̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Understanding Animal Research

UK organisations release statistics for use of animals in research in 2023

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 08:00:00 +0000

̽��ֱ��statistics for the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge are available on our website as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and openness around the use of animals in research.

This coincides with the publication of the Home Office’s report on the statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain in 2023.

̽��ֱ��10 organisations carried out 1,435,009 procedures, 54% (over half) of the 2,681,686 procedures carried out on animals for scientific research in Great Britain in 2023. Of these 1,435,009 procedures, more than 99% were carried out on mice, fish and rats and 82% were classified as causing pain equivalent to, or less than, an injection.

̽��ֱ��10 organisations are listed below alongside the total number of procedures they carried out in 2023. This is the ninth consecutive year that organisations have come together to publicise their collective statistics and examples of their research.

Organisation	Number of Procedures (2023)
̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge	223,787
̽��ֱ�� of Oxford	194,913
̽��ֱ��Francis Crick Institute	192,920
UCL	176,019
̽��ֱ�� of Edinburgh	139,881
Medical Research Council	124,156
̽��ֱ�� of Manchester	110,885
King's College London	109,779
̽��ֱ�� of Glasgow	102,089
Imperial College London	60,580
TOTAL	1,435,009

In total, 69 organisations have voluntarily published their 2023 animal research statistics.

All organisations are committed to the ethical framework called the ‘3Rs’ of replacement, reduction and refinement. This means avoiding or replacing the use of animals where possible, minimising the number of animals used per experiment and optimising the experience of the animals to improve animal welfare. However, as institutions expand and conduct more research, the total number of animals used can rise even if fewer animals are used per study.

All organisations listed are signatories to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK, which commits them to being more open about the use of animals in scientific, medical and veterinary research in the UK. More than 125 organisations have signed the Concordat, including UK universities, medical research charities, research funders, learned societies and commercial research organisations.

Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research, which developed the Concordat on Openness, said:

“Animal research remains a small but vital part of the quest for new medicines, vaccines and treatments for humans and animals. Alternative methods are gradually being phased in, but, until we have sufficient reliable alternatives available, it is important that organisations that use animals in research maintain the public’s trust in them. By providing this level of information about the numbers of animals used, and the experience of those animals, as well as details of the medical breakthroughs that derive from this research, these Concordat signatories are helping the public to make up their own minds about how they feel about the use of animals in scientific research in Great Britain.”

Professor Anna Philpott, Head of the School of Biological Sciences at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said:

“Cambridge research is changing how we understand health and ageing, and how we treat disease. Animal research continues to play a small but vital role in this work and in the development of ground-breaking new medical devices and drug treatments. We are committed to using animals only where there is no alternative as a means of making progress.”

Story adapted from a press release by Understanding Animal Research.

CASE STUDY: Egging on vital research

̽��ֱ��actin cytoskeleton is a system of long filaments, vital in embryonic development. Problems with its control have been linked to the kidney problems experienced by patients with the rare conditions called Lowe syndrome and Dent disease 2. But since the actin cytoskeleton is in all the cells of the body it has been very difficult to translate an understanding of it into a drug treatment.

Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow Dr Jenny Gallop at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has created a simpler version of the actin cytoskeleton that she can study in the lab. A key component is cytoplasm extracted from frog eggs.

Gallop’s lab keeps around 120 female frogs that are induced to lay eggs in a way that matches their natural cycles. This requires a hormone injection - just a mild discomfort to the frogs - every three to four months to make them ovulate. Over time, Gallop has refined her methods so that only half the original number of frogs are now needed.

This has enabled her to understand what might be going wrong in Lowe syndrome and Dent disease 2 – and realise that an existing drug might be able to help. Alpelisib has already been approved to safely treat breast cancer, and Gallop is now applying for approval to test whether it works to treat the kidney problems in patients with Dent disease 2.

Repurposing an existing drug means the long drug-development process has already been done. Conversations with people affected by the diseases inspire Gallop’s team to keep going. And the frogs have played a vital role in this decade-long journey.

Read the full story

̽��ֱ��10 organisations in Great Britain that carry out the highest number of animal procedures - those used in medical, veterinary and scientific research – have released their annual statistics today.

Jacqueline Garget

African Clawed Frogs held in water-filled tanks

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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UK organisations release annual statistics for use of animals in research

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 08:46:28 +0000

The statistics for the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge are available on the website as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and openness around the use of animals in research.

This coincides with the publication of the Home Office’s report on the statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain in 2022.

̽��ֱ��ten organisations carried out 1,434,403 procedures, 52% or just over half of the 2,761,204 procedures carried out on animals for scientific research in Great Britain in 2022. Of these 1,434,403 procedures, more than 99% were carried out on mice, fish and rats and 82% were classified as causing a similar level of pain, or less, as an injection.

̽��ֱ��ten organisations are listed below alongside the total number of procedures they carried out in 2022. This is the eighth consecutive year that organisations have come together to publicise their collective statistics and examples of their research.

Organisation	Number of Procedures (2022)
̽��ֱ�� of Oxford	209,544
̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge	206,992
Francis Crick Institute	190,981
̽��ֱ�� of Edinburgh	154,764
UCL	148,050
Medical Research Council	136,732
King's College London	123,228
̽��ֱ�� of Glasgow	108,204
̽��ֱ�� of Manchester	95,004
Imperial College London	60,904
TOTAL	1,434,403

In total, 64 organisations have published their 2022 animal research statistics.

All organisations are committed to the ‘3Rs’ of replacement, reduction and refinement. This means avoiding or replacing the use of animals where possible; minimising the number of animals used per experiment and optimising the experience of the animals to improve animal welfare. However, as institutions expand and conduct more research, the total number of animals used can rise even if fewer animals are used per study.

All organisations are signatories to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK, a commitment to be more open about the use of animals in scientific, medical and veterinary research in the UK. More than 125 organisations have signed the Concordat including UK universities, medical research charities, research funders, learned societies and commercial research organisations.

Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research, which developed the Concordat on Openness, said:

Professor Anne C Ferguson-Smith, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & International Partnerships) and Arthur Balfour Professor of Genetics, said:

“In Cambridge we have careful monitoring of our animal usage, applying reduction, replacement and refinement of animal work to ensure that they are used when there is no alternative. For example, animals are used in research tackling neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis, and in repairing damaged nerves to restore movement to paralysed limbs.

We want to make major improvements to people’s lives, and we have a moral responsibility to ensure new treatments or procedures are safe, by assessing them first on animals, before developing approaches to apply them to humans.”

Adapted from a press release by Understanding Animal Research.

CASE STUDY: ̽��ֱ��Ugly Naked Guys who age healthily, don’t feel pain, and rarely get cancer

“Naked mole-rats have many weird features, and we’re trying to work out the underpinning genetic or physiological basis for these. That knowledge could be used to help companion animals or humans with problems such as inflammatory pain, arthritis and cancer," says Professor Ewan St. John Smith, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Department of Pharmacology.

A team at Cambridge has revealed that naked mole-rats have a genetic variation that makes acid act as an anaesthetic to their nerves. Understanding this better could help develop new pain-relieving drugs for human inflammatory conditions like arthritis.

̽��ֱ��animals have exceptional cancer resistance compared to humans. ̽��ֱ��team found that mutations in naked mole-rat DNA occur at a slower rate than in mouse DNA, and suggest that naked mole-rats have an ultra-good immune system that spots and kills cancer cells.

Naked mole-rats live over 30 years and age healthily. ̽��ֱ��team is also investigating how the animal’s brain changes with age, offering potential clues for healthy aging and age-related illnesses like dementia.

̽��ֱ��ten organisations in Great Britain that carry out the highest number of animal procedures - those used in medical, veterinary and scientific research – have released their annual statistics today.

Animal research aims to improve the prospects for future organ transplant patients

Two researchers wearing masks in operating theatre

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Cambridge recognised once again as a Leader in Openness around animal research

cjb250 — Fri, 13 May 2022 11:30:16 +0000

This year sees the eighth anniversary of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research, which commits signatories to making available information about their animal research through their websites, communications and public engagement activities.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has been a signatory since it launched in 2014. It publishes detailed information on its animal research pages, include information on the different types of animal used in research at Cambridge and the number of procedures carried out each year. Its animal welfare team takes part each year in the Cambridge Festival, giving members of the public the opportunity to discuss the use of animals in research and animal welfare.

Cambridge has received three Openness Awards, most recently for its revised animal research pages (which included and a feature on the use of animals to study ways to restore movement to paralysed limbs). In previous years, it has won awards for its films looking at how mice are helping in the fight against cancer and how animals, including marmosets, help us understand brain disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder.

Cambridge was recognised as one of 13 inaugural Leaders in Openness in 2019. Each institution is required to apply again every three years, and Cambridge’s application has once again been successful.

Bella Williams, Head of Engagement at Understanding Animal Research, said: ““Each year, the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK recognises institutions which consistently meet best-practice standards for openness and transparency in communicating about their animal research. These organisations have shown excellence in their use of internal communications, public-facing websites and social media, media communications and public engagement practices, setting a high standard for all research organisations that use animals, and leading by example.

“This year 12 research organisations have been recognised as outstanding in all these areas… [and] will hold the ‘Leaders in Openness’ title for three years in recognition of the energy, consideration and courage that they have shown in providing accessibility and public information around an important but often misunderstood subject.”

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said: “Animal research continues to be an important part of biomedical science, but as research institutions it is vital that we do not take public support for granted, and instead explain clearly why and how we work with animals and the steps we take to ensure good animal welfare.

“Since first signing the Concordat in 2014, Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� has strived to be as open about our animal research as possible, sharing a wealth of information and case studies, and continuing to engage the public. We believe it’s important to show leadership in this area and we hope our efforts make a difference and show others within the sector what can be achieved.”

Alongside the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, Agenda Life Sciences, ̽��ֱ��Babraham Institute, ̽��ֱ��Francis Crick Institute, Imperial College London, ̽��ֱ��Institute of Cancer Research, Newcastle ̽��ֱ��, ̽��ֱ��Pirbright Institute, Royal Veterinary College, ̽��ֱ�� of Bath, ̽��ֱ�� of Leicester, and ̽��ֱ�� of Manchester have all been recognised this year.

Animal research at Cambridge

In 2020, when the most recent figures were published, Cambridge researchers carried out just under 178,000 procedures, of which almost 98% involved mice and zebrafish. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� publishes all of its animal statistics on its website.

Animal research plays an important role in our understanding of health and disease and in the development of modern medicines and surgical techniques. Without the use of animals, we would not have many of the modern medicines, antibiotics, vaccines and surgical techniques that we take for granted in both human and veterinary medicine.

Some of the important and pioneering work for which Cambridge is best known and which has led to major improvements in people’s lives was only possible using animals, from the development of IVF techniques through to human monoclonal antibodies. Some of the work carried out is fundamental research, aimed at understanding how humans and animals develop and how our immune systems and brains work, for example. This knowledge is essential for underpinning our understanding of health and disease for both medical and veterinary purposes.

Other work is aimed at tackling specific diseases, for example in helping us understand how Parkinson’s disease affects the brain and motor system and how it might be tackled, or in developing new treatments for autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

Animal research is only undertaken where there is no alternative. Our researchers always use the most appropriate species: in the vast majority of cases, this involves using mice, rats and zebrafish. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to use species that are closer to humans in size or development.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has once again been recognised as a Leader in Openness for its work to promote openness and transparency around research involving the use of animals.

We believe it’s important to show leadership in this area and we hope our efforts make a difference and show others within the sector what can be achieved

Anne Ferguson-Smith

Understanding Animal Research

Black mouse in gloved hand

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Top UK organisations release annual statistics for use of animals in research

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 09:07:59 +0000

This is to coincide with the Home Office’s publication of Great Britain’s statistics for animals used in research in 2020.

These ten organisations carried out 1,343,893 procedures, 47% or nearly half of the 2,883,310 procedures carried out in Great Britain in 2020. More than 99% of these 1,343,893 procedures were carried out in rodents or fish.

̽��ֱ��statistics are freely available on the organisations’ websites as part of their ongoing commitment to transparency and openness around the use of animals in research.

̽��ֱ��ten organisations are listed below alongside the total number of procedures that they carried out in 2020. This is the sixth consecutive year organisations have come together to publicise their collective statistics and examples of their research.

Organisation	Number of Procedures
̽��ֱ��Francis Crick Institute	183,811
̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge	177,219
Medical Research Council	173,637
̽��ֱ�� of Oxford	169,511
̽��ֱ�� of Edinburgh	151,669
UCL	142,988
̽��ֱ�� of Glasgow	102,526
̽��ֱ�� of Manchester	93,448
King's College London	85,414
Imperial College London	63,670
TOTAL	1,343,893

A further breakdown of Cambridge’s numbers, including the number of procedures by species and detail of the levels of severity, can be found on our animal research pages.

Animal research has been essential for developing lifesaving vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. Ferrets and macaque monkeys were used to test the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, including the successful Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine. Hamsters are being used to develop COVID-19 treatment strategies as they display a more severe form of the disease than ferrets and monkeys. Guinea pigs have also been used in regulatory research to batch test vaccine potency.

Despite all this research to develop vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, the majority of UK research facilities carried out significantly less research than usual due to the various national lockdowns. Therefore, the 2020 figures cannot be reasonably compared with previous statistics.

All organisations are committed to the ‘3Rs’ of replacement, reduction and refinement. This means avoiding or replacing the use of animals where possible, minimising the number of animals used per experiment and optimising the experience of the animals to improve animal welfare. However, as institutions expand and conduct more research, the total number of animals used can rise even if fewer animals are used per study.

All organisations listed are signatories to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK, a commitment to be more open about the use of animals in scientific, medical and veterinary research in the UK. More than 120 organisations have signed the Concordat including UK universities, medical research charities, research funders, learned societies and commercial research organisations.

Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research, which developed the Concordat on Openness, said:

"Animal research has been essential to the development and safety testing of lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Macaque monkeys and ferrets have been used to develop vaccines, including the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, hamsters are being used to develop treatments, and guinea pigs are used to quality-check each batch of vaccines.

"Animal testing provided scientists with initial data that the vaccines were effective and safe enough to move into human clinical trials. During these trials, thousands more humans than animals were used to test how effective and safe the vaccines were in people. ̽��ֱ��pandemic has led to increased public interest in the way vaccines and medicines are developed and UAR has worked with research institutions and funding bodies throughout the UK to develop resources that explain to the public how animals have been used in this critical research."

̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Establishment Licence Holder Dr Martin Vinnell said:

“Animal research currently plays an essential role in our understanding of health and disease and in the development of modern medicines and surgical techniques. Without the use of animals, we would not have many of the modern medicines, antibiotics, vaccines and surgical techniques we take for granted in both human and veterinary medicine.

“We always aim to use as few animals as possible, refining our research and actively looking for ways of replacing their use, for example in the development of ‘mini-organs’ grown from human cells, which can be used to model disease.”

Adapted from a press release by Understanding Animal Research.

Find out more

A team in the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering is developing implantable devices to bypass nerve damage and restore movement to paralysed limbs.

“Our aim is to make muscles wireless by intercepting electrical signals from the brain before they enter the damaged nerve and sending them directly to the target muscles via radio waves,” says Sam Hilton, a Research Assistant in the team.

̽��ֱ��procedure has been tested and refined in computer simulations, and on cells grown in the lab. But before it can be tested in humans there is another important step: testing its safety in living rats. To avoid testing in animals entirely would place untenable risk on the first human recipients of this new device. All the experiments are carefully designed to ensure that just enough animals are used to produce convincing data, without resulting in unnecessary excess.

By working out how complex microelectronics can interface with living tissue in a very precise and controlled way, this work has potential to improve or restore movement in patients suffering severe nerve damage - improving their quality of life and easing the burden on our healthcare services.

̽��ֱ��ten organisations in Great Britain that carry out the highest number of animal procedures – those used in medical, veterinary and scientific research - have today released their annual statistics.

We always aim to use as few animals as possible, refining our research and actively looking for ways of replacing their use.  

Martin Vinnell

Yes

Top UK organisations release annual statistics for use of animals in research

cjb250 — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 09:03:50 +0000

These statistics are freely available on the institutions’ websites as part of their ongoing commitment to transparency and openness. ̽��ֱ��figures show that the ten institutions collectively conducted nearly a half of all UK animal research in 2018.

These ten organisations carried out 1.69 million procedures, 48% of the 3.52 million procedures carried out in Great Britain in 2018. More than 99% of these procedures were carried out on rodents or fish.

̽��ֱ��ten organisations are listed below alongside the total number of procedures that they carried out in 2018.

Organisation	Number of Procedures
Medical Research Council	268,032
̽��ֱ��Francis Crick Institute	250,940
̽��ֱ�� of Oxford	219,551
̽��ֱ�� of Edinburgh	194,174
UCL ( ̽��ֱ�� College London)	182,438
̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge	141,968
̽��ֱ�� of Glasgow	128,982
King's College London	121,163
̽��ֱ�� of Manchester	94,913
Imperial College London	85,772
TOTAL	1,687,933

A further breakdown of Cambridge’s numbers, including the number of procedures by species and detail of the levels of severity, can be found on its animal research pages.

All ten organisations are signatories to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK, a commitment to be open about the use of animals in scientific, medical and veterinary research in the UK. Over 120 organisations have signed the concordat including UK universities, charities, research funders, and commercial research organisations. Earlier this year, the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge was named a Leader in Openness in recognition of its work.

Dr Martin Vinnell, the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Establishment Licence Holder, who is responsible for overseeing its animal research, said: “While the use of animals plays an important role in biomedical research, we should always be looking at ways to refine this work, find replacements and ultimately reduce the number of animals used.

“Nor should we see this kind of research as a right – it’s essential that we are open about our work and ensure the public is well informed of both what we do, and why we do it, whether or not they support this type of research. This is why it is important that institutions such as Cambridge and its peers release information about their animal research.”

Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research, which helped develop the Concordat on Openness, said: “Since the publication of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK in 2014, organisations that carry out research using animals have been increasingly transparent. These organisations are providing an unprecedented level of information about how and why they conduct medical, veterinary and scientific research using animals. Facts, figures, case studies, and photos about the use of animals in research are now provided directly by the organisations that carry out the research, so that it has never been easier for members of the public to find out why those animals were used in research.”

̽��ֱ��ten academic organisations in the UK that carry out the highest number of animal procedures – those used in medical, veterinary and fundamental scientific research – have today released their statistics to coincide with the publication of the UK’s official statistics by the Home Office.

Animal research at Cambridge: Blood pressure drug shows promise for treating Parkinson’s and dementia in animal studies

Earlier this year, Cambridge researchers revealed how a prescription drug to treat high blood pressure has shown promise against conditions such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and forms of dementia in studies carried out in mice and zebra fish.

A common feature of neurodegenerative diseases is the build-up of misfolded proteins. In healthy individuals, the body uses a mechanism known as autophagy, or ‘self-eating’, to prevent the build-up of such toxic materials. There are currently no drugs that can induce autophagy effectively in patients.

In addition to searching for new drugs, scientists often look to re-purpose existing drugs. These have the advantage that they have already been shown to be safe for use in humans. If they can be shown to be effective against the target diseases, then the journey to clinical use is much faster.

Scientists at Cambridge have shown in mice that felodipine, a hypertension drug, may be a candidate for re-purposing. ̽��ֱ��team used mice that had been genetically modified to express mutations that cause Huntington’s disease or a form of Parkinson’s disease, and zebra fish that model a form of dementia.

Felodipine was effective at reducing the build-up of aggregates in the mice with the Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease mutations and in the zebra fish dementia model. ̽��ֱ��treated animals also showed fewer signs of the diseases.

Studies in mice often use doses that are much higher than those known to be safe to use in humans. Professor Rubinsztein and colleagues demonstrated in the Parkinson’s mice that it is possible to show beneficial effects even at concentrations similar to those known to be safe in humans. They did so by controlling the concentration of drug by inserting a small slow release device under the mouse’s skin.

Further details

Yes

Cambridge recognised as Leader in Openness around animal research

cjb250 — Thu, 23 May 2019 08:10:02 +0000

In 2014, the ̽��ֱ�� signed the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research, committing to making available detailed information about its animal research through its website, communications and public engagement activities.

Since then, it has received two Openness Awards for its films looking at how mice are helping in the fight against cancer and how animals, including marmosets, help us understand brain disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder. These films complement its animal research pages, which include details on the different types of animal used in research at Cambridge and the number of procedures carried out each year.

One of the ̽��ֱ��’s Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body Committees takes part each year in the Cambridge Science Festival. This year, it ran a stand at the family weekend at the city’s Guildhall, providing the opportunity for members of the public to discuss the use of animals in research and animal welfare and showcasing 25 years of the ‘3Rs’ of animal research - Replacement, Reduction, Refinement.

Other activities include the ‘Challenge’ technical programme for students from the age of 13 at the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology. There, the ̽��ֱ�� and the Academy arrange for employers, research organisations and local universities to showcase and discuss their work, providing open engagement and information to students.

Cambridge is one of 13 Leaders recognised out of 121 signatories to the Concordat.

Commenting on the award, Professor Chris Abell, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said: “I am proud that Cambridge has been recognised as a Leader in Openness. I believe our institution has a moral obligation to be open about the important research that takes place in its laboratories.

“Our ̽��ֱ�� has been at the forefront of important discoveries in biology and in human and veterinary medicine, and much of this work would not have been possible without the use of animals. However, we are not complacent in our use of animals in research and continuously apply the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement in all of this work.”

Dr Martin Vinnell, the ̽��ֱ��’s Establishment Licence Holder, who is responsible for overseeing its animal research, added: “This award recognises the willingness of all those involved in research here using animals to engage with the public. Our researchers have openly talked about their work using animals to the media and at the Cambridge Science Festival, while the commitment to openness and transparency means that we aim to proactively put as much information as possible on our webpages rather than only responding to requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

“ ̽��ֱ��use of animals in research should not be viewed as a right – and we must therefore ensure the public is well informed of both what we do, and why we do it, whether or not they support this type of research.”

In 2017, researchers at Cambridge carried out just under 160,000 procedures, the vast majority involving mice and zebrafish. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� publishes all of its animal statistics on its website. Last year, the ̽��ֱ�� also began publishing information on the severity of its procedures.

Research involving animals plays an important part in helping researchers understand human biology, and in particular how diseases occur and in the development of new treatments. Without the use of animals, we would not have many of the modern medicines, antibiotics, vaccines and surgical techniques that we take for granted in both human and veterinary medicine.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� places good welfare at the centre of all its animal research and aims to meet the highest standards: good animal welfare and good science go hand-in-hand. Although animals will play a role in biomedical research for the foreseeable future, researchers at the ̽��ֱ�� strive to use only the number of animals necessary to obtain sound scientific data. Our researchers are actively looking at techniques to refine their experiments and help reduce – and ultimately replace – their use.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has been presented with a Leader in Openness Award in recognition of its work to promote openness and transparency around its research involving the use of animals.

I am proud that Cambridge has been recognised as a Leader in Openness. I believe our institution has a moral obligation to be open about the important research that takes place in its laboratories

Chris Abell

Fighting cancer: Animal research at Cambridge

Maggie Bartlett, NHGRI

Knockout mice

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Top ten universities for animal research announced

cjb250 — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 11:53:05 +0000

̽��ֱ��figures show that the ten institutions collectively conducted over one third of all UK animal research in 2017. All ten universities appear in the QS 2018 World ̽��ֱ�� Ranking Top 200 and seven appear in the Top 50.

̽��ֱ��top ten institutions conducted 1.32 million procedures, 35% of the 3.79 million procedures conducted in Great Britain in 2017. Over 99% of these procedures were carried out on rodents or fish, and in line with national data they were almost evenly split between experimental work and the breeding of genetically modified animals.

̽��ֱ��ten universities are listed below alongside the total number of procedures that they carried out in 2017. Each institution’s name links to its animal research webpage which includes more detailed statistics. This is the third year in a row universities have come together to publicise their collective numbers and examples of their research.

Institution	Number of Procedures
̽��ֱ�� of Oxford	236,429
̽��ֱ�� of Edinburgh	225,366
̽��ֱ�� College London	214,570
̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge	157,975
King’s College London	121,741
̽��ֱ�� of Manchester	104,863
̽��ֱ�� of Sheffield	83,300
Imperial College London	79,492
Cardiff ̽��ֱ��	46,743
̽��ֱ�� of Glasgow	46,045
TOTAL	1,316,524

All universities are committed to the ‘3Rs’ of replacement, reduction and refinement. This means avoiding or replacing the use of animals where possible; minimising the number of animals used per experiment and optimising the experience of the animals to improve animal welfare. However, as universities expand and conduct more research, the total number of animals used can rise even if fewer animals are used per study.

All ten universities are signatories to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK, a commitment to be more open about the use of animals in scientific, medical and veterinary research in the UK. Over 120 organisations have signed the concordat including UK universities, charities, research funders and commercial research organisations.

Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research, which developed the Concordat on Openness, said: “ ̽��ֱ��Concordat has fostered a culture of openness at research institutions up and down the country. Institutions now provide an unprecedented level of information about how and why they conduct medical, veterinary and scientific research using animals. Almost two-thirds of the university Concordat signatories provide their animal numbers openly on their websites – accounting for almost 90% of all animal research at UK universities."

Animal research at Cambridge

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has received two Openness Awards for its films about animal research. ̽��ֱ��first, Fighting Cancer, was a behind-the-scenes tour of one of its animal facilities, explaining how mice are used to study cancer and featuring images of mice with tumours and undergoing procedures. Its second film, Understanding the OCD Brain, looked at how both animal and human studies are vital to exploring a distressing mental health condition and included footage of its marmoset facility. Researchers from the ̽��ֱ�� regularly speak about their work at its annual Science Festival.

“Animals are used in research at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge in a wide variety of experiments designed to develop new treatments for humans and animals," says Dr Martin Vinnell, Director of ̽��ֱ�� Biomedical Services at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. "However, as seen from the additional data collection undertaken for the first time in 2018 just under 17% of the animals used at Cambridge were used in scientific procedures which did not required a Home Office licence – instead these animals were humanely killed and by applying new and often cutting edge technologies their cells and tissues were used in experiments.”

Find out more about animal research at Cambridge

Adapted from a press release by Understanding Animal Research

Understanding Animal Research, an organisation promoting greater openness about animal research, has today released a list of the ten universities in the UK that conduct the highest number of animal procedures – those used in medical, veterinary and scientific research. These statistics are freely available on the universities’ websites as part of their ongoing commitment to transparency and openness.

Maggie Bartlett, NHGRI

Knockout Mice

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Ten leading universities release animal research statistics

cjb250 — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 00:01:01 +0000

̽��ֱ��top ten institutions conduct more than two thirds of all UK university animal research between them, completing a combined total of 1.4 million procedures. Over 99% of these procedures were carried out on rodents or fish, and in line with national data they were almost evenly split between experimental work and the breeding of genetically modified animals.

̽��ֱ��ten universities are listed below alongside the total number of procedures that they carried out in 2016. Each institution’s name links to its animal research webpage which includes more detailed statistics. This is the second year in a row universities have come together to collectively publicise their numbers and examples of their research.

̽��ֱ��	Total (2016)
̽��ֱ�� of Oxford	217,765
̽��ֱ�� College London	203,744
̽��ֱ�� of Edinburgh	203,285
̽��ֱ�� of Manchester	174,120
̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge	155,394
King's College London	155,058
Imperial College London	101,369
̽��ֱ�� of Sheffield	83,130
̽��ֱ�� of Birmingham	54,728
̽��ֱ�� of Glasgow	50,566

All universities are committed to the ‘3Rs’ of replacement, reduction and refinement. This means avoiding or replacing the use of animals where possible, minimising the number of animals used per experiment and minimising suffering to improve animal welfare. However, as universities expand and conduct more research, the total number of animals used can rise even if fewer animals are used per study.

All ten universities are signatories to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK, a commitment to be more open about the use of animals in scientific, medical and veterinary research in the UK. 116 organisations have signed the concordat including UK universities, charities, research funders and commercial research organisations.

Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research, which developed the Concordat on Openness, said: “ ̽��ֱ��Concordat has fostered a culture of openness at research institutions up and down the country. Institutions now provide an unprecedented level of information about how and why they conduct medical, veterinary and scientific research using animals. Almost two-thirds of the university Concordat signatories provide their animal numbers openly on their website – accounting for almost 90% of all animal research at UK universities. “

Dr Martin Vinnell, Home Office Establishment Licence Holder at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said: “All of us involved in biomedical research believe it is vital that we are completely open about our use of animals and that is why we are joining the UK’s other leading research universities in collectively releasing our statistics, in addition to our other efforts in support of transparency as part of the Concordat on the Declaration of Openness.

"Although the use of animals continues to contribute to our understanding of health and disease and in the development of medical treatments, medicines and surgical techniques that we take for granted, there must be no complacency in our shared goal of replacement, reduction and refinement of the use of animals. At the same time, the welfare of animals has to be paramount.”

Animal research has played a key role in the development of virtually every medicine that we take for granted today. However, despite decades of dedicated research, many widespread and debilitating conditions are still untreatable. Medical research is a slow process with no easy answers, but animal research helps to take us incrementally closer to treatments for cancer, dementia, stroke and many other debilitating conditions.

Animal research at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge

As part of the ongoing commitment to greater openness about animal research, the ten universities which conduct the most animal procedures have publicised their figures today, revealing that they collectively conducted a third of all UK animal research in 2016. All ten universities appear in the QS World ̽��ֱ�� Ranking Top 100.

It is vital that we are completely open about our use of animals and that is why we are joining the UK’s other leading research universities in collectively releasing our statistics

Martin Vinnell

Understanding the OCD Brain part 2: Animal research at Cambridge

Mice

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For image use please see separate credits above.

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