3Rs - search page

The RSPCA  strongly promote fuller implementation of all 3Rs, and they recognise the work done by other bodies to develop and validate humane alternatives, and to address the current crisis with reproducibility and translatability in the life sciences.

• Replacement: methods which avoid or replace animal use - our principal goal

• Reduction: ensuring that the minimum number of animals is used to answer the scientific question, using effective experimental design and statistical analysis to optimise numbers and avoid wasting animals

• Refinement: reducing suffering and improving welfare throughout animals' lives, including procedures, housing, husbandry and care

The term ‘welfare assessment’ refers to monitoring animals for signs of pain, suffering and distress associated with procedures and their effects, as well as to the day-to-day assessment of all animals to see how they are coping with their environment and to detect health or welfare issues. Indicators of positive wellbeing, such as appropriate levels of grooming and social interaction, should also be included when devising welfare assessment protocols.

Blood sampling can be stressful for laboratory animals because of the handling, restraint, anaesthesia or discomfort associated with a particular technique

The Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods (CCAAM) and the Canadian Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (CaCVAM) aim to develop, validate, and promote non-animal, human biology-based platforms in biomedical research, education, and chemical safety testing.

Articles on the use of animals in research and teaching are featured on this site.

The Allen Brain Observatory presents the first standardized in vivo survey of physiological activity in the mouse visual cortex, featuring representations of visually evoked calcium responses from GCaMP6-expressing neurons in selected cortical layers, visual areas and Cre lines.