Laboratory animals are also being used in education, for example in biomedical degree programmes and in veterinary schools. In secondary vocational education and higher professional education, students are trained to become biotechnicians or caregivers of laboratory animals.
Although the numbers of laboratory animals used in these situations are relatively small, it is also important to develop alternatives to be used for these purposes. And to teach students which non-animal research models there are and how they can be applied.
There are also more and more students and young professionals interested in animal-free education and research. Examples include Young TPI and InterNICHE. Education is a driving force in the transition to animal-free innovations.
Practising without laboratory animals
Students of veterinary medicine have to learn all about the animals they will be treating in the future. Laboratory animals are also used for this purpose and educational institutions are required to apply for permits to use them. Luckily, there are other alternatives nowadays, such as virtual models and plastinates.
Examples:
Veterinary medicine students use plastinates, or 3D animal models (in Dutch), to study what animals look like on the inside. Animals and pets that have died and have been donated by their owners are preserved by injecting silicone, allowing these lifelike 3D animal models to be used in the veterinary medicine programme for many years.
What if you could study an animal without ever touching one? Using 3D technology and Mixed Reality glasses, Utrecht University is transforming veterinary education into an interactive and three-dimensional experience. This is good news for animal welfare.
This simulator allows students to practise conducting rectal exams in a safe environment before they move on to real horses. While they are ‘feeling’ inside the horse’s abdomen, the lecturer can see how the student holds his or her hand, which organs they are touching, and provide the student with real-time feedback.
The Microsurgical Developments PVC-Rat was developed to help students master skills in microsurgery. It is also an example of the replacement of living animals, which is one of the foundation’s main goals.
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Utrechtdeveloped a model of a cow’s pelvis to help students practise the palpation technique per rectum on the Sensa Cow. This way students can learn this difficult technique without using living animals.
Education on animal-free innovations
Knowledge and expertise in non-animal models is shared more and more both in higher professional education and vocational programmes. Using this knowledge, researchers can opt for the non-animal model that aligns with their research question. And the new generation of biotechnicians will gain knowledge to work with animal-free innovations in practice.
Examples:
The global education hub for animal-free education, initiated by TPI Utrecht and Peta UK, is a collaborative space for the exchange and co-creation of educational resources. With this project, the hub strives to advance animal-free education and education about animal-free research methods, emphasising the significance of innovative non-animal models.
Within its Master’s programme Innovation in Healthcare and Welfare (in Dutch), Utrecht University of Applied Sciences offers students the option of specialising in change management in animal-free innovations. There is a growing need for more and more research into animal-free innovations.
The main goal of this course is to develop critical thinking in order to support the choice, creation, development, validation, and use of alternatives to animals in research.
In this online host lecture (in Dutch), Jan-Bas Prins (LUMC/the Francis Crick Institute), Frank Staal (LUMC) and Debby Weijers (Stichting Proefdiervrij) will tell you all about the use of animals in academic research: from when to use this option and when to avoid it, about applicable laws and regulations, and the aim of working towards limiting animal testing or avoiding it entirely, via a transition to animal-free innovation.
Moreover, there are numerous opportunities across Europe for young professionals to learn more about NAMs (non-animal-approaches of New Approach methods). One such opportunity is the JRC Summer School on non-animal-approaches in science, organised annually by the Joint Research Centre, an initiative of the European Research Hub.
