Posted by Zebedee under blog's category : Animal welfare & alternatives

The largest animal study ever on the cancer-causing risk (carcinogenicity) of chemicals could have profound implications for the species used in such testing, the numbers of animals used, and the accuracy of current tests. Scientists at Oregon State University found that acceptable levels of at least one carcinogen may be 500 to 1,500 times higher than currently believed. They also showed that using thousands of trout may give more accurate results than a hundred laboratory rats in assessing the risk of some chemicals.

Currently, to assess real-world risks of exposure at low levels over a long time, high doses of chemicals are tested over a much shorter period in rats. There have always been concerns about the accuracy of data obtained in this way, but the methodology has been dictated largely by costs and logistics. The new study, using trout, shows that traditional methods may overestimate actual risks by a factor of 1,000 for a class of toxins called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), although it also shows that current tests for others called aflatoxins may be more accurate.

read more »

Posted by Zebedee under blog's category : Animal welfare & alternatives

The National Centre for the Three Rs has produced a handy 'beginners guide' to the 3Rs - Refinement, Reduction and Replacement - and how they can benefit science, innovation and animal welfare. The challenge of animal research is aimed at those who are new to the 3Rs. But it will also be of interest to anyone unfamiliar with the activities of our national centre of excellence for the three Rs, ranging from funding research, to running workshops, to providing advice.

read more »

Posted by Zebedee under blog's category : Animal welfare & alternatives

The law of unintended consequences may have led to saving rabbits at the expense of a two incredible species: a prehistoric invertebrate and a small bird with one of the most impressive known migrations.

The horseshoe crab (Limulus) is used in the pyrogen test for microbial contamination of biological fluids, as an alternative to using live rabbits in some circumstances. Blood is taken from the crab for the test; it contains a rare compound that is the vital component in testing the safety of injected medicines. The crab is then returned unharmed, apparently, to the wild.

read more »

Posted by Zebedee under blog's category : Communications & media

A new book promises a considered, less polarised approach to the animal rights debate. An Odyssey with Animals by US veterinarian Dr Adrian Morrison is released in the UK in October 2009. In the meantime, Oxford University Press have published an essay by Morrison on their blog, which is already drawing comment.

read more »