Revision of the guidelines on animal use and welfare in cancer research
At a glance
Overview
Animal experiments are an important part of research to understand the mechanisms behind tumour initiation, progression and metastasis and to develop new and improved methods to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Studies can be associated with a high degree of animal suffering, for example as a result of tumour growth and the guidelines for the welfare and use of animals in cancer research have been widely used by researchers nationally and internationally to support good practice and high standards in animal care. The guidelines were last updated in 2010 and given the advances in science and technology since then it is now timely to review and update them.
In collaboration with the National Cancer Research Institute we are convening an expert working group, chaired by Professor Paul Workman from the Institute of Cancer Research, to identify further opportunities for refinement.
The aims of the working group are to:
- Review changes in oncology science and research practices using animals.
- Update the existing guidelines to reflect the latest developments in the field, focusing on animal welfare.
- Publish the new guidelines in a peer-reviewed paper.
- Promote the new guidelines within the cancer research community.
Working group members
| Name | Institution |
| Prof Paul Workman (Chair) | Institute of Cancer Research, UK |
| Prof Eric Aboagye | Imperial College London, UK |
| Prof Karin de Visser | Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands |
| Prof Caroline Dive | Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute |
| Dr Noel Dybdal | Genentech, USA |
| Dr Abbie Fearon | National Cancer Research Institute, UK |
| Dr Dmitry Gabrilovich | AstraZeneca, USA |
| Prof Jos Jonkers | Oncode Institute and the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands |
| Dr Marnie Metzler | North Carolina State University, USA |
| Dr Karolina Palucka | JAX Cancer Center, The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, USA |
| Prof Sergio Quezada | UCL Cancer Institute, UK |
| Dr Florence Raynaud | Institute of Cancer Research, UK |
| Dr Sally Robinson | Cancer Research UK, Manchester Institute |
| Ms Sarah Roper | University of Liverpool, UK |
| Prof Owen Sansom | Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute |
| Dr Sheila Singh | McMaster University's Cancer Research Centre, Canada |
| Prof David Tuveson | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, USA |
| Prof Jacco van Rheenen | Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands |
| Prof Steve Wedge | Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit |
| Dr Lucy Whitfield | Owl Vets, UK |