3 Minute 3Rs April 2019

3 Minute 3Rs

This is the April episode of 3-Minute 3Rs, brought to you by the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org), the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban)Source papers:1. Characterizing Sources of Variability in Zebrafish Embryo Screening Protocols. https://bit.ly/2VP8njP2. Effective chair training methods for neuroscience research involving rhesus macaques. https://bit.ly/2V7NOSv3. AutonoMouse. https://bit.ly/2VP8tbb. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d7ctvj953M[NA3RsC] The zebrafish embryo, considered to experience little or no pain or distress, has been investigated as a humane replacement to the adult fish and adopted for chemical characterization and hazard assessments. The Systematic Evaluation of the Application of Zebrafish in Toxicology (SEAZIT) initiative was developed by the NTP NICEATM to address inconsistent test guidelines and identify sources of variability for zebrafish embryo-based assays. The goals included gathering input from zebrafish investigators on sources of outcome variability and facilitating a multi-laboratory evaluation of protocol variables. The SEAZIT team identified key factors producing variability which are highlighted in a report in a recent publication in ALTEX. While the current effort focused on defining a set of parameters that all researchers should consider, further advancements would improve the ease with which zebrafish embryo screening data could be used to inform a broad range of health-related research areas, including chemical hazard assessments. As the SEAZIT effort progresses, connections continue to be made with zebrafish researchers to collect a broad range of opinions and foster greater consistency in experimental approaches. [LA]... To move an animal as large as a macaque, many primate labs use special chair-like devices in which the animals are restrained. It can take considerable time to gets them trained and comfortable in the chairs, and the process can be stressful to all the primates involved. A team at Oxford, which uses macaques for neuroscience research, set out to refine their transportation training procedures. Details about their approach were published in the Journal of Neuroscience Methods at the beginning of the month. In short summary, they found that short but frequent training sessions started soon after animals arrived at the facility and using mostly positive re-enforcement in the form of tasty treats was most effective. They recommend that animals be trained in pairs or small groups rather than alone, and that negative reinforcement be limited as much as possible. They found that they could get their macaques into their transport devices in as few as 10 training sessions. [NC3Rs] Behavioral tasks in rodents have been an important tool in neuroscience research, but they are not without limitations. Traditional approaches are labor-intensive and require handling of the animals to move them to the testing arena, which can cause stress and affect the experimental outcomes. Erskine and colleagues...developed a fully automated system that addresses these issues. AutonoMouse... houses cohorts of up to 25 mice and allows continuous training and testing in enriched home cage environment, over a period of several months. Controlled by an ID microchip in each mouse, the cage is designed so that the animals can enter a behavioral test area individually, access water and engage in the tasks whenever they chose. The automated weighing module can enable monitoring to make sure the mice receive the amount of fluid they require. The system is also designed for minimal disturbance during cleaning, including bedding exchange without direct human contact. Detailed instructions and software are included in the paper to facilitate setup in other labs. The technology is less time-consuming and offers benefits to animal welfare, as the animals are kept in their home cage and don’t have to be picked up as often.

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