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New NC3Rs-funded research projects push total investment over £40 million

A close up shot of three microscope lenses

We are pleased to announce £2.2 million of awards in our 2014 project and pilot study grant competition. 

The new awards take the total invested by the NC3Rs in 3Rs research to over £40 million in the last ten years.

This year’s awards include funding for five pilot studies and six project grants and cover the development of new 3Rs approaches in a wide range of areas, from new imaging approaches to reduce and refine the use of animals in diabetes and arthritis research, through to using Drosophila to replace the use of mice as models of radiation resistance and tolerance to improve the efficacy of cancer radiotherapy.

The awards also include new innovations that combine the latest stem cell and microfluidic technologies to provide an in vitro model of peripheral pain signalling, which could replace some animal studies, and a novel biomarker-based platform using nematodes and social amoebae as a screen for chemicals that cause developmental and reproductive toxicity, thus avoiding the use of rabbits and rodents which are typically used for this purpose.

Improving animal welfare also remains high on the agenda, with awards to investigate refinements in footpad immunisation and infection procedures in rodents, and to determine whether refinements in surgical technique can reduce the variability in lesion volume in experimental models of stroke, therefore reducing the number of mice required for statistical significance. 

Dr Vicky Robinson, Chief Executive of the NC3Rs, said: "I am delighted that we have reached such a milestone in our investment in high quality 3Rs research.  We continue to attract proposals from leading research groups and institutions which combine the latest scientific and technological innovations with a desire to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals.”

Information on Pilot Grants awarded

Information on Project Grants awarded