Assessing scientific rigour and 3Rs implementation in Canadian research: Investigating animal use protocols and stakeholder perspectives

Millions of animals are used in research each year. This practice is justified by the expectation that the benefits of such research will be significant, outweighing the harms imposed on animals during experiments. Indeed, animal research has led to countless improvements in human health and quality of life. However, there is growing concern that current practices are inefficient, with many animal experiments generating unreliable results, and findings that do not lead to effective human therapies. Implementation of scientific ‘best practices’ (e.g., appropriate statistical analyses, reducing unnecessary distress) has the potential to improve the outcomes of animal research, and reduce animal suffering during experiments. However, ensuring the uptake of these ‘best practices’ is challenging. In Canada, all animal research must be described in a protocol and approved by an animal care committee. These committees have the ability to request additional information or modifications to enhance the quality of research during protocol review, thus helping improve the reliability of findings and reducing animal suffering. In this project, I therefore aim to investigate the current impacts of animal care committees on research during this process. This will help identify opportunities to improve protocol review and the quality of Canadian research.

Faculty Supervisor:

Manoj Lalu

Student:

Partner:

Canadian Council on Animal Care

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of Ottawa

Program: