Latest news from the NC3Rs: December 2022

In collaboration with the BBSRC and with additional funding from UKRI, we have awarded £4.7M to support the development of the next generation of non-animal technologies (NATs). Funded projects include complex in vitro models and novel in silico frameworks and cover a wide range of disciplines including neuroscience, infection and immunology, development and physiology.

We are excited to announce ten new NC3Rs Studentships, with a further two awards made in collaboration with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to be announced in the new year. Our Studentship scheme aims to embed the 3Rs principals into the next generation of researchers, and many of these new projects have the potential to replace the use of animals in research.

Best practice guidelines recommend the use of masking (also known as blinding) to increase the rigour and reproducibility of in vivo research but implementing it in practice is not always straightforward. Our new article, in collaboration with AstraZeneca, presents solutions to help researchers implement masking during experiments which use animals. We highlight masking strategies for different stages of an experiment, provide a case study, offer practical tips, and explore the challenges and opportunities for change.

We are delighted to welcome two new members to the NC3Rs Board. Members of the Board contribute their expertise in scientific research and policy, and animal welfare, to advise and oversee our work. Professor Cathy Abbott from the University of Edinburgh joins the Board in January 2023, whilst Dr Andy Scott of Unilever’s Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre will begin his tenure in January 2024. We also thank Dr David Lovell and Professor Jon Timmis, whose tenure is coming to an end after five years.

Our Project Grant Scheme funds research that supports the development of new 3Rs approaches or technologies. We are currently accepting outline applications for the 2023 call. Full details of the scheme and guidance on how to apply, including writing about the 3Rs and common errors, can be found on our website and in the Applicant Handbook. Application forms are currently available on the joint electronic submission system, Je-S.

Are you a dab hand at social media and producing visual assets that capture attention? Do you know your way around a CMS? We are looking for a digital content manager to join our communications team. You’ll help us identify opportunities for the dissemination of our work and coordinate the outputs across our digital channels. The deadline for applications has been extended into the new year.

Over the past year we have shared 22 news items, hosted 62 events and posted over 500 tweets! We’ve collated our top ten announcements and outputs from this year in a special festive news item, including 100 Tox Team papers published, 150 Project Grant Scheme awards and over £50M committed to replacement projects.

We are now inviting potential Sponsors to submit new ideas for Single Phase CRACK IT Challenges for the 2023 competition. As a Sponsor, your organisation will set a Challenge to develop a product that addresses an unmet scientific and 3Rs need, providing in-kind support and end-user input. In return, you will receive early access to new technologies developed through your Challenge.

Wednesday 18 January, 9.00 – 10.00 (GMT)

Our Experimental Design Assistant (EDA) tool can help researchers at any level design robust in vivo experiments. Following a presentation on the key aspects of the online tool, including recent developments such as improved guidance on ANCOVA analysis, Dr Esther Pearl (NC3Rs Experimental Design Programme Manager) will answer questions on how you can use the EDA to design and plan your next study. Limited spaces are available on a first come first served basis.

Monday 23 – Wednesday 25 January

Responsible Research in Practice in collaboration with Norecopa (Norway’s National Consensus Platform for the advancement of the 3Rs) are offering this live and interactive course across three days, to support researchers working with animals to implement the PREPARE (Planning Research and Experimental Procedures on Animals: Recommendations for Excellence) guidelines.

Thursday 26 January, 13.00 – 17.00

Organised by the National Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, this free online meeting will discuss the current snake venom lethality murine model. It will consist of talks from experts in animal models, snakebite envenoming, drug regulation and antivenom manufacture and will finish with a panel discussion of the requirements and development of a refined or alternative model.

This mini conference has been organised by NC3Rs project grant holder Dr Stuart Ainsworth.