Comment

World-changing events took place between the 2019 and 2022 FELASA congresses. The challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of animal research, and were an unavoidable issue discussed at FELASA2022. However, it was the future of laboratory animal science, medicine, and education that took central stage ─ a future that will rely on improved ‘Communication’ between all stakeholders.

Transporting lab rodents is increasingly complex, owing to a variety of global trends and current constraints. Best practices and innovative approaches can help to ensure lab animals reach their destination safely and in a timely way. This Comment reviews those challenges and best practices through the lab animal transportation experiences of Taconic Biosciences, a global provider of rodent models.

Teamwork and organizational culture have been increasingly recognized as essential components to improving healthcare. Given the stakeholders and complexity of work necessary to execute high-quality animal research, creating a strong, high-performing team of clinicians, scientists and veterinarians would improve productivity. Positive collaborative cultures can advance animal and human welfare, enhance research quality and provide mutual learning for all team members.

Are your mouse colonies in the best state to resume experiments? A short commentary on some key issues to consider when moving forward.

For over a century, researchers have used mice as models and adapted many new methods to create novel mutations in them. In the past 100+ years, we have gone from breeding strains for selected traits to inducing random mutations throughout the genome to creating designer alleles with multiple functions. Each method offers opportunities and challenges for researchers as they try to address specific research questions with mouse models.

There is a growing interest in being able to better describe a Culture of Care, particularly as institutions are being asked to nurture such a culture and engage proactively on the care and welfare of the animals used for research purposes. Based on responses collected using an anonymized virtual interactive online poll, we provide some suggestions to help promote further awareness of how animal welfare ethical review bodies can champion a Culture of Care.

To improve rigor and reproducibility of animal research, the recently released NIH Advisory Committee report recommends major improvements in investigator statistical training and practice. The IACUC can serve as important gatekeepers of research quality by ensuring that simple statistically based reproducibility criteria are addressed in animal use protocols.

Yava Jones-Hall discusses the promise and pain points of setting up a digital pathology program at a new academic institution.

The SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the demand for specific-pathogen-free (SPF) nonhuman primates (NHPs) for development of vaccines and therapeutics, thus straining the supply of these animals for biomedical research studies. Non-SPF animals, which are available in greater numbers and include well-characterized primate species, should be considered in lieu of limited SPF animals for appropriate research studies.

Nonhuman primate (NHP) models, the most predictive preclinical models for human diseases and treatment outcomes, are in high demand and limited supply. There is a need for improved cryopreservation methods and routine storage of gametes and embryos, which are vital to protecting unique genetic models as well as providing resources for enhancing the genetic diversity of NHP colonies.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has significantly increased the demand for nonhuman primates (NHPs), the preclinical model most predictive of disease and treatment outcomes in humans, and for biocontainment laboratory spaces adjacent to facilities housing NHPs. Accompanying this requirement for biocontainment and research laboratory space is the need for skilled personnel to work in these facilities.

Alternatives for in vivo assays for drug testing have been proposed to solve open issues, such as costs, ethical, and logistical problems. One option is the chicken embryo. Here, we discuss its use as an experimental model for drug testing as well as limitations that researchers who want to work with the model should consider.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has significantly increased the demand for rhesus macaques, which might outstrip the supply for COVID-19 research and for other biomedical research studies. Baboons, another well-characterized research primate model, should be considered as a promising alternative for COVID-19 disease studies.

Host genetics, housing conditions, and antibiotic treatments impact microbiota diversity and composition, but microbes that inhabit the mouse gut and skin can also influence severity and penetrance of host mutant phenotypes.

There are administrative challenges inherent to any animal research program – from hiring vets and care staff to approving and overseeing protocols to reporting to the relevant authorities. Small institutions, with limited resources and available staff compared to ‘research juggernauts,’ can have extra hurdles to cross when administering their animal research programs.

The relationships between individuals and the research animals they work with can enhance animal welfare, but they also involve a moral cost to staff. Securing a safe space to communicate openly about animal welfare & research and acknowledge its emotional impacts is crucial. In this Comment, we reflect on emotional resilience and provide resources available to help manage the emotional burden of working with laboratory animals.

Robyn Raban and Omar Akbari describe a day in the life of the mosquito insectary team at the University of California, San Diego, outlining the procedures, goals, and types of systems they are engineering to control mosquito-transmitted diseases.

There’s growing evidence that sex-based differences can influence phenotypes beyond those directly related to the reproductive system; to fully understand a gene’s function, researchers should consider both male and female subjects.

Recombinase-expressing mice are selected based on where and when they will activate conditional alleles, but some produce phenotypes in isolation that can complicate analysis of those alleles.