new strategies using noninvasive methods will be discussed, as will training of observers, and use of recently developed remote-sensing devices.
For additional information, contact C.F.M. Hendriksen or B. Steen, RIVM, Central Animal Laboratories, P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands, phone: +31 30 274 2503/2377, fax: +31 30 274 4408, e-mail: bjorn.steen@rivm.nl
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The Foundation Committee members want to thank every diplomate that passed along the foundation's request for proposals (RFP) to researchers or who applied for this first cycle of Foundation Research Grants. We are pleased to announce the funding of three research grants totaling $40,000:
ELISA--based Monitoring and Epidemiology of Helicobacter hepaticus Infection in Mouse Colonies submitted by Mark T. Whary, D.V.M., Ph.D., and James G. Fox, D.V.M., MS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Budget -- $15,000. This research project aims to validate a fecal-based IgA ELISA for diagnostic surveillance of H. hepaticus infection in mouse colonies. Secondarily, it aims to define the epidemiology of H. hepaticus transmission in mice.
Stress Produced by Gavage Administration in the Rat submitted by Barry S. Levine, D.Sc., DABT, University of Illinois at Chicago, Budget - $15,000. This project will examine the maximum dose volume that can be administered by gavage to rats without causing aspiration and the relationship between dose volume and elicitation of stress. Various vehicles used in toxicology studies, for example, water, corn oil, and 1% aqueous methylcellulose/0.2% Tween 80, will be examined for oral tolerability. A volume-response relationship will be determined for oral tolerability and elicitation of stress for each vehicle.
Development and Evaluation of Diagnostic Assays for Newly Recognized Rodent Parvoviruses submitted by David G. Besselsen, D.V.M., Ph.D., University of Arizona, Budget - $10,000. The research objectives are to evaluate the serologic assays currently used for mouse parvovirus diagnosis with sera obtained from experimentally inoculated adult mice. Secondarily, the project will develop a hemagglutination inhibition assay specific for rat parvovirus 1.
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AGF, a nonprofit organization, provides human tissue specimens prepared according to individual specifications for medical research, education, and development of transplant therapies.
How Do I Obtain Human Tissue Specimens?
The process is as easy as 1, 2, 3
You may call the Anatomic Gift Foundation to request an application. The application can be sent to you via facsimile or mailed. The application facilitates documentation of certain necessary information, such as specifications of tissue procurement and preservation methods desired, donor inclusion and exclusion criteria, medical history information needed, proposed use of the tissue, IRB approval, funding, shipping and billing information. It is important to be specific.
*AGF coordinators facilitate procurement of tissue per your protocol.
Tissue specimens are recovered by AGF tissue bank staff, surgeons, coordinators, orother qualified tissue bank specialists from around the country. Tissues are prepared fresh, frozen, or fixed per your protocol. Frozen tissues can be stored for teaching courses for up to 2 months at a time at no extra charge. A nominal fee may be incurred after 2 months. Additional preparation can be done at an AGF lab per request.
For additional information, contact AGF, 96 Satilla Drive, White Oak, GA 31568, phone: (912) 576-5889, fax: (912) 576-3727, e-mail: agf@idt.net or in Laurel, MD, phone: (301) 953-2655, fax: (301) 953-2701, or in Phoenix, AZ, phone: (602) 528-3715, fax: (602) 528-3717.
Institutions that use animals in research, teaching, or testing can now receive an expert, independent evaluation of their animal care and use programs through AAALAC Intemational (the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International). The new service is called a Program Status Evaluation and allows institutions to better assess the quality of all aspects of their animal research programs, including animal husbandry, veterinary care, institutional policies, and the facilities where animals are housed and used.
Because good science demands quality animal care, the evaluation will not only promote the well--being of laboratory animals, it will help validate the results of research using animals. It can also serve as the first step toward achieving AAALAC accreditation, a distinction earned by more than 620 universities, companies, hospitals, and other research facilities in 10 countries that have achieved excellence in animal care and use.
A program status evaluation allows institutions to determine where they stand in terms of meeting AAALAC standards, which are based on the principles outlined in the widely recognized Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Research Council 1996). The evaluation also helps institutions gain a better understanding of the accreditation process before they officially apply.
Although entirely separate from AAALAC's traditional accreditation program, a program status evaluation is similar in procedure. To participate, institutions request an application package from the AAALAC office. The application process includes developing a comprehensive program description of the institution's entire animal care and use operation. This involves conducting an intensive self-assessment, which identifies strengths and weaknesses, raises internal awareness of issues surrounding animal well-being, and helps institutions understand exactly what is involved in achieving accreditation.
After the application form and program description are completed and retumed to the AAALAC office, an onsite evaluation is scheduled. Evaluation teams are led by AAALAC Associate Director, Kathryn A. Bayne, M.S., Ph.D., D.V.M., a Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Teams also include former members of AAALAC's Council on Accreditation—individuals who are expert in the fields of veterinary medicine, laboratory animal science, or animal research, and are committed to humane animal care and use in science. The onsite evaluation team provides specific guidance on how to improve deficient program areas. Recommendations are provided in writing after the visit.
Institutions that complete the program status evaluation process and find they meet AAALAC standards can resubmit an updated program description for entry into the accreditation program. A new team of current council members and consultants will then conduct the actual accreditation site visit. The team's evaluation will be reviewed and deliberated by the full council, which will determine official accreditation status. Fees for program status evaluations are based on the direct cost of conducting the site visit and administrative expenses. Those that complete the program status evaluation and decide to pursue accreditation will be charged a reduced application fee.
To receive more information on AAALAC's program status evaluation service or an application, phone: 1-(800) 926-0066, (301) 231-5353, e-mail: accredit@aaalac.org
The greatest numbers of animals used in Canadian science are, by far, involved in biomedical research. As part of new CCAC (Canadian Council on Animal Care) guidelines on animal use protocol review, researchers are asked to provide assurances that the possibilities for reduction, refinement, and replacement alternatives have been considered.
For procedures that cannot at present be replaced, it is important to ensure that they are carried out in such a manner as to minimize pain and distress caused to the animals involved. In order to establish best practice and to encourage implementation of refinement alternatives, there is a need for the sharing of experience, data, and procedures. A refinement database is a practical way to provide investigators and animal care personnel with the information necessary to modify research protocols to minimize animal suffering.
The new CCAAR has made a commitment to establish a refinement database. CCAAR believes that this will encourage development of refinement techniques as, at present, there is no readily available up-to-date knowledge base on refinement. The refinement database will both record refinements made to procedures and provide information on the best practices available. It will be aimed at establishing humane endpoints to animals experiments, analgesia, selection of species/model, environmental enrichment strategies, etc.
CCAAR is contacting institutions and individuals for assistance in establishing this database. Investigators and animal care personnel are encouraged to donate refinement procedures that will be available for release to interested parties. Donors will be given the opportunity to remain anonymous or to make themselves available as experts to provide additional information to users of the database.
Refinement method need not be published. In fact, many refinements are not reported in the literature because they are considered to constitute relatively minor changes in methodology. In particular, environmental enrichment strategies receive little scientific evaluation.
The long-term goal is for the database to be online, with an interactive bulletin board/discussion group to enable modifications to be reported and discussed before formal publication. Also, once established, the database could be linked to other databases in a federation that is being organized in the United States and would provide an international service.
We look forward to your participation in this essential and worthwhile project. If you have any questions about the database or the Centre, please contact Gilly Griffin, Ph.D., CCAAR, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Health Sciences, Office of the Dean, 451 Smyth Road, Room 3028, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8M5 Canada, phone: (613) 562-5800 ext. 8051, fax: (613) 562-5627.
Anaesthesia of Rats: the Interactive Training and Teaching Tool on CD-ROM is an alternative to use of research animals in teaching anesthesiology. Users learn about premedication, effects of anesthesia, and use of the agents by carrying out virtual experiments, examining the animal’s condition in realistic video sequences, and checking the animal’s physiological reactions in different phases of anesthesia. The disk is available for U.S. $225/ Nlg (Dutch guilders) 450 from Bohn Stafleu Van Loghum, Postbus 246, 3990 GA Houten, The Netherlands, phone: +31 30 639-5711, fax: +31 30 635-0903, e-mail: rats@bslpub.com, http://www.bslpub.com/rats
The Biopac Student Lab is a hardware and software system with documentation that guides students through a set of lessons that illustrate physiological principles. Up to 15 labs cover topics including muscle contraction, lung capacity, electro-oculogram, biofeedback, and cardiac activity. Students attach electrodes and transducers to themselves and collect data using a menu-driven system. The system does data collection and analysis. It is also upgradable for research in human and animal studies. For more information, contact BIOPAC Systems, Inc., 275 South Orange Ave., Santa Barbara, CA 93117, phone: (805) 967-6615, fax: (805) 967-6043.
Virtual anatomy models based on the National Library of Medicine’s Visible Human Project are available from Visible Productions, 116 North College Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80524, phone: (800) 685-4668, fax: (970) 407-7248, e-mail: visiblep@aol.com, http://visiblep.com/products/
AltaVista Translation Service
http://babel.altavista.com/tr?
You can now translate your webpage text or ASCII text from English to French,
German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese or vice versa using this AltaVista site.
Animals in Science/Minnesota Branch of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/rar/MNAALAS
This site, hosted by the University of Minnesota, is an excellent source
of information for kids (kindergarten to 12th grade) on how animals are
used and cared for in research. Be sure to check out the equally useful
pages of the University of Minnesota's Research Animal Resources at http://www.ahc.umn.edu/rar/
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk:80/aspileaf.htm
Contains the United Kingdom’s Home Office documents regulating all vertebrate
animal (and octopus) research. The site includes the full text of the 1986
Scientific Procedures Act, forms and guidance notes, and codes of practice.
The codes of practice cover humane killing, and housing and care of animals
during research and at breeding and supply establishments.
Animal Law
http://www.animal-law.com
This site is designed by Boise, Idaho, attorney Matt Howard. It contains
links to animal law organizations, animal welfare legislation and policies,
Government agencies, Federal and Idaho law, legal research sites, and wildlife
law sites.
Center for Research Animal Resources (CRAR)
http://web.vet.cornell.edu/crar/
A Cornell University site that contains IACUC protocol forms, animal adoption
and loan forms, links to additional information, and CRAR newsletters.
European Information Association
http://www.cec.org.uk/index.htm
The European Information Association lists a selection of key sites on
the Internet providing European Union (EU) and related information. There
are links to EU institutions, policies, political agenda, publications,
contacts, treaties, and bibliographies.
Florida State University Laboratory Animal Program
http://www.fsu.edu/~FSULAR/framea.html
An excellent site that provides an example of the responsibilities and
missions of a laboratory animal program at a large multi-disciplinary research
facility. Includes a discussion of how FSU expects its researchers to meet
U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations on alternatives and duplication
of research.
Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME)
http://www.frame.org.uk/
FRAME, a United Kingdom (UK) organization that researches alternatives
to animal testing, has a website with sections about UK legislation, FRAME
activities, publications, an overview of alternatives, and the latest news.
Grupo de Trabajo Especializado en Métodos Alternativos (GTEMA)–Spanish
Group on Alternative Methods
http://tox.umh.es/aetox/grupos/gtema/contenido.htm
This site contains general information about GTEMA, including publications,
links to alternative databases, meetings, validation activities, etc. Presented
in Spanish with an English summary page.
Sample Documents and Tutorial for Implementation of the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
http://www.nih.gov:80/grants/olaw/sampledoc/index.htm
OLAW (Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare) has been working over
the past year to develop a web-based tutorial on the PHS Policy on Humane
Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and other documents to aid institutions
in implementing the PHS Policy. These documents include a sample Animal
Welfare Assurance, sample semiannual program review checklist, sample
Annual Report to OLAW, and semiannual program and facility review
checklist.
Searching for Animal Welfare Information
http://www.welch.jhu.edu/help/guides/dbs/animal.html
A site produced by Welch Medical Library at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Provides an overview of searching for alternatives and lists several databases that should be consulted.
Sources of Information About Alternatives
http://research.ucsb.edu/connect/acc/alternvs.html
Another overview of developing strategies for searching databases for alternatives
information. Produced by University of California at Santa Barbara, Office
of Research.
Zoonotic Diseases
http://research.ucsb.edu/connect/acc/policy.html
From the University of California, Santa Barbara Office of Research, this
site covers infection control in the laboratory and animal facility, the
role of the facility director, diseases listed by animal reservoir, and
disease links listed by disease.
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The Animal Welfare Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
National Agricultural Library
10301 Baltimore Ave.
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
Phone: (301) 504-6212
FAX: (301) 504-7125
Contact us: http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/contact.php
