9. Animal Research in the European Union

05/29/20 • 44 min

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

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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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8. Coronavirus, Vaccines, and High Containment Labs

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Lab Rat Chat - Episode 08 with Dr. Ricardo Carrion, Jr., Professor at Texas Biomedical Research Institute
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In this eighth episode of Lab Rat Chat, Dr. Ricardo Carrion, Jr., from Texas Biomedical Research Institute, talks to us about the research they are doing down at their institute in San Antonio, TX to help combat COVID-19.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Dr. Carrion’s journey through his education and career leading to his current position at Texas Biomedical Research Institute.
The details behind various high containment laboratories that allow scientists to work safely with deadly pathogens.
The use of various animal models to help understand and study SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus behind the COVID-19 disease.

Notable quotes:

"Individuals are actually suited into a space-suit type uniform, it's a single, continuous jump-suit, if you will, that has a zipper...they are tethered to a breathing air-supply line, and they work in the BSL-4 laboratory in that suit."
“The level of collaborations seen in this outbreak, this pandemic, is greater than any other type of collaboration that I’ve seen in the 20 years that I’ve been doing science.”

“If you look at vaccine development, if you look at Ebola for instance, as an example, it was about 7-10 years to license that vaccine. So that in one year, we’re talking about possibly having an FDA licensed vaccine for COVID-19, it’s pretty remarkable”

Resources & Links:

Texas Biomedical Research Institute (www.txbiomed.org)
Americans for Medical Progress (https://www.amprogress.org/)
AMP's COVID-19 Resources (https://www.amprogress.org/covid-19-resources/)
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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10. Enriching the Lives of Laboratory Animals

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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)

All Lab Rat Chat episodes are edited by Audionauts

Support the show