Latest news from the NC3Rs: September 2023

We are excited to launch the refined mouse handling e-learning course, created by the NC3Rs and US-based 3Rs Collaborative (3RsC) in an international collaboration with academia and industry. The course is a comprehensive and accessible overview of the evidence base, benefits and practicalities of refined handling, for the mice, the handler and the research. Designed for anyone who works with mice in research at all levels of experience it should take no longer than 45 minutes to complete.

We have announced £3.3M in funding for our latest Project grants to support the development and characterisation of 3Rs approaches and technologies. The awards support innovation across all three Rs with the majority of this year’s award cohort focusing on replacing the use of animals, reflecting the current research landscape and our commitment to increasing our investment in replacement technologies. 

The Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) awards the Andrew Blake Tribute Award to an animal technologist who has made significant contributions to improving standards in laboratory animal welfare over the previous twelve months. We are thrilled to be sponsoring the award this year to recognise the professional and personal commitment of animal technologists refining all aspects of laboratory animal care. The winner will receive an invitation to attend the IAT Congress to present a poster on their work and a £250 cash prize.

We are seeking a part-time graphic designer to produce engaging and compelling graphics and visual materials to bring our content to life.

From social media and website assets to corporate reports and figures for scientific posters and publications, the graphic designer will help to support outputs from across the various teams within the organisation. The role will also include advising the communications team on ways to make complex technical information visually engaging through the development of branded icons and other graphic materials.

We are currently inviting applications from talented researchers to join our Partnership and Impact, Studentship and Grant Assessment Panels. These Panels are responsible for assessing the scientific excellence and 3Rs impact of diverse, innovative applications for research and career development funding, and advising the budget holder on funding decisions. Applications from currently under-represented groups, including women and members of minority ethnic groups, and researchers with disabilities or long-term conditions are especially welcomed. 

Applications are now open to solve four new CRACK IT Challenges in collaboration with 15 Sponsors from academia, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. This year’s Challenges include improving the utility of organ-on-chip technology, new approach methodologies for toxicity testing of pharmaceuticals and chemicals and systems for a step change in behavioural and welfare assessment for mice.

More details about each Challenge, including a recording of the launch webinars, can be found on the Challenge pages: 

• SensOoChip – Increasing the reproducibility and predictive power of organ-on-chips through multiparametric real-time monitoring and data modelling.
  Application deadline: Thursday 26 October, 12.00 (BST)
• CrossDART – Multi-species in vitro developmental toxicity testing.
  Application deadline: Thursday 26 October, 12.00 (BST)
• FET4Thyroid – A Fish Eleutheroembryo Test for thyroid activity.
  Application deadline: Thursday 2 November, 12.00 (GMT)
• aTRACKtive – Improved in vivo identification system for real-time, early-life individualised tracking and behavioural and welfare analysis in mice.
  Application deadline: Thursday 2 November, 12.00 (GMT)
  

Do you have a 3Rs technology and are seeking new partners and collaborators? Do you want to engage a diverse audience of potential end-users from across the biosciences? Present your research at our next Technology Partn3Ring webinar on Wednesday 15 November 2023, 14.00 (BST).

Our Technology Partn3Ring webinar series provides a unique opportunity for researchers to share their latest 3Rs tool and technologies, gain feedback from potential end-users and to facilitate new collaborations. 

To participate, you can:

• Submit your application to present.
• Register to attend.

Tuesday 17 – Wednesday 18 October, online

In collaboration with the Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) we are hosting our biennial online symposium over two half-days, with speakers from academia and industry. Topics will cover housing and handling as well as refinements of experimental procedures, in a variety of laboratory species including rodents, rabbits and non-human primates. 

Are you an animal technician? Join us for the opportunity to hear about the latest refinements and best practice in animal research from experts in the field, discover new ways of improving the lives of the laboratory animals under your care and get inspired to contribute to better welfare standards. Veterinarians, personal licence holders and other individuals working with laboratory animals are also welcome to attend.

Attendees will receive 4.5 CPD credits per day of attendance. 

Tuesday 31 October, 10.00 – 18.00, central London 

We are jointly hosting with the Association for Comparative Clinical Pathology (ACCP) a workshop to bring a fresh perspective to urinalysis assessments in toxicity studies. 

The workshop will address welfare issues related to urine collection methods and the value of urinalysis for decision-making through a series of talks, case studies from pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors, breakout discussion sessions and posters.

Wednesday 8 November, 14.00 – 15.00 (GMT)

Our Experimental Design Assistant (EDA) tool helps researchers at any level design robust in vivo experiments. Following a presentation on the key aspects of the online tool, 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 and attendees are eligible for CPD points.

As part of a Universities Federation for Animal Welfare funded project to develop refined methods for rodent euthanasia, Drs Jasmine Clarkson, Jessica Martin, and Matt Leach at Newcastle University are investigating existing cervical dislocation protocols used to euthanise laboratory rodents across UK research institutions. If you work with laboratory rodents, please take five minutes to complete their short survey.