The study focuses on establishing a long-term porcine retina explant culture as a viable alternative to in vivo experimentation, highlighting its relevance to the 3R principles (Replace, Reduce, Refine) aimed at minimizing animal use in research. By developing a protocol that maintains good morphological preservation of retina explants for up to 28 days, the research demonstrates the feasibility of using porcine retina as an intermediate model between in vitro and in vivo studies, especially relevant for inherited retinal dystrophies. The optimal culture conditions were identified by testing various medium compositions, with the best results achieved using Neurobasal-A medium containing 100 mg/dL glucose supplemented with B-27 containing insulin and N-2, emphasizing the elimination of fetal calf serum and reducing high glucose levels to avoid neurotoxicity. The study's methodology ensures the robust and reproducible maintenance of retinal structure and functionality, making it a significant step towards implementing the 3R principle in ophthalmic research. This porcine retina explant model opens new avenues for testing therapeutic approaches for retinal diseases, offering a more ethical and potentially less costly alternative to direct animal experimentation.
Source: Weller M, Müller B, Stieger K. Long-Term Porcine Retina Explants as an Alternative to In Vivo Experimentation. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2024 Mar 1;13(3):9. doi: 10.1167/tvst.13.3.9. PMID: 38477924; PMCID: PMC10941994
How to „mouse“– Important information on experimental design and animal experiments
On Wednesday (20.03.24) we hosted an event for PhD Students and PostDocs of the Medical University of Vienna called How to “mouse”-important information regarding animal experiments and their setting, thanks a lot to the speakers and their great talks! Roberto Plasenzotti introduced the Austrian 3R center, the RepRefRed society and most important the 3R´s. Dalma Batkay had a fantastic talk about the Assisted Reproduction Unit of the MUV and the importance of a pathogen free mouse and its environment, how embryo transfers are done and how important the post-surgery care is. Katharina Tillmann talked about the Intramural Committee for Animal Experimentation, explained the application process and how to correctly fill out the application form. Patrick Bilic and Rebecca Nistelberger, both heads of the Core facility laboratory animal breeding and husbandry in Himberg and our nice hosts, had an amazing talk about “the mouse behind the screen”, explaining digital management via PyRat, the common challenges and solutions due to the digital barrier. Moreover, how important good communication between the mouse facility and the researchers is and most important the mental health issues and compassion fatigue, which is an important issue when working with animals. They were supported by one of the animal caretakers Jasmina Winter, who gave personal insight in her daily work. After the talks the PhD Students and PostDocs were invited to get a tour through the new mouse house in Himberg and the event ended with some food and drinks. Thanks again to everyone who was part of this event and the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft for the sponsoring. For everyone who is interested, the speakers were so kind and provided their presentations, which can be found on our website.
The State Prize for the Promotion of Alternative Methods to Animal Experiments 2023 was awarded to Ms. Anna-Dorothea Gorki, PhD
The registration for the international symposium "Sex as a Biological Variable (SABV): Addressing Challenges and Paving Future Steps in Basic and Preclinical Research" at the University of Bern has been opened.
Here is the link to the registration and further information about the symposium and the submission of abstracts can be found on the symposium website.
THE 3R LÄND Conference 2024 brings together academics, clinicians, industry representatives, regulatory authorities and policy makers from the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. We invite all interested parties to join us in Tübingen from May 21 to 23, 2024 to discuss the latest developments in biomedical and pharmaceutical research. You can look forward to exciting keynote speeches, scientific presentations, poster sessions and networking opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange.
You can find out more here: https://www.the3rs.uni-tuebingen.de/the-3r-laend-conference
Organ-on-Chip Summer School
This 5-day course, organized by the 3R Center Tübingen in collaboration with the European Organ-on-Chip Society (EUROoCS), will take place from September 2-6, 2024 in Tübingen and will include both lectures and hands-on lab exercises. In this interdisciplinary format, participants will learn the basic concepts and principles of organ-on-chip technology. The Summer School includes both lectures and practical laboratory exercises. The Summer School is aimed at Master, MD and PhD students starting their research in the fascinating interdisciplinary field of organ-on-chip technology. Industry professionals interested in learning about the fundamentals and performing hands-on lab exercises are also welcome.
LECTRURE topics:
- Microfabrication
- Sensors, imaging and omics readout
- Biomaterials
- Microfluidics and fluid dynamics
- Regulatory processes
- PK/PD modeling
- GCCP (good cell and tissue culture practice)
- Stem cells and organoids
LAB-HANDS-ON topics:
- Stem cells and organoids
- Microfabrication
- Sensors and monitoring
- Biomaterials
- In-silico modeling
You can find out more at: https://euroocs.eu/summer-school/
2-day conference with international experts from industry and academia, now you can see the preliminary program on the event page 2024 Microfluidics Fabrication Berlin Forum
How to „mouse“– important information regarding animal experiments and their setting
When: 20.03.2023 from 15:00-19:00
Where: CFL location Himberg, Brauhausgasse 34, 2325 Himberg
Who: The event is for all MUV PhD students and postdocs planning and/or conducting mouse experiments
Arrival: Bus from AKH 1Q (CFL) to Himberg and back, departure 14:00 - return 19:00
Dear Colleagues!
The Core Facility Laboratory Animal Breeding and Husbandry in Himberg and the RepRefRed Society cordially invite all PhD students and Postdocs to a workshop/information event focusing on mouse experiments and husbandry. This event is sponsored by the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft and part of the project "Establishing a culture of appreciation through knowledge exchange".
Talks:
❖ The Austrian 3R Center, a platform to implement 3Rs in research
❖ The mouse behind the screen & what happens after the PyRat task
❖ Animal committee and legal regulations
❖ Embryotransfer – how, when, why?
❖ Internal procedures regarding mice of the MUV and Q&A
Afterwards there will be a social get-together including dinner. There will also be the opportunity to take a guided tour of the new mouse house in Himberg in small groups. A bus will take you to the Himberg location and back to Vienna. Arrival by private car is of course also possible, free parking is available.
Please register by 08.03.2023 at office@reprefred.eu with your name, institute and whether a bus transfer is required. Places are limited, first come first serve. We look forward to welcoming you to our event!
Dear colleagues,
it’s my pleasure to announce the upcoming presentation and demo of the MARTA system which enables contact-free vital sign monitoring in rodents.
When: Monday, March 11, 10:00
Where: SR26K3, University of Graz, Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Heinrichstrasse 31, 8010 Graz https://maps.app.goo.gl/x341nPsjPTsYHQPM6
Admission is free and open to everyone interested!
Please register at: bmf-sekretariat@medunigraz.at
We are looking forward to your participation!
This is a message to let you know about EARA’s ‘Be Open About Animal Research’ (BOARD) 24-hour social media campaign, taking place on Friday 3 May.
Key information
• Registration deadline: Friday 15 March. Register HERE
• Send material deadline: Friday 29 March (*extended to Friday 5 April*)
• Day of the campaign: Friday 3 May
Secure an exhibition stand or a presentation opportunity - we invite start-ups, laboratories, development groups and innovative research projects to this forum in Berlin.
Topics include microfluidic chips and devices, lab-on-a-chip, organ-on-a-chip, microphysiological systems, workflow automation, fabrication and applications, etc...
Learn more on the event page Microfluidics & Fabrication Berlin Forum
Only a few places left! Register your interest in a sponsorship, we look forward to hearing from you.
The European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) helps students and young scientists with outstanding work in the field of alternative approaches to attend a high-profile scientific event.
Applications should be send to grow-epaa@ec.europa.eu by midnight of the application deadline for the event of interest.
ESTIV: 15/04/24
EUROTOX: 17/06/24
EUSAAT: 17/06/24
Find more infos here: 3Rs Student Grants 2024: call for submissions - European Commission (europa.eu)
Studies on animals are still indispensable in medical research. In order to further accelerate the establishment of alternative methods, the Austrian Science Fund FWF is offering an Austria-wide funding program for research into alternative methods to animal testing with funding from the Ministry of Science. In the third call for proposals, seven new projects with a total funding volume of 2.7 million euros were approved.
You can find more information at: Researching new alternative methods for animal experiments - FWF
The 3R Center Tübingen for In Vitro Models and Animal Alternatives invites you to "THE 3R LÄND Conference 2024 - Towards the Future of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Research with Organoid, Organ-on-Chip, and In Silico Models" in Tübingen from 21-23 May 2024. You can expect numerous lectures and poster presentations from the field of replacement and refinement. Abstracts can be submitted on the conference website until 15 January 2024.
Click here for the conference website: https://www.the3rs.uni-tuebingen.de/the-3r-laend-conference/
The Austrian 3R Days took place in the first week of December in the Tyrolean capital of Innsbruck. The snowy pre-Christmas Innsbruck provided the perfect backdrop for our event, which ran under the motto "3Rdays 2023 InN Motion". We welcomed over 200 national and international guests from the 3R community and together we spent three days full of exciting presentations and workshops. The event provided the perfect opportunity to network and exchange ideas with colleagues and representatives from other disciplines.
ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS NEED BETTER COMMUNICATION
To the article: Conclusion of the 3RDays23
Biomodellen (The 3R Society)
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A-8036 Graz