果冻影院

果冻影院 and nine other institutions together conducted nearly half of all UK animal research in 2020.

The statistics pertain to animal procedures used in medical, veterinary and scientific research,听and are freely available on 果冻影院鈥檚 animal research website as part of our joint commitments to transparency and openness around the use of animals in research.

This list coincides with the UK Home Office鈥檚 publication of Great Britain鈥檚 statistics for animals used in research in 2020.

The ten organisations carried out 1,343,893 million procedures, 47% or nearly half of the 2,883,310 procedures carried out in Great Britain in 2020. More than 99% of these 1,343,893 million procedures were carried out in rodents or fish.

The ten organisations are listed below alongside the total number of procedures that they carried out in 2020. Each organisation鈥檚 name links to its animal research webpage, which includes more detailed statistics. This is the sixth consecutive year organisations have come together to publicise their collective statistics and examples of their research.

Animal research has been essential for developing lifesaving vaccines and treatments for Covid-19. Ferrets and macaque monkeys were used to test the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines, including the successful Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine. Hamsters are being used to develop Covid-19 treatment strategies as they display a more severe form of the disease than ferrets and monkeys. Guinea pigs have also been used in regulatory research to batch test vaccine potency.

Despite all this research to develop vaccines and treatments for Covid-19, the majority of UK research facilities carried out significantly less research than usual, due to the various national lockdowns. Therefore, the 2020 figures cannot be reasonably compared with previous statistics.

All the organisations, including a longer list of 49听organisations that have shared their own statistics with UAR, are committed to the 鈥�3Rs鈥� of replacement, reduction and refinement. This means avoiding or replacing the use of animals where possible; minimising the number of animals used per experiment and optimising the experience of the animals to improve animal welfare. However, as institutions expand and conduct more research, the total number of animals used can rise even if fewer animals are used per study.

All organisations listed are signatories to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK, a commitment to be more open about the use of animals in scientific, medical and veterinary research in the UK. More than 120 organisations have signed the Concordat including UK universities, medical research charities, research funders, learned societies and commercial research organisations.

Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research, which developed the Concordat on Openness, said: 鈥淎nimal research has been essential to the development and safety testing of lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Macaque monkeys and ferrets have been used to develop vaccines, including the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, hamsters are being used to develop treatments, and guinea pigs are used to quality-check each batch of vaccines. Animal testing provided scientists with initial data that the vaccines were effective and safe enough to move into human clinical trials. During these trials, thousands more humans than animals were used to test how effective and safe the vaccines were in people.

鈥淭he pandemic has led to increased public interest in the way vaccines and medicines are developed and UAR has worked with research institutions and funding bodies throughout the UK to develop resources that explain to the public how animals have been used in this critical research.鈥�

Professor David Lomas, 果冻影院 Vice-Provost (Health), said: 鈥淎nimal research is a vital part of biomedical research at 果冻影院, enabling us to make groundbreaking discoveries that can improve people鈥檚 health across the globe. Over the past year, the Covid-19 has shone a light on the immensive contributions biomedical research can make to our society, and animal research has played a key role in developing vaccines and treatments effectively and quickly. Our scientists undertake animal research only when necessary, while using the utmost care as we seek to find new ways to replace, reduce and refine animal research.鈥�

Case study: Spina bifida can be caused by uninherited genetic mutations

Genetic mutations which occur naturally during the earliest stages of an embryo鈥檚 development can cause the severe spinal malformation spina bifida, finds a new experimental study in mice led by 果冻影院 scientists.

The study explains for the first time how a 鈥榤osaic mutation鈥� 鈥� a mutation which is not inherited from either parent (either via sperm or egg cell) but occurs randomly during cell divisions in the developing embryo 鈥� can cause spina bifida.

In this experimental study, researchers caused a specific mutation, which inactivates a single gene called听Vangl2, in a small proportion of cells in mouse embryos which form their developing spinal cord. The researchers validated and used a refinement technique which avoids needing to inject research animals by feeding them necessary substances instead. Using another refinement and reduction technique, they also performed some experiments in embryo culture (grown outside the uterus), so they could avoid needing to treat as many pregnant mice.

The scientists, based at 果冻影院 Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, found that when a mutation in the gene听was present in 16% of developing spinal cord cells of mouse embryos, this was sufficient to produce spina bifida.

Researchers say the findings add to scientists鈥� understanding of how and why mosaic mutations can affect and disrupt cell function, including those of neighbouring cells, stopping organs from forming normally. They say these results show that the cellular signalling process involving the Vangl2 gene is surprisingly vulnerable to the uninheritable mosaic mutations.

For parents, the findings may help reduce the burden felt by those who believe their child inherited spina bifida from them, and believe future children could also inherit the condition.

Links

• 果冻影院 Animal Research website
• Detailed facts & figures of animal research at 果冻影院
• News story: Spina bifida can be caused by uninherited genetic mutations

Source

Image

• Zebrafish used in research听at 果冻影院听(Credit: David Bishop, 果冻影院)

Media contact听

Chris Lane

tel: +44 20 7679 9222

E: chris.lane听[at] ucl.ac.uk