3R Blackboard: A platform for animal and organ sharing

Since the embedding of the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) in national and international regulations on the use of animals, scientists have been challenged to find ways to reduce the number of animals in their research. Here, we present a digital platform, called ‘3R Backboard’, linked to a laboratory animal management system, which facilitates sharing of surplus biological materials from animals (e.g. tissues, organs and cells) to other research teams. Based on information provided, such as genotype, age and sex, other animal workers were able to indicate their interest in collecting specific tissues and to communicate with the person providing the animals. A short pilot study of this approach conducted in a limited academic environment presented strong evidence of its effectiveness and resulted in a notable reduction of the number of mice used. In addition, the use of 3R Blackboard led to resource saving, knowledge exchange and even establishment of new collaboration

Remote Welfare Monitoring of Rodents Using Thermal Imaging

Animal research has always played a crucial role in various medical and scientific breakthroughs. They offer, inter alia, insights into diseases mechanisms, genetic predisposition to a disease, and drug therapy. However, the use of animals for medical research is a cause of major controversies and debates in modern science. To warrant high bioethical standards, new directives have been being adopted to replace animal research whenever possible, to reduce the number of animals, and to refine the procedures to minimize stress and pain. Here, we present two new approaches, based on thermal imaging (a remote and passive technology), to assess respiratory rate (RR) as well as exploratory behavior and general activity in rodents. In animal research, these parameters are gold standards for welfare assessment. The approaches were validated in a study conducted with both rats and mice. To test the feasibility of our algorithm to estimate RR, thermal videos from anesthetized rodents were acquired. The capability of the second approach to monitor activity was tested with videos of Open Field tests. Regarding RR, a high agreement between thermal imaging and gold standard (electrocardiography-derived RR) was achieved. The mean relative error averaged 0.50 ± 0.15 breaths/min and 4.55 ± 2.94 breaths/min for rats and mice, respectively. The second approach was capable of monitoring and tracking the activity of the rodents very well. This paper demonstrates that thermal imaging is a promising and relevant alternative for monitoring of RR and activity in rodents, thus contributing to the remote assessment of animal welfare