Biotechniques BIOL 410 Care of Laboratory Organisms Basics
Biotechniques (BIOL 410) Care of Laboratory Organisms
Basics • The Animals survive the trip, from a supply company or the field. Now what? • Provide environment that ensures health – No undue stress • Regular feeding and maintenance schedule 2
The Goal • Ensure survival • Healthy subjects for studies – Stressed or unhealthy individuals will provide poor results. • Pursue good science without causing pain or distress – Limiting number of animals that experience pain or distress due to research 3
Issues • Scientific Issues – Ensure healthy subjects for studies – Pursue good science – Improve scientific understanding • Ethical Issues – Obligations to non-human animals – Do non-human animals have rights – Ethically permissible treatment • Legal Issues – Meet federal guidelines 4
Animal Rights • Animals cannot consent – Infant humans cannot consent • Therefore, we must have proxies in place to protect the animal • General rule of Animals Rights: If you cannot ethically do something to a human infant, you cannot do it to an animal. 5
Animal Welfare • Minimize – Pain – Distress – Suffering – Boredom • Welfare takes into account these concerns – Protect well being • Recognize Animals do not have the same rights as people. 6
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Rights vs. Welfare • Some people are committed to Animal Rights – PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) – ALL (Animal Liberation League) – Sea Shepherd Conservation Society • Some people are committed to Animal Welfare – ASPCA & Humane Society – World Association of Zoos & Aquariums – Universities Federation for Animal Welfare Cast of Whale Wars 8
Rights vs. Welfare • Some People are committed to neither animal rights nor welfare – Poachers – Animal Abusers • But this is a complicated question as we think about animal protection – Where does science fall on the spectrum of animal treatment? 9
Science and Animal Ethics • The goal of experimentation with animals is to learn more about non-human biology – Physiology, Genetics, Evolution, Development, etc. – To better understand our own – To better understand the larger world • Animals models provide a important tool for understanding human health 10
? Scientific questions • What can experiments with animals tell us? • Is this analogous to humans? • What animal is appropriate for your research question? 11
Alternatives • Cultured tissue and media – Tissue came from living animal – Media is made of animal products • Computer simulation – Accurate only if basal information about the organisms is accurate. – Requires initial animal testing 12
Regulations for Animal Welfare • Laboratory Animal Welfare Act (Federal, 1966) • U. S. Department of Agriculture • National Institute of Health (NIH) & National Science Foundation (NSF) • Research Society – Animal Behavior Society – American Society of Ichthyology & Herpetology – American Society of Mammology – American Society of Ornithology 13
IACUC • Institutional Animal Care and Usage Committee – Review animal usage protocol for research and teaching – Ensure good size while minimizing ethical cost – Inspect facilities • Assure compliance with federal guidelines • Investigate welfare concerns. • Similar to IRB for human research 14
IACUC Committee • Practicing scientists with experience in animal research – Some unaffiliated with the institution • Veterinarian with training/experience in laboratory animal science medicine • Non-scientists community member – Represent the interest of the public 15
Research review • IACUC review research protocols for – Continuing projects – New inquiries • Look for: – Scientific aims – Relevance of study – Justification for animal use, and number used • Scientist must gain approval before beginning research 16
Pain and distress • The most important consideration in research • Categorical – 1: None anticipated – 2: Momentary pain or discomfort – 3: Mild pain – 4: Moderate pain • Must including methods to relive pain and suffering 17
General Signs of Pain and Distress • Decreased activity • Rapid shallow Breathing • Feed and/or water refusal • Weight loss • Excessive Grooming (mammals)
Maintaining Animals • Know proper care – Literature Research – Internship/Shadow/Experience • Provide healthy environment – Minimize non-experimentation stress – Enriching atmosphere, prevent bordom • Care Logs – Records 19
Action Plans • Must have regular care plans, including monitoring to ensure healthy environments • Should an animal get sick, have an action plan to care for the animal • In extreme circumstances have a plan for euthanasia to prevent further suffering. – Proper disposal 20
This weeks labs • Lab 1 – – Pour Plates Observe, anesthetize, and separate Fruitflies Transfer Daphnia Culture Observe Zebrafish embryos • Visit Aquatic facility • Lab 2 – – – Plate Bacteria Observe Fruitfly experiment Observe Daphnia cultures Observe Zebrafish fry, grow zebrafish food Visit Vivarium 21
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