The use of animals in research remains critical in providing us more understanding towards the causes of disease and development of new treatments.

Taking good care of our laboratory animals is important for welfare concerns, but also contribute to trustworthy data and replicable science.

Various factors including the environment, stress, and experimental designs all contribute to the generation of good science. Animal research is an essential part of the biomedical research process, and it is only ethical when we take the responsibility to ensure the experiments are up to scientific standards.

Common animal welfare concerns from post-approval monitoring

Environmental factors

Animal housing conditions can affect the well-being of animals, and the outcomes of research studies. When relocating animal cages, the change of environment may induce stress and anxiety to the animal and subsequent experiment results.

Stress from overstocking

Multiple studies have examined the effect of floor space size and animal welfare. Compromised welfare induces stress to animals, and poses significant impact on physiology. The C57BL/6 strain is particularly prone to the impact from overcrowded cages due to male mice aggression.

Tumours

Tumour size is a common humane endpoint for animal experiments. When the animal is approaching the tumour size limit, the animal will experience mobility restrictions, inability to access food or water and pressure to internal organs.