Review
Veterinary Sciences
Jasmine M. Clarkson, Jessica E. Martin, Dorothy E. F. McKeegan
Summary: This article focuses on the welfare challenges and potential improvements in killing laboratory rodents. It suggests avoiding the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) unless its high-throughput advantage is essential. The article also highlights the need for better training programs and specialist tools for physical methods, as well as addressing the lack of cohesion in international regulations and guidelines.
LABORATORY ANIMALS
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Ester Perez-Martin, Almudena Coto-Vilcapoma, Juan Castilla-Silgado, Maria Rodriguez-Canon, Catuxa Prado, Gabriel Alvarez, Marco Antonio Alvarez-Vega, Benjamin Fernandez-Garcia, Manuel Menendez-Gonzalez, Cristina Tomas-Zapico
Summary: Stereotaxic surgeries are important for drug delivery to specific brain regions, but their long-term use poses challenges for animal welfare. This study proposes an optimized method for safe implantation of intrathecal devices, focusing on preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative procedures. The refinements include modifications to device dimensions, the use of cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive and UV light-curing resin, and the development of a welfare assessment scoresheet. These refinements positively impacted animal welfare and can enhance experimental data quality and reproducibility.
Editorial Material
Veterinary Sciences
Nuno Henrique Franco, Angela Kerton, David I. Lewis
Summary: While laboratory animal research is crucial, it raises ethical considerations. Education and training in laboratory animal science (LAS) are vital to ensure responsible and humane animal use. Innovations in education, such as e-learning modules and virtual reality tools, are being adopted by LAS educators to enhance engagement and learning on LAS and the 3Rs, offering immersive and interactive educational experiences.
LABORATORY ANIMALS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Annamaria Passantino, Robert William Elwood, Paolo Coluccio
Summary: The current European legislation does not protect decapod crustaceans, believing them to be non-sentient, but recent studies suggest they may be capable of experiencing pain and suffering. In light of this, there is a need to amend legislation to include decapods in animal welfare protection.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Dietmar Zechner, Benjamin Schulz, Guanglin Tang, Ahmed Abdelrahman, Simone Kumstel, Nico Seume, Rupert Palme, Brigitte Vollmar
Summary: The study demonstrates that scientists cannot rely on a single method when assessing animal welfare, but need to combine multiple methods. The ability of these methods to differentiate between healthy and diseased animals varies depending on the specific surgical interventions and gastrointestinal diseases. This lack of generalizability highlights the importance of using a combination of methods for accurate assessment of animal wellbeing.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Cedric Sueur, Sarah Zanaz, Marie Pele
Summary: Despite evidence of animals' neural substrates involved in emotions and consciousness, many animals are still restrained in research. These restraints can compromise findings by limiting adaptive behavior expression. Researchers should incorporate animal agency into their research paradigms for improved understanding of brain and behavior mechanisms.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Juan Cruz Abate, Natalia Lausada, Leandro Vecchio Dezillio, Jeremias Moreira, Ivana Ivanoff Marinoff, Maria Malena Ferreyra Compagnucci, Ane Miren Andres Moreno, Carlota Largo, Martin Rumbo, Francisco Hernandez Oliveros, David Romanin, Pablo Stringa
Summary: In order to reduce and refine the use of animals in disease research, we have developed and applied a new surgical technique in the field of intestinal research. This technique has successfully reduced the number of animals used and improved the overall success and clinical recovery rate of the surgical procedures.
LABORATORY ANIMALS
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Amanda L. Novak, Darren J. Shaw, R. Eddie Clutton
Summary: The study found that English language versions of GTAs from British and veterinary medical journals contain more words related to animal welfare, the 3Rs, and the ARRIVE guidelines compared to those from other countries and medical specialties. There is a need for improvement in providing measures to optimize animal welfare in journal guidelines.
LABORATORY ANIMALS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Alexandra Palmer, Beth Greenhough
Summary: This paper explores the social, ethical, and regulatory challenges faced by scientists conducting invasive animal research in the field and suggests ways to address these challenges. Flexibility and respect for others' expertise emerged as two key strategies in handling these challenges.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Miriam A. Zemanova
Summary: Safeguarding animal welfare in research is crucial for ethical and legislative compliance as well as the integrity of scientific data. However, very few universities offer specific courses on animal welfare, and these courses are often optional rather than required. There is a need for universities to provide more formal and mandatory education on animal welfare to better prepare future researchers studying and managing wildlife.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Stephanie De Vleeschauwer, Kathleen Lambaerts, Sophie Hernot, Karlijn Debusschere
Summary: According to EU Directive 2010/63, animal procedures must be classified as non-recovery, mild, moderate or severe. To address the inconsistencies in severity classification, two Belgian academic institutions collaborated to develop a classification for all procedures performed, considering clinical signs, dosage, duration, and integrating available literature and guidelines.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Herwig Grimm, Nikola Biller-Andorno, Thorsten Buch, Maik Dahlhoff, Gail Davies, Christopher R. Cederroth, Otto Maissen, Wilma Lukas, Elisa Passini, Elin Tornqvist, I. Anna S. Olsson, Jenny Sandstrom
Summary: The 3Rs principle is gaining widespread support in the international research community, but its effectiveness in addressing moral challenges of animal use in research is being questioned. This paper aims to examine whether the 3Rs can still guide the morally acceptable use of animals for scientific purposes.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Ilya Klabukov, Victoria Shestakova, Olga Krasilnikova, Anna Smirnova, Olga Abramova, Denis Baranovskii, Dmitri Atiakshin, Andrey A. Kostin, Peter Shegay, Andrey D. Kaprin
Summary: To achieve the highest ethical standards in laboratory research, it is important to minimize animal discomfort during the identification phase. Reliable methods for identifying rodents play a crucial role in successful preclinical studies. However, the comfort of rodents during routine identification procedures is often overlooked, which can cause pain and complications.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Wentao Xie, Marcel Kordt, Rupert Palme, Eberhard Grambow, Brigitte Vollmar, Dietmar Zechner
Summary: Experiments on animals provide valuable information for improving life expectancy and quality, but it is essential to assess the distress caused to animals to ensure their welfare. In this study, adjusted body weight and fecal corticosterone metabolites concentration were found to be effective methods to measure distress in mice with large subcutaneous tumors.
Article
Physiology
Augusto Vitale, Laura Ricceri
Summary: The 3Rs principle is widely recognized as the methodological and ethical foundation of contemporary animal research, but there are some issues in its application, including the unique characteristics and level of applicability of each "R" and the variations in how they are applied. It is suggested to establish a network or virtual platform of evaluators to facilitate a better understanding and practical application of the 3Rs principle by researchers and evaluators.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Julie L. M. Moreau, Scott Kesteven, Ella M. M. A. Martin, Kin S. Lau, Michelle X. Yam, Victoria C. O'Reilly, Gonzalo del Monte-Nieto, Antonio Baldini, Michael P. Feneley, Anne M. Moon, Richard P. Harvey, Duncan B. Sparrow, Gavin Chapman, Sally L. Dunwoodie
Meeting Abstract
Developmental Biology
Jacinta Kalisch-Smith, Nikita Ved, Dorota Szumska, Shelly Harris, Aimee Jacquemot, Magda Wolna, Fabrice Prin, Emily Hardman, Timothy Mohun, Samira Lakhal-Littleton, Duncan Sparrow
Article
Cell Biology
Jacinta Isabelle Kalisch-Smith, Nikita Ved, Duncan Burnaby Sparrow
COLD SPRING HARBOR PERSPECTIVES IN BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gavin Chapman, Julie L. M. Moreau, Eddie Ip, Justin O. Szot, Kavitha R. Iyer, Hongjun Shi, Michelle X. Yam, Victoria C. O'Reilly, Annabelle Enriquez, Joelene A. Greasby, Dimuthu Alankarage, Ella M. M. A. Martin, Bernadette C. Hanna, Matthew Edwards, Steven Monger, Gillian M. Blue, David S. Winlaw, Helen E. Ritchie, Stuart M. Grieve, Eleni Giannoulatou, Duncan B. Sparrow, Sally L. Dunwoodie
HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ella M. M. A. Martin, Annabelle Enriquez, Duncan B. Sparrow, David T. Humphreys, Aideen M. McInerney-Leo, Paul J. Leo, Emma L. Duncan, Kavitha R. Iyer, Joelene A. Greasby, Eddie Ip, Eleni Giannoulatou, Delicia Sheng, Elizabeth Wohler, Clemantine Dimartino, Jeanne Amiel, Yline Capri, Daphne Lehalle, Adi Mory, Yael Wilnai, Yael Lebenthal, Ali G. Gharavi, Grazyna G. Krzemien, Monika Miklaszewska, Robert D. Steiner, Cathy Raggio, Robert Blank, Hagit Baris Feldman, Hila Milo Rasouly, Nara L. M. Sobreira, Rebekah Jobling, Christopher T. Gordon, Philip F. Giampietro, Sally L. Dunwoodie, Gavin Chapman
HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS
(2020)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
He Jiang, Charlotte Hooper, Matthew Kelly, Violetta Steeples, Jillian N. Simon, Julia Beglov, Amar J. Azad, Lisa Leinhos, Pauline Bennett, Elisabeth Ehler, Jacinta Kalisch-Smith, Duncan B. Sparrow, Roman Fischer, Raphael Heilig, Henrik Isackson, Mehroz Ehsan, Giannino Patone, Norbert Huebner, Benjamin Davies, Hugh Watkins, Katja Gehmlich
Summary: Titin truncating variants are a well-known cause of cardiomyopathy, but the role of missense variants is less understood. In this study, a mouse model was used to investigate the disease mechanism of a titin A178D missense variant causing non-compaction and dilated cardiomyopathy. Heterozygous mice showed no phenotype, while homozygous mice developed dilated cardiomyopathy with chronic adrenergic stimulation. Transcript profiling revealed induction of fetal genes and hypertrophic signaling pathways, and proteomics identified changes in protein levels. The pathogenicity of the titin A178D variant in homozygous mice was demonstrated, with abnormal telethonin accumulation leading to a proteo-toxic response. This sheds light on the mechanism behind the cardiomyopathy observed in the mouse model.
BASIC RESEARCH IN CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jacinta I. Kalisch-Smith, Nikita Ved, Dorota Szumska, Jacob Munro, Michael Troup, Shelley E. Harris, Helena Rodriguez-Caro, Aimee Jacquemot, Jack J. Miller, Eleanor M. Stuart, Magda Wolna, Emily Hardman, Fabrice Prin, Eva Lana-Elola, Rifdat Aoidi, Elizabeth M. C. Fisher, Victor L. J. Tybulewicz, Timothy J. Mohun, Samira Lakhal-Littleton, Sarah De Val, Eleni Giannoulatou, Duncan B. Sparrow
Summary: Congenital heart disease is a common human birth defect with many cases potentially caused by maternal iron deficiency, which can be prevented by iron administration in early pregnancy. Genetic predisposition and environmental factors may interact to impact the development of heart disease.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Duncan B. Sparrow
Summary: Over 6% of babies are born with defects that may be caused by genetic, environmental, or a combination of factors. While genetic diagnosis can identify some of these defects, the causes of many remain unknown. Better communication between experts in different fields may help in understanding and reducing the global burden of birth defects.
Article
Cell Biology
Emanuele Azzoni, Vincent Frontera, Giorgio Anselmi, Christina Rode, Chela James, Elitza M. Deltcheva, Atanasiu S. Demian, John Brown, Cristiana Barone, Arianna Patelli, Joe R. Harman, Matthew Nicholls, Simon J. Conway, Edward Morrissey, Sten Eirik W. Jacobsen, Duncan B. Sparrow, Adrian L. Harris, Tariq Enver, Marella F. T. R. de Bruijn
Summary: The onset of circulation plays a critical role in triggering metabolic changes that allow HSC generation to proceed in mouse embryos. HSC lineage can develop to a certain extent even in the absence of circulation, but the cells exhibit functional impairment.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jacinta I. Kalisch-Smith, Emily C. Morris, Mary A. A. Strevens, Andia N. Redpath, Kostantinos Klaourakis, Dorota Szumska, Jennifer E. Outhwaite, Xin Sun, Joaquim Miguel Vieira, Nicola Smart, Sarah De Val, Paul R. Riley, Duncan B. Sparrow
Summary: The placental vasculature plays an important role in embryo development, but it has been understudied in mice. This study characterized the arterial and venous endothelial cells in the mouse placenta using molecular markers and found that placental endothelial cells may be unique compared to embryonic endothelial cells. Additionally, the study revealed that heart defects can cause defects in placental arterial formation.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Dimuthu Alankarage, Annabelle Enriquez, Robert D. Steiner, Cathy Raggio, Megan Higgins, Di Milnes, David T. Humphreys, Emma L. Duncan, Duncan B. Sparrow, Philip F. Giampietro, Gavin Chapman, Sally L. Dunwoodie
Summary: This study evaluated the functional impact of the SMAD4-I500V variant, identified in two previously unpublished individuals with Myhre syndrome, and provided new insights into the molecular mechanism of SMAD4-I500V dysfunction. The results showed that SMAD4-I500V had severely compromised transcriptional activity and acted dominantly negative on SMAD4 and receptor-regulated SMADs, affecting the transcription of target genes and crucial developmental transcription regulator NKX2-5. The findings revealed a dominant-negative model of disease for SMAD4-I500V, where the continued heterodimerization of the variant perturbed the function of SMAD4 and co-factors, leading to dysregulation of TGF and BMP signaling.
Meeting Abstract
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
He Jiang, Jacinta Kalisch-Smith, Duncan Sparrow, Sophie Broadway-Stringer, Kirsty Wadmore, Charlotte Hooper, Elisabeth Ehler, Mathias Gautel, Benjamin Davies, Hugh Watkins, Katja Gehmlich
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CARDIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Sophie Broadway-Stringer, He Jiang, Kirsty Wadmore, Charlotte Hooper, Gillian Douglas, Violetta Steeples, Amar J. Azad, Evie Singer, Jasmeet S. Reyat, Frantisek Galatik, Elisabeth Ehler, Pauline Bennett, Jacinta I. Kalisch-Smith, Duncan B. Sparrow, Benjamin Davies, Kristina Djinovic-Carugo, Mathias Gautel, Hugh Watkins, Katja Gehmlich
Summary: Pathogenic variants in ACTN2 gene have been identified as rare causes of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. However, the underlying disease mechanisms are not well understood. This study found that a missense variant in alpha-actinin renders the protein less stable, leading to molecular and morphological abnormalities in mouse hearts.
Meeting Abstract
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Katja Gehmlich, Austin (He) Jiang, Kirsty Wadmore, Charlotte Hooper, Elisabeth Ehler, Sophie Broadway-Stringer, Jacinta Kalisch-Smith, Duncan Sparrow, Benjamin Davies, Hugh Watkins