Animal Free Laboratory  

According to the EU Directive on Animal Experiments (RL 2010/63/EU), the replacement of procedures in which live animals are used for scientific purposes and the promotion of the development of alternative methods are the ultimate goals to be achieved. This objective is based on the principle of replacement, one of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) of Russell and Burch. Replacement ensures the use of animal-free alternative methods. This term includes not only the avoidance of the use of live animals in experiments, but also of products derived from them.

On 21st of April our A3RC Online Event with the title "Towards replacement of animal-derived components in physiologically relevant human in vitro models" took place. Informative presentations were given by researchers from the Medical Universities of Graz and Innsbruck as well as from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna about alternative possibilities to the use of animals or animal products in research.

Animal-free culture models are more and more in demand, not only for translational research and for the future clinical application of cell culture products. Consequently, human platelet lysate is increasingly replacing the previously used fetal bovine serum (FBS) in various research fields, especially for mesenchymal stroma cell expansion and in other areas of cell therapy and regenerative medicine.