This document discusses alternatives to animal use in research that can help meet objectives like reducing animal pain/suffering, lowering costs, and speeding up the research process. It presents alternative approaches like continued but modified animal use, using living systems like cell/tissue cultures, non-living systems like computer models, and computer simulation. Specific examples of replacements, reductions, and refinements in research methods are also provided that follow the "Three Rs" principles of replacement, reduction and refinement of animal use.

1. Alternate animal use in
Research
Submitted by
Sharon A.J.
2009-03-10

2. Animal use in Research
 Treatment and cure of major human and
animal health problems like cancer Diabetes
 Biomedical research
 Behavioral studies
 Serve as models for testing the safety of a
wide range of consumer products

3. Objectives of alternative animal use
 Reduction in animal pain, suffering,& experimental
Insult
 Reduction in the number of animals used
 Reduction in the cost of research
 Savings in time, with the benefit of obtaining results
more quickly.
 The ability to perform replicative protocols on a
routine basis.

4. Alternative to animal use in research
 Continued but modified animal use
 Use of living systems
 Use of nonliving systems
 Computer simulation

5. Continued & Modified animal use
 Alternative species used
 Advancements in instrumentation
 Reduction in number of animals

6. Living system
 In Vitro Research
1.Organ Culture
2.Tissue Culture
3.Cell Culture
 Human tissues and cells
 Invertebrates
 Micro organism
 Plants

7. Microbe used
 Escherichia coli—bacteria used by developmental
biologists to derive theories of gene
control and by molecular biologists in recombinant
DNA research .
 Streptococcus mutans—bacteria used in dental
research on the metabolic activity of plaque

8. Non living system
Chemical and Physical Systems
"Synthetic skin," called Corrositex

9. Computer simulation
Using existing databases
Improved statistical design
Simulating conditons

10. 3 R’s
 The words now used almost universally by the
research community and by animal protection
advocates to describe alternatives are “The Three Rs”
 R efinement: minimize suffering and distress
 R eduction: minimize number of animals used
 R eplacement: avoid the use of living animals

11. Replacements
 The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has replaced nearly
6 million mice per year with human cells in an in vitro
culture
 At some veterinary schools, plastic soft-tissue organ
models are replacing the dogs traditionally used to
teach beginning surgery
 The U.S. Department of Defense has developed
computer models of dolphin echolocation (sonar) that
will replace animals as underwater object detectors.

12. Reductions
Scientists using state-of-the-art medical technologies
 MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
 MRS (magnetic resonance spectroscopy)
 CAT (computer-aided tomography)
 To detect tumours growth and organ
deterioration at early stages. enables
experiments to end more humanely, without
prolonged suffering, reduces the number of
animals needed for cancer researches.

13. Refinements

Some research facilities have developed new
ways to enrich the laboratory environment.
 Isolation & boredom removed for better
results.
 New caging systems allow monkeys to live in
pairs or groups, reducing some of the stress
experienced by these highly-social animals.