Tech3Rs newsletter for animal technicians

Tech3Rs is our regular newsletter providing animal technicians with the latest news from the NC3Rs. Each issue features updates on recent advances in the 3Rs and highlights new resources, research and events that we think will be of interest to animal technicians. 

Download the latest issue or read on to find out more.

Each issue of Tech3Rs is available online to download on this page.

If you would like to receive an email when the next issue of Tech3Rs is published, please email us at tech3Rs@nc3rs.org.uk with the subject line "Subscribe".

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we are currently unable to send out hard copies of Tech3Rs. 

We have a range of resources relevant to those working as animal technicians to help them embed the 3Rs. Simply select the animal technician filter under the audience category in our 3Rs resources library.

Including:

• The results of our 2022 reader survey
• Refinements for laboratory birds
• Refining rabbit handling
• Environmental enrichment for zebrafish
• Upcoming events, including an RSPCA meeting on refining severe disease models and procedures, the LASSA/UFAW joint meeting on refining the peri-operative period, a webinar on microsampling and our biennial Primate Welfare Meeting

Including:

• Zebrafish skin swabbing
• 3Rs champions: refined mouse transport and using environment monitoring for health surveillance
• Spotlight on the new NC3Rs website and our latest resources
• Highlights from the NC3Rs and beyond: non-aversive mouse handling, e-learning modules and non-human primate welfare assessment
• 3Rs papers of interest: skin preparation before surgery and perioperative support for mice and rats
• Upcoming events, including details of our workshop on managing aggression in laboratory animal species at this year's IAT Congress
• Apply now for the AAALAC International Fellowship Award

Including:

• Malocclusion in mice: spot the signs and take action
• 3Rs papers of interest: hypothermia in rodents following anaesthesia
• Highlights from the NC3Rs website, including our new updated website coming soon
• Tech Journeys: Robin Labesse, Manager of the Biomedical Research Facility at the University of Surrey
• Upcoming events
• Happy birthday, 3 Minute 3Rs!

Including:

• Evaluating environmental enrichment
• 3Rs papers of interest: social housing during drug development
• Highlights from the NC3Rs website and beyond
• 3Rs champions: environmental enrichment for macaques and habituating rats to transport boxes
• Upcoming virtual events
• Enter this year’s Andrew Blake Tribute Award

Including:

• Aggression in laboratory animals
• Tech Journeys: Stephen Woodley shares his career journey from junior animal technician to Director of Biological Services at King’s College London
• 3Rs papers of interest: non-invasive methods for oral administration of substances to mice
• Spotlight on... NC3Rs webinars and upcoming virtual events
• Highlights from the NC3Rs website

Including:

• When the techs are away, the mice will play: how the Home Cage Analyser has helped animal care staff discover what their mice do when they are not looking
• 3Rs papers of interest: environmental enrichment for zebrafish
• 3Rs champions: improving the welfare of ageing mice
• Highlights from the NC3Rs website
• Upcoming virtual events

Including:

• Colony management best practice
• 3Rs champions: enrichment for pigs and tackling mouse aggression
• 3Rs papers of interest: non-aversive mouse handling
• Highlights from the NC3Rs website
• Catch up on our latest collaborative content

Including:

• Compassion fatigue: the cost of caring
• Lockdown champions
• Tech Journeys: a look at the career path of Linda Horan, Manager of the Biomedical Procedures Unit at the University of Strathclyde
• 3Rs papers of interest: rodent husbandry and procedures
• Highlights from the NC3Rs website
• Spotlight on resuming animal research

Including:

• The NC3Rs and the 3Rs during the COVID-19 pandemic
• 3Rs champions: refinements in rodent oral dosing and zebrafish geotyping
• 3Rs papers of interest: environmental enrichment
• Tech Journeys: a look at the career path of John Waters, Chief Animal Technician and NACWO at the University of Liverpool
• Help test a new device for embryo culture
• Spotlight on new online resources for technicians

Including:

• More reasons to tunnel handle your mice
• 3Rs champions refining mouse and rat care in their facilities
• 3Rs papers of interest: mouse husbandry
• Highlights from our news and blog, featuring two new posts by animal care staff at the universities of Glasgow and Dundee
• Upcoming events
• Spotlight on mouse husbandry

Including:

• Minimising mouse aggression
• 3Rs papers of interest: environmental enrichment for pigs
• Highlights from the 2019 NC3Rs/IAT Animal Technicians' Symposium
• Spotlight on rat husbandry
• NC3Rs-sponsored session at AST 2020 (24-26 March): "New Technologies Which Advance Refinement and Science"
• PLUS a pull-out A3 poster on avoiding the reuse of needles

Including:

• Tickling rats for improved welfare
• 3Rs papers of interest: grimace scales
• 3Rs champions
• Spotlight on laboratory animal anaesthesia
• Secret Lives of Mice: our new citizen science project with MRC Harwell
• PLUS a pull-out A3 poster on our Regional Programme Managers and how they can help you advance the 3Rs

Including:

• Refinement of rat telemetry studies
• IAT Congress workshops: Fundamental concepts of experimental design
• 3Rs champions
• Spotlight on the evidence for refined mouse handling methods
• NC3Rs/IAT Animal Technicians’ Symposium (2 October 2019)
• PLUS our celebration of animal technicians for the IAT's Animal Technologist Month

Including:

• Shaping the future of amphibians in research

• 3Rs champions

• Recent papers on zebrafish welfare

• Spotlight on guinea pig husbandry

• Upcoming events
• PLUS a pull-out A3 poster highlighting the resources available on our animal technicians' hub

Including:

• Mouse aggression study
• Mouse handling made easy
• CRACK IT Solutions
• Highlights from the NC3Rs blog
• 3Rs papers of interest