From dogs to 3D tissue models: the 2015 3Rs Prize

We have awarded our 2015 3Rs prize, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, to three outstanding pieces of published work with 3Rs impacts. The winning research came from the fields of developmental neurobiology, animal welfare science and cancer research.

Mini-gills to reduce fish use in toxicity studies

A study funded by the NC3Rs and BBSRC, to develop and validate a technique to create an in vitro freshwater gill system in the lab, has been published in Nature Protocols. The so-called mini-gills could reduce the number of fish used in experiments to study the impacts of environmental hazards on freshwater fish.

New in vitro method to study evasive cancer stem cells

A new paper from former NC3Rs Fellow Dr Adrian Biddle and grant holder Professor Ian Mackenzie has described a novel in vitro method to study cancer stem cells without using animals.

David Sainsbury Fellowship: call for outlines

Are you a scientist with two to six years’ postdoctoral experience with a commitment to the 3Rs? Our David Sainsbury Fellowship scheme funds talented 3Rs-minded scientists looking to transition into an independent career.

We are now accepting outlines for the scheme.

The deadline for the submission of outlines to the NC3Rs is Tuesday 26 April 2016.

Latest CRACK IT Challenges: funding innovative technologies with 3Rs benefits and business potential

Funding has been awarded to six teams in the latest round of the NC3Rs open innovation competition CRACK IT Challenges for proof-of-concept studies to apply the 3Rs to two areas, skin metabolism and gene therapy.

The Challenges are sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Stiefel, Unilever and Novartis and the winning teams have six months to prove that their approach is viable and justifies further funding of up to £1 million.

CRACK IT Solution: Extrapolating in vitro to in vivo toxicity

Are you an expert in mammalian cell culture and able to provide cellular models and data to help test mathematical approaches for in vitro to in vivo extrapolation? Researchers at the University of York are seeking partners through CRACK IT Solutions.

Pathways-based approaches across the biosciences: Towards application in practice

Thursday 28 April: LONDON
We are hosting a one day workshop which will bring together academics and industry researchers from a range of disciplines to share knowledge and practice on applying pathways-based approaches for safety assessments to minimise animal use.

The meeting includes a poster session to highlight pathways approaches under development and their potential 3Rs impacts. Poster abstracts must be submitted by Friday 1 April 2016.

The closing date for registration is Thursday 14 April 2016.

Addressing the needs for refinement in laboratory fish

Wednesday 27 April – Thursday 28 April: WEYMOUTH
In partnership with Cefas we are hosting a workshop to review current practices in the monitoring of laboratory fish and their housing and care. Break-out group discussions will explore how refinements can be put into practice, what knowledge gaps remain and how these can be addressed.

Attendance is free, but registration is essential. Places will be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis. The closing date for registration is Monday 11 April 2016.

Find all of our most recent posts, along with our back catalogue here.

BRIC by BRIC: The NC3Rs working with Brazil, India and China

Working internationally is key to getting the 3Rs embedded in policy and practice. In recent months NC3Rs staff have been working with colleagues in Brazil and China and our latest blog post describes some of the activities we have been involved in and how our 3Rs resources are reaching an increasingly global audience.