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  • Protocol Review
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Response to Protocol Review Scenario: The economy of research

Lab Animal volume 43, pages 81–82 (2014)Cite this article

Laboratory animal regulations are thoroughly silent on the financial evaluation of research protocols. The Animal Welfare Act1 nowhere addresses economic considerations, and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals2 tackles the issue only tangentially: “cost savings alone is not an adequate reason for performing multiple major survival surgical procedures.” It seems IACUCs are largely left to their own discretion in making decisions in this regard and, in general, have taken the position to avoid using financial considerations as the sole or a primary factor in approving protocols.

Nevertheless, IACUCs should appreciate that financial considerations are intimately intertwined and often inseparable from the protocol approval process. The truth of this is found in the realization that research time, equipment and husbandry costs are economic parameters and play a large part in driving development of animal models. In fact, one could argue that the explosion in the use of rodent models over the last few decades is driven by the motivation to reduce costs: rodents require less space and less food and have shorter lifespans than some larger animals.

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References

  1. Animal Welfare Act.

  2. Institute for Laboratory Animal Research. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals 8th edn. (National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2011).

  3. Brown, P., Clarke, C. & Newcomer, C. Use of Non-Pharmaceutical-Grade Chemicals and Other Substances in Research with Animals. OLAW Online Seminar (1 March 2012). http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/120301_seminar_transcript.pdf

  4. Bagi, C.M. et al. Comparative bone anatomy of commonly used laboratory animals: implications for drug discovery. Comp. Med. 61, 76–85 (2012).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Cates is Laboratory Animal Medicine Resident, Perkins is Director, Office of Animal Research Oversight, Zahorski-Reeves is Regulatory Affairs Program Administrator, Couto is Executive Director, and Campagna is Laboratory Animal Medicine Resident at University of California, Los Angeles, CA.,

    Charles Cates,  Joanne Zahorski-Reeves,  Marcelo Couto &  Michael Campagna

Authors
  1. Charles Cates
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  2. Joanne Zahorski-Reeves
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  3. Marcelo Couto
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  4. Michael Campagna
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Cates, C., Zahorski-Reeves, J., Couto, M. et al. Response to Protocol Review Scenario: The economy of research. Lab Anim 43, 81–82 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.479

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