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World Laboratory Animal Day: Experts discourage use of lab animals, discuss alternatives
On the occasion, director of CDRI, Radha Rangarajan, shed light on the purpose of this symposium. Later, posters on alternative and novel animal models were presented by research students.
LUCKNOW For centuries, humans have been using lab animals for research and tests and in process, thousands of them have died, hence, we should be respectful and use them ethically and intelligently, said Sujit Kumar Dutta, joint commissioner, ministry of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries.
“We should reduce animal usage in various research as much as we can. There is an urgent need for replacement of Animal Models in laboratories,” he added. Dutta made these remarks while delivering an inaugural speech on animal’s role in making different medicine and performing various experiments as a guest of honour of one-day symposium titled ‘‘Preclinical Animal and Available Alternatives’’. The symposium was organised at CSIR-Central Drugs Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow on Monday to commemorate the World Laboratory Animal Day. It was held in Collaboration with Laboratory Animal Science Association of India.
“We should pick up the right animal in the right quantity or, if possible, use an alternative method. Use of new approaches, methodologies, also known as New Alternative Methods (or NAMs), to establish Drugs Safety and Effectiveness may be adopted in place of animal testing,” said Suresh Poosala, Founder, Oncoseek Bio Private Limited and Acasta Healthcare Private Limited. He emphasised on 3R’s of animal usage alternatives which refers to the “Replacement, Reduction and Refinement” of animal in research and testing.
On the occasion, director of CDRI, Radha Rangarajan, shed light on the purpose of this symposium. Later, posters on alternative and novel animal models were presented by research students. Later, in the second half of the symposium, sessions on Computational Toxicology Platform toward replacing animal testing, Zebrafish as a model for human disease, elegans as alternative to animal model for disease research, 3D Bioprinting as an alternative to animal testing were also discussed.
