TAG ARCHIVES FOR IACUC19

10
Jun2019

During the 2019 IACUC Conference, I attended a discussion on engaging the public in conversations about the use of animals in research. In reflecting on this session, I felt both worry and hope. My gut tells me that when regulatory agencies ask for input on items of importance to research, an overwhelming number of responses are from detractors of animal research in support of their personal agenda, while those of us in the research world remain silent, maybe finding comfort in the thought that “someone else will reply”. We have to start speaking openly and honestly about what we do.We have to be strong advocates and build  bridges for communicating with the public so that a new generation continues to carry the torch in support of responsible animal research into the future. Read more

4
Jun2019

Those in the field of laboratory animal medicine come to this job with love for animals, but a special kind of love—one that understands that we will be separated, but agrees to love anyway. We give these research animals the best we can give; so they play and are healthy and can serve science and society. Because we understand that a rescued pet is a healthy old dog today thanks to the vaccines and heartworm medication developed using lab animals. We understand that my mother-in-law is healthy today thanks to the surgery, chemo, and radiation developed using lab animals. And we dream that someday, hopefully sooner than later, cancer and diabetes and heart disease will all be diseases of the past, thanks to lab animals. Read more

30
May2019

At our 2019 IACUC Conference in March, PRIM&R was pleased to present our first Pillars of PRIM&R Outstanding Poster Award. A team from the Mayo Clinic—Cherylann Gieseke, CVT, CPIA; Naomi M. Gades, DVM, MS, MRCVS, CPIA, CMAR, DACLAM; Hirohito Kita, MD—was chosen for this award for their project “Development and Utilization of a Multi-Species Database to Analyze the Incidence, Duration, and Reason for Single Animal Housing.” Read more

28
May2019

Among the speakers at IACUC19, one in particular, Leland S. Shapiro, PhD, touched me in a unique way. A brain tumor survivor and fellow martial artist (I have a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do), Dr. Shapiro related his story in an unusually funny and endearing fashion. He shared his full experience, from his initial symptoms, to his struggle to find a doctor. His frustration and moments of almost giving up, his perseverance and fight—his ultimate triumph. As he explained, he is a living legacy of animal-based research. And I think this is something we can all relate to and find similar stories of in our own circles: family members, friends, neighbors saved by medical interventions made possible by animal research. Read more

23
May2019

New laws on adoption of research animals have been ratified by nearly a dozen US States, with more pending. In large part, the measures require due consideration by research programs of adoption of dogs and cats once research is complete. Do these new laws do what they claim to do? Do they “save animals” from euthanasia, as some proponents are claiming? Or do they not really add much to the practices already used by many animal research programs? Read more