10. Enriching the Lives of Laboratory Animals

07/03/20 • 38 min

Lab Rat Chat - Episode 10 with Dr. Tara Martin, Director of the Refinement and Enrichment Laboratory at the University of Michigan
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In this episode of Lab Rat Chat, Dr. Tara Martin from the Refinement and Enrichment Laboratory at the University of Michigan joins us to chat about the use of enrichment to stimulate and improve the lives of laboratory animals. Dr. Martin and her team go to incredible lengths to ensure the enrichment they provide to every single animal are both safe and effective.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Dr. Martin’s extensive background and experiences throughout her education and career.
The mission and vision of the Refinement and Enrichment Laboratory at the University of Michigan.
What enrichment is and why it must (almost) always be used for laboratory animals.
The process of testing and approving new enrichment items for use with the various animal species.
Specific types of enrichment that may be used for animals based upon the type of study they’re involved in, such as studying cancer or cardiovascular diseases versus depression or anxiety.

Notable quotes:

“The reason we research enrichment is because there are a lot of toys and items available that seem like they would be really fun to us as humans, and then you give them to an animal and the animal is like ‘I have no interest in this item’, or they may even be afraid of the item.”

“We filmed pigs with a bunch of different mats and then a bunch of different toys, and they ignored most of the items we put in, such as Kongs or balls, but the mats they would sleep on and then they would spend a lot of time pushing them around the cage, probably because pigs just love to root items on the ground and that’s just such a normal behavior for them.”

Resources & Links:

Refinement & Enrichment Advancements Laboratory (https://animalcare.umich.edu/animal-use/refinement-enrichment-advancements-laboratory)
REAL Lab Animal Enrichment Database (https://az.research.umich.edu/animalcare/search/all?keys=&type=All&topic=18&category=All)
Americans for Medical Progress (https://www.amprogress.org/)
PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/phs-policy.htm)
Animal Welfare Act (https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/animal-welfare-act)

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Topics discussed in this episode:

Dr. Martin’s extensive background and experiences throughout her education and career.
The mission and vision of the Refinement and Enrichment Laboratory at the University of Michigan.
What enrichment is and why it must (almost) always be used for laboratory animals.
The process of testing and approving new enrichment items for use with the various animal species.
Specific types of enrichment that may be used for animals based upon the type of study they’re involved in, such as studying cancer or cardiovascular diseases versus depression or anxiety.

Notable quotes:

Resources & Links:

Refinement & Enrichment Advancements Laboratory (https://animalcare.umich.edu/animal-use/refinement-enrichment-advancements-laboratory)
REAL Lab Animal Enrichment Database (https://az.research.umich.edu/animalcare/search/all?keys=&type=All&topic=18&category=All)
Americans for Medical Progress (https://www.amprogress.org/)
PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/phs-policy.htm)
Animal Welfare Act (https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/animal-welfare-act)

All Lab Rat Chat episodes are edited by Audionauts

Support the show

Previous Episode

9. Animal Research in the European Union

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Lab Rat Chat - Episode 09 with Dr. Javier Guillen from the European Animal Research Association
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In this ninth episode of Lab Rat Chat, Dr. Javier Guillen from the European Animal Research Association joins us all the way from Spain to chat about the similarities and differences in animal research regulations and laws in the European Union compared with those in the United States.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Dr. Guillen's extensive background and experiences throughout his education and career.
The mission and vision of the European Animal Research Association.
Similarities and differences between United States and EU animal research regulations.
The development of Transparency Agreements and how they may be contributing to increasing public trust.

Notable quotes:

“In these current times of COVID-19, EARA has put together an interactive map to display the biomedical research currently underway across the world to find a cure for coronavirus.”

“Many people don’t really know when, why, and how animals are used. When you explain to someone all the regulations and ethical oversight, they are really surprised.”

Resources & Links:

European Animal Research Association (www.eara.eu)
EARA interactive COVID-19 map (https://www.eara.eu/post/how-animals-are-helping-in-covid-19-research-a-global-overview)
Americans for Medical Progress (https://www.amprogress.org/)
PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/phs-policy.htm)
Animal Welfare Act (https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/animal-welfare-act)

All Lab Rat Chat episodes are edited by Audionauts: https://audionauts.pro/

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Next Episode

11. Misconceptions Surrounding Animal Research

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Lab Rat Chat - Episode 11 with Dr. Dale Cooper, board-certified laboratory animal veterinarian
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In this episode of Lab Rat Chat, Dr. Dale Cooper, speaks to us about some of the common misconceptions surrounding the use of animals in research. We’ve all heard the argument that animals aren’t useful models for drug development, so take a minute and listen to Dr. Cooper break down the facts on this one and tell us why they are indeed the absolute best model for this and why they are still 100% necessary. Go check out Dr. Cooper’s guest article from a couple years back for Speaking of Research titled, “Predictability and Utility of Animal Models”.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Dr. Cooper’s extensive background and experiences throughout his education and career.
A brief overview of the drug development process and alternatives that are utilized before ever testing a drug in an animal.
The ability of animals to successfully predict potential toxicities and safety of a drug before testing it in humans.
Whether or not the use of animals for drug development and testing could be skipped altogether, going straight into human testing instead.
How a drug obtains approval to move from an animal model into human testing and ultimately on to the market.

Notable quotes:

“Some people will think about drug development in a particular animal research as if you one run study on one drug, and that gives you all your answers, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

“The vast majority of people, even if they won’t admit that they’re okay with animal research, they are driving the demand that essentially is there asking us to develop drugs, develop within a certain timeframe, within a certain cost, and with a certain level of safety.”

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