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Vol 23 No 3 December 2024ISSN 2752-3918Offi cial Journal of the Institute of Animal Technology and European Federation of Animal TechnologistsIAT JournalAnimal Technology and Welfare● Supporting the NIO – a NC3Rs survey●Can a rabbit-human habituation programme reduce stress and aggressive behaviour?●Losing our marbles ●Technician review body

NEW FOR OLDTRADE IN.SAVE MORE.STAY SUSTAINABLE.ARIACHANGE STATIONSPromotion ends 31 July 2025UPGRADE THE SMART WAY2025 PROMOTIONwww.tecniplast.it/uk | info@tecniplastuk.com | 0345 050 4556BIOSAFETY CABINETSAIR HANDLING UNITSAIR HANDLING UNITSTRADE IN.TRADE IN.NEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLD2025 PROMOTIONNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLDNEW FOR OLD2025 PROMOTION2025 PROMOTION2025 PROMOTIONUPGRADE THE SMART WAYUPGRADE THE SMART WAYUPGRADE THE SMART WAYUPGRADE THE SMART WAYUPGRADE THE SMART WAYSTAY SUSTAINABLE.TRADE IN.TRADE IN.UPGRADE THE SMART WAYUPGRADE THE SMART WAYUPGRADE THE SMART WAYUPGRADE THE SMART WAYUPGRADE THE SMART WAYUPGRADE THE SMART WAYUPGRADE THE SMART WAYBIOSAFETY CABINETSBIOSAFETY CABINETSBIOSAFETY CABINETSSTAY SUSTAINABLE.BIOSAFETY CABINETSSTAY SUSTAINABLE.BIOSAFETY CABINETSARIACHANGE STATIONSCHANGE STATIONSSAVE MORE.STAY SUSTAINABLE.SAVE MORE.TRADE IN.SAVE MORE.SAVE MORE.STAY SUSTAINABLE.STAY SUSTAINABLE.SAVE MORE.TRADE IN.SAVE MORE.CHANGE STATIONSCHANGE STATIONSSTAY SUSTAINABLE.STAY SUSTAINABLE.Promotion ends 31 July 2025 |www.tecniplast.it/uk www.tecniplast.it/uk www.tecniplast.it/uk info@tecniplastuk.com | 0345 050 4556

155ABSTRACT TRANSLATIONSTECH-2-TECH Symbiosis in the animal kingdom Connor NolanBusiness education programme in Laboratory Animal Science Emma OwenPOSTERSCan a rabbit-human habituation programme reduce stress and aggressive behaviour? Karla Esparza, Anaïs Leal, Benjamin Rabany, Edward Mardsen and Kévin DhondtOptimising selection of rodent genotyping assays – a 3Rs perspective Amber Coulthwaite and Miriam HopfeHamster enrichment and social housing Abbie Devine and Anna BoratynCairo spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) Richard MorrisonMaximising study plans – adopting the ARRIVE guidelines and including key experimental design information Stephen TurnockVol 23 No 3 December 2024Editorial Diane Hazlehurst, Chair of the Editorial BoardCreating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy Bentley Crudgington, Sally Robinson, Lucy Whitfi eld,Sharon Miller and Catherine WilkinsonSupporting the Named Information Offi cer: results from a survey by the NC3Rs Ellen FortyEditorialJas Barley, Chair of the Editorial BoardReport of the 2019 RSPCA/UFAW RodentWelfare Group meetingChloe Stevens, Emily Finnegan, Jasmine Clarkson,Charlotte Burns, Sonia Bains, Colin Gilbert,Caroline Chadwick, Samantha Izzard, Charlotte Inman,Penny Hawkins (Secretary) and Huw GolledgeReduction of the negative effects ofmethionine on bone parameters in broilers’embryos by intra-egg injection of Vitamin B12Mohammad Naser Nazem, Shima Tasharofi,Negin Amiri and Sepideh SabzekarThe care of the Childr en’s Python(Antaresia children)Alexander Hosking and Gary MartinicFeline-assisted therapy: a promising part of animal assisted therapy (AAT)Eliska Mičková and Krityna MachovaThe care of Central and Pygmy Bearded DragonsAlexander Hosking and Gary MartinicPAPER SUMMARY TRANSLATIONSFrench, German, Italian, SpanishLOOKING BACKPhysical hazards in the laboratory animal houseR.T. CharlesThe incidence of a pathogenic strain of pseudomonas in a rabbit colonyG.R. Alpen and K. MaerzTECH-2-TECHDevelopment of a sifting cage change method for rats to improve welfareSeonagh HendersonVol 1 9 No 2 A ugust 2020CONTENTSiAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 4/8/20 10:48 Page i183163160197176201205208211NEW FOR OLDTRADE IN.SAVE MORE.STAY SUSTAINABLE.ARIACHANGE STATIONSPromotion ends 31 July 2025UPGRADE THE SMART WAY2025 PROMOTIONwww.tecniplast.it/uk | info@tecniplastuk.com | 0345 050 4556BIOSAFETY CABINETSAIR HANDLING UNITS191195

156vOFFICERSPresidentDr Robin Lovell-Badge CBE FRSImmediate Past PresidentProfessor Sir Richard Gardner MA PhD FRSBFIAT (Hon) FRSVice-PresidentsSenga Allan MIAT RAnTech, David Anderson MRCVS,Stephen Barnett BA MSc FIAT (Hon) CBiol FRSBRAnTech, Miles Carroll PhD, Paul Flecknell MA Vet MBPhD DLAS DipLECVA MRCVS FIAT (Hon), PennyHawkins PhD BSc, Wendy Jarrett MA, Judy MacArthur-Clark CBE BVMS DLAS FRSB DVMS (h.c.) DipECLAMFRAgS DipACLAM MRCVS, Fiona McEwen BSc BVM&SMSc MRCVS, Tim Morris BVetMed PhD DipACLAMDipECLAM CBiol FRSB CertLAS MRCVS, Clive PageOBE PhD BSc, Jan-Bas Prins PhD MSc, Vicky RobinsonCBE BSc PhD, Paul Sanders MIAT RAnTech, DavidSpillane FIAT, Gail Thompson RLATG, RobertWeichbrod PhD RLATGLife MembersKen Applebee OBE FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech,Charlie Chambers MIAT RAnTech, Roger Francis MScFIAT RAnTech, Pete Gerson MSc FIAT RAnTech,Cathy Godfrey FIAT RAnTech, John Gregor y BSc (Hons)FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech, Patrick Hayes FIAT DipBARAnTech, Robert Kemp FIAT (Hon) RAnTech,Phil Ruddock MIAT RAnTech, Ted Wills FIAT (Hon)RAnTechHonorary MembersMark Gardiner MIAT RAnTech, Sarah Lane MSc FIAT,Sue McHugh BSc FIAT, Norman Mortell BA (Hons)MIAT RAnTech, Wendy Steel BSc (Hons) FIATMembers of CouncilMatthew Bilton, Kally Booth, Steven Cubitt,Simon Cumming, Haley Daniels, Glyn Fisher,Nicky Gent, Alan Graham, Linda Horan, Sam Jameson,Elaine Kirkum, Adele Kitching, Theresa Langford,Sylvie Mehigan, Steve Owen, Alan Palmer, AllanThornhill, John Waters, Lynda Westall, Carole Wilson,Adrian WoodhouseCouncil OfficersChair: Linda Horan BSc (Hons) MIAT RAnTechVice Chair: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechHonorary Secretary:Simon Cumming BSc FIAT RAnTechHonorary Treasurer: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechChair of Board of Educational Policy:Steven Cubitt MSc FIAT RAnTechChair Registration & Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechATW Editor: Jas Barley MSc FIAT RAnTechBulletin Editor: Carole Wilson BSc MIATATW/Bulletin Editorial Board:IAT REPRESENTATIVESAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 4/2/21 13:19 Page vvOFFICERSPresidentDr Robin Lovell-Badge CBE FRSImmediate Past PresidentProfessor Sir Richar d Gardner MA PhD FRSBFIAT (Hon) FRSVice-PresidentsSenga Allan MIAT RAnTech, David Anderson MRCVS,Stephen Barnett BA MSc FIAT (Hon) CBiol FRSBRAnTech, Miles Carroll PhD, Paul Flecknell MA Vet MBPhD DLAS DipLECVA MRCVS FIAT (Hon), PennyHawkins PhD BSc, Wendy Jarrett MA, Judy MacArthur-Clark CBE BVMS DLAS FRSB DVMS (h.c.) DipECLAMFRAgS DipACLAM MRCVS, Fiona McEwen BSc BVM&SMSc MRCVS, Tim Morris BVetMed PhD DipACLAMDipECLAM CBiol FRSB CertLAS MRCVS, Clive PageOBE PhD BSc, Jan-Bas Prins PhD MSc, Vicky RobinsonCBE BSc PhD, Paul Sanders MIAT RAnTech, DavidSpillane FIAT, Gail Thompson RLATG, RobertWeichbrod PhD RLATGLife MembersKen Applebee OBE FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech,Charlie Chambers MIAT RAnTech, Roger Francis MScFIAT RAnTech, Pete Gerson MSc FIAT RAnTech,Cathy Godfrey FIAT RAnTech, John Gregor y BSc (Hons)FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech, Patrick Hayes FIAT DipBARAnTech, Robert Kemp FIAT (Hon) RAnTech,Phil Ruddock MIAT RAnTech, Ted Wills FIAT (Hon)RAnTechHonorary MembersMark Gardiner MIAT RAnTech, Sarah Lane MSc FIAT,Sue McHugh BSc FIAT, Norman Mortell BA (Hons)MIAT RAnTech, Wendy Steel BSc (Hons) FIATMembers of CouncilMatthew Bilton, Kally Booth, Steven Cubitt,Simon Cumming, Haley Daniels, Glyn Fisher,Nicky Gent, Alan Graham, Linda Horan, Sam Jameson,Elaine Kirkum, Adele Kitching, Theresa Langford,Sylvie Mehigan, Steve Owen, Alan Palmer, AllanThornhill, John Waters, Lynda Westall, Carole Wilson,Adrian WoodhouseCouncil OfficersChair: Linda Horan BSc (Hons) MIAT RAnTechVice Chair: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechHonorary Secretary:Simon Cumming BSc FIAT RAnTechHonorary Treasurer: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechChair of Board of Educational Policy:Steven Cubitt MSc FIAT RAnTechChair Registration & Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechATW Editor: Jas Barley MSc FIAT RAnTechBulletin Editor: Carole Wilson BSc MIATATW/Bulletin Editorial Board:IAT REPRESENTATIVESAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 4/2/21 13:19 Page vTechnician review body Natalie Pettit and Alistar PearmanDoes the regular husbandry handling method affect response to a novel handler Tara McLaughlin, Ros Langston and Ngaire DennisonLong term ear and saphenous cannulation – to perform blood sampling over longer periods using the Seldinger technique Glynn Bailey, Tim Simpson and Joe SharpeWellbeing within AZ Animal Science and Technology UK Roz Mason and Karen BalchRefining intratracheal administration Jay O’Brien and Hannah EasterUsing social media as a tool to educate about animal research Stephanie NatarioLosing our marbles Megan Woodberry, Gary Fulcher, William Mines, Adolfo Valencia Garcia, Ria Taylor, Rosie-Jo Norris, Samuel Doughty and Claire PearceShifting shadows: navigating the challenges and benefits of reverse photoperiod rooms in rodent behavioural studies Oona Shah and Trinity Camacho Fostering excellence in STEM education – unlocking opportunities for outreach Tony Davidge Laboratory animal allergens – a BVS approach James Cameron Analgesia administration practices to support minimal handling Rosie Keenan, Amy Lynch, Sian Murphy, Eleni Amaniti, Tina O’Mahony, Olga Woolmer, Georgie Wilkinson and Arturo Fernandez POSTER PRESENTATIONSAssessing pain in models of Rheumatoid ArthritisSamuel Singleton, Meriam Nefla, Ngaire Dennison, Simon Arthur and Tim HalesRefinements to health monitoringHannah Jones and Rebecca KingBiosecurity risks and the pre-implantation embryo; lessons from the mouseJean Cozzi, Mendy Verrier and Jimmy MancipEnvironmental enrichment for a small colony of ratsNick Blackburn, Gemma Cronshaw and Mike MitchellOestr us checking – increasing productivity and embracing the 3RsSamantha Hoskins and Jack BrownUsing habituation to reduce str ess for rats being transported short distancesSarah TaylorShining a light on rearing pigmentless ZebrafishJacqueline Glover, Thom Berriman, Dimitra Mantzorou, William Havelange,Sam Berry and Bruno Correia da SilvaThe jacket with pulling power – a novel approach to early stage evaluationof magnetic nanoparticlesAlison Ritchie, James Dixon, Phil Clarke and Anna GrabowskaiiCONTENTSIndex to AdvertisersABPI ..................................................................x,xi LBS ..................................................................iiAS-ET ...............................................................OBC Somni Scientific ................................................ivDatesand Ltd......................................................IFC Special Diets Services .....................................viiiInstitute of Animal Technology ...............................vii Tecniplast UK Ltd .............................................xiiIPS Product Supplies Ltd.....................................IBCAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page ii215217219222213225229231235237239

157vOFFICERSPresidentDr Robin Lovell-Badge CBE FRSImmediate Past PresidentProfessor Sir Richar d Gardner MA PhD FRSBFIAT (Hon) FRSVice-PresidentsSenga Allan MIAT RAnTech, David Anderson MRCVS,Stephen Barnett BA MSc FIAT (Hon) CBiol FRSBRAnTech, Miles Carroll PhD, Paul Flecknell MA Vet MBPhD DLAS DipLECVA MRCVS FIAT (Hon), PennyHawkins PhD BSc, Wendy Jarrett MA, Judy MacArthur-Clark CBE BVMS DLAS FRSB DVMS (h.c.) DipECLAMFRAgS DipACLAM MRCVS, Fiona McEwen BSc BVM&SMSc MRCVS, Tim Morris BVetMed PhD DipACLAMDipECLAM CBiol FRSB CertLAS MRCVS, Clive PageOBE PhD BSc, Jan-Bas Prins PhD MSc, Vicky RobinsonCBE BSc PhD, Paul Sanders MIAT RAnTech, DavidSpillane FIAT, Gail Thompson RLATG, RobertWeichbrod PhD RLATGLife MembersKen Applebee OBE FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech,Charlie Chambers MIAT RAnTech, Roger Francis MScFIAT RAnTech, Pete Gerson MSc FIAT RAnTech,Cathy Godfrey FIAT RAnTech, John Gregor y BSc (Hons)FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech, Patrick Hayes FIAT DipBARAnTech, Robert Kemp FIAT (Hon) RAnTech,Phil Ruddock MIAT RAnTech, Ted Wills FIAT (Hon)RAnTechHonorary MembersMark Gardiner MIAT RAnTech, Sarah Lane MSc FIAT,Sue McHugh BSc FIAT, Norman Mortell BA (Hons)MIAT RAnTech, Wendy Steel BSc (Hons) FIATMembers of CouncilMatthew Bilton, Kally Booth, Steven Cubitt,Simon Cumming, Haley Daniels, Glyn Fisher,Nicky Gent, Alan Graham, Linda Horan, Sam Jameson,Elaine Kirkum, Adele Kitching, Theresa Langford,Sylvie Mehigan, Steve Owen, Alan Palmer, AllanThornhill, John Waters, Lynda Westall, Carole Wilson,Adrian WoodhouseCouncil OfficersChair: Linda Horan BSc (Hons) MIAT RAnTechVice Chair: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechHonorary Secretary:Simon Cumming BSc FIAT RAnTechHonorary Treasurer: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechChair of Board of Educational Policy:Steven Cubitt MSc FIAT RAnTechChair Registration & Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechATW Editor: Jas Barley MSc FIAT RAnTechBulletin Editor: Carole Wilson BSc MIATATW/Bulletin Editorial Board:IAT REPRESENTATIVESAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 4/2/21 13:19 Page vvOFFICERSPresidentDr Robin Lovell-Badge CBE FRSImmediate Past PresidentProfessor Sir Richar d Gardner MA PhD FRSBFIAT (Hon) FRSVice-PresidentsSenga Allan MIAT RAnTech, David Anderson MRCVS,Stephen Barnett BA MSc FIAT (Hon) CBiol FRSBRAnTech, Miles Carroll PhD, Paul Flecknell MA Vet MBPhD DLAS DipLECVA MRCVS FIAT (Hon), PennyHawkins PhD BSc, Wendy Jarrett MA, Judy MacArthur-Clark CBE BVMS DLAS FRSB DVMS (h.c.) DipECLAMFRAgS DipACLAM MRCVS, Fiona McEwen BSc BVM&SMSc MRCVS, Tim Morris BVetMed PhD DipACLAMDipECLAM CBiol FRSB CertLAS MRCVS, Clive PageOBE PhD BSc, Jan-Bas Prins PhD MSc, Vicky RobinsonCBE BSc PhD, Paul Sanders MIAT RAnTech, DavidSpillane FIAT, Gail Thompson RLATG, RobertWeichbrod PhD RLATGLife MembersKen Applebee OBE FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech,Charlie Chambers MIAT RAnTech, Roger Francis MScFIAT RAnTech, Pete Gerson MSc FIAT RAnTech,Cathy Godfrey FIAT RAnTech, John Gregor y BSc (Hons)FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech, Patrick Hayes FIAT DipBARAnTech, Robert Kemp FIAT (Hon) RAnTech,Phil Ruddock MIAT RAnTech, Ted Wills FIAT (Hon)RAnTechHonorary MembersMark Gardiner MIAT RAnTech, Sarah Lane MSc FIAT,Sue McHugh BSc FIAT, Norman Mortell BA (Hons)MIAT RAnTech, Wendy Steel BSc (Hons) FIATMembers of CouncilMatthew Bilton, Kally Booth, Steven Cubitt,Simon Cumming, Haley Daniels, Glyn Fisher,Nicky Gent, Alan Graham, Linda Horan, Sam Jameson,Elaine Kirkum, Adele Kitching, Theresa Langford,Sylvie Mehigan, Steve Owen, Alan Palmer, AllanThornhill, John Waters, Lynda Westall, Carole Wilson,Adrian WoodhouseCouncil OfficersChair: Linda Horan BSc (Hons) MIAT RAnTechVice Chair: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechHonorary Secretary:Simon Cumming BSc FIAT RAnTechHonorary Treasurer: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechChair of Board of Educational Policy:Steven Cubitt MSc FIAT RAnTechChair Registration & Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechATW Editor: Jas Barley MSc FIAT RAnTechBulletin Editor: Carole Wilson BSc MIATATW/Bulletin Editorial Board:IAT REPRESENTATIVESAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 4/2/21 13:19 Page vCouncil OfficersChair: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechVice Chair: Robin Labesse MIAT RAnTechHonorary Secretary: Haley Daniels MBA MSc CIPD RAnTechHonorary Treasurer: Sam Jameson MIAT RAnTechChair of Board of Educational Policy: Robin Labesse MIAT RAnTechChair Registration & Accreditation Board: Simon Cumming BSc FIAT RAnTech ATW Editor: Diane Hazlehurst MIAT RAnTechBulletin Editor: Carole Wilson BSc MIATATW/Bulletin Editorial Board: Diane Hazlehurst (Chair), Carole Wilson, Lynda Westall Branch Liaison Officer: Lynda Westall BSc FIAT RAnTech DMSEFAT Representatives:Glyn Fisher, Robin Labesse, Toby SandersWebsite Coordinator: Allan Thornhill FIAT RAnTechWebsite Support: Sam JamesonAnimal Welfare Group:Carmen Abela (Chair), Kally Booth, Diane Hazlehurst, Sylvie Mehigan, Carole WilsonBoard of Educational Policy:Robin Labesse (Chair), Adele Kitching (Secretary), Richard Berks, Diane Hazlehurst, Theresa Langford, Tina O’MahonyCommunications Group:Adrian Woodhouse (Chair) Carmen Abela, Kally Booth, Sam Jameson, Theresa Langford, Sylvie Mehigan, Toby Sanders, Allan Thornhill, Lynda WestallVice-PresidentsSenga Allan MIAT RAnTech, David Anderson MRCVS, Miles Carroll PhD, Penny Hawkins PhD BSc, Wendy Jarrett MA, Judy MacArthur-Clark CBE BVMS DLAS FRSB DVMS (h.c.) DipACLAM DipELAM CBiol FRSB CertLAS MRCVS, Fiona McEwen BSc BVMOS MSc MRCVS, Tim Morris BVetMed PhD DipACLAM DipECLAM CBiol FRSB CertLAS MRCVS, Clive Page OBE PhD BSc, Jan-Bas Prins PhD MSc, Sally Robinson MA PhD, Vicky Robinson CBE BSc PhD, David Spillane FIAT, Gail Thompson RLATG, Robert Weichbrod PhD RLATGLife MembersKen Applebee OBE FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech, Jas Barley MSc FIAT RAnTech, Charlie Chambers MIAT RAnTech, Roger Francis MSc FIAT RAnTech, Pete Gerson MSc FIAT RAnTech, Cathy Godfrey FIAT RAnTech, John Gregory BSc (Hons) FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech, Patrick Hayes FIAT DipBA RAnTech, Robert Kemp FIAT (Hon), Phil Ruddock MIAT RAnTech, Ted Wills FIAT (Hon) RAnTechHonorary MembersAndy Domone MIAT, Kate Heath FIAT RAnTech, Martin Heath MSc FRSB FIAT FIScT RAnTech, Stuart Mackrell FIAT RAnTech, Steve Owen FIAT RAnTech, Sarah Reed FIAT RAnTech, John Waters MIAT RAnTech, Pete Willan DMS FInstMgt MIAT RAnTech Members of CouncilCarmen Abela, Richard Berks, Kally Booth, Simon Cumming, Haley Daniels, Glyn Fisher, Alan Graham, Diane Hazlehurst, Linda Horan, Sam Jameson, Adele Kitching, Robin Labesse, Theresa Langford, Sylvie Mehigan, Tina O’Mahony, Emma Owen, Claire Pearce, Toby Sanders, Allan Thornhill, Lynda Westall, Carole Wilson, Adrian WoodhouseFront cover credit: Karen Boswell

158BRANCH SECRETARIES 2022Cambridge: Tony Davidge cambridgebranch@iat.org.ukEdinburgh: Kery-Anne Lavin-Thomson edinburghbranch@iat.org.ukHuntingdon, Suffolk & Norfolk: Jo Martin hssbranch@iat.org.ukIreland: Lisa Watson irelandbranch@iat.org.ukLondon: Rebecca Towns londonbranch@iat.org.ukMidlands: Ian Fielding midlandsbranch@iat.org.ukNorth East England: Zoe Smith and John Bland northeastbranch@iat.org.ukNorth West: Nicky Windows cheshirebranch@iat.org.ukOxford: Adam Truby oxfordbranch@iat.org.ukSurrey, Hampshire & Sussex: Francesca Whitmore shsbranch@iat.org.ukWest Middlesex: Josefine Woodley westmiddxbranch@iat.org.ukWales & West: Rhys Perry waleswestbranch@iat.org.ukWest of Scotland: Joanne King westscotlandbranch@iat.org.ukIAT OFFICERS M AY BECONTACTED VIA:IAT Administrator:admin@iat.org.ukOR VIA THE IAT WEBSITE AT :www.iat.org.ukOR THE REGISTERED OFFICE:5 South Parade, Summertown,Oxford OX2 7JLAdvertisement Managers:PRC Associates LtdEmail: mail@prcassoc.co.ukAlthough every effort is made to ensure that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appear in thejournal, the Institute of Animal Technology wish to expound that the data and opinions appearing in the articles,poster presentations and advertisements in ATW are the responsibility of the contributor and advertiser concerned.Accordingly the IAT, Editor and their agents, accept no liability whatsoever for the consequences of any suchinaccurate or misleading data, opinion, statement or advertisement being published. Furthermore the opinionsexpressed in the journal do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Institute of Animal Technology.© 2024 Institute of Animal TechnologyAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the publisher.CPD Officer: Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechRegistration and Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher (Chair), John Gregor y,Cathy Godfrey, Kathy Ryder (Home Office),Stuart StevensonObserver: Ngaire Dennison (LAVA)Congress Committee:Alan Graham (Chair), Haley Daniels, Adele Kitching,Allan Thornhill, John WatersDiversity Officer:Haley Daniels MBA MSc MIAT RAnTech CIPDUK Biosciences ASG Representative/Home Office:Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechviAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page viRegistration and Accreditation Board:Simon Cumming (Chair), Glyn Fisher (Secretary), Linda HoranCongress Committee:Alan Graham (Chair), Haley Daniels, Adele Kitching, Claire Pearce, Allan ThornhillEquity, Diversity and Inclusion Group:Haley Daniels (Chair) MBA MSc MIAT RAnTech CIPD, Simon Cumming, Linda Horan, Emma OwenIndex to AdvertisersBRANCH SECRETARIES 2022Cambridge: Tony Davidge cambridgebranch@iat.org.ukEdinburgh: Kery-Anne Lavin-Thomson edinburghbranch@iat.org.ukHuntingdon, Suffolk & Norfolk: Jo Martin hssbranch@iat.org.ukIreland: Lisa Watson irelandbranch@iat.org.ukLondon: Rebecca Towns londonbranch@iat.org.ukMidlands: Ian Fielding midlandsbranch@iat.org.ukNorth East England: Zoe Smith and John Bland northeastbranch@iat.org.ukNorth West: Nicky Windows cheshirebranch@iat.org.ukOxford: Adam Truby oxfordbranch@iat.org.ukSurrey, Hampshire & Sussex: Francesca Whitmore shsbranch@iat.org.ukWest Middlesex: Josefine Woodley westmiddxbranch@iat.org.ukWales & West: Rhys Perry waleswestbranch@iat.org.ukWest of Scotland: Joanne King westscotlandbranch@iat.org.ukIAT OFFICERS M AY BECONTACTED VIA:IAT Administrator:admin@iat.org.ukOR VIA THE IAT WEBSITE AT :www.iat.org.ukOR THE REGISTERED OFFICE:5 South Parade, Summertown,Oxford OX2 7JLAdvertisement Managers:PRC Associates LtdEmail: mail@prcassoc.co.ukAlthough every effort is made to ensure that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appear in thejournal, the Institute of Animal Technology wish to expound that the data and opinions appearing in the articles,poster presentations and advertisements in ATW are the responsibility of the contributor and advertiser concerned.Accordingly the IAT, Editor and their agents, accept no liability whatsoever for the consequences of any suchinaccurate or misleading data, opinion, statement or advertisement being published. Furthermore the opinionsexpressed in the journal do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Institute of Animal Technology.© 2024 Institute of Animal TechnologyAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the publisher.CPD Officer: Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechRegistration and Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher (Chair), John Gregor y,Cathy Godfrey, Kathy Ryder (Home Office),Stuart StevensonObserver: Ngaire Dennison (LAVA)Congress Committee:Alan Graham (Chair), Haley Daniels, Adele Kitching,Allan Thornhill, John WatersDiversity Officer:Haley Daniels MBA MSc MIAT RAnTech CIPDUK Biosciences ASG Representative/Home Office:Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechviAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page viBRANCH SECRETARIES 2024Berkshire and Wiltshire: Cheryl Yalden berkshirewiltshirebranch@iat.org.ukCambridge: Tony Davidge cambridgebranch@iat.org.ukEdinburgh: Kerry Lavin-Thomson edinburghbranch@iat.org.ukHuntingdon, Suffolk & Norfolk (HNS): Joanna Owen hssbranch@iat.org.ukIreland: Lisa Watson irelandbranch@iat.org.ukLondon: Louise Fisher londonbranch@iat.org.ukMidlands: Alison Richie midlandsbranch@iat.org.ukNorth East England: John Bland & Zoe Smith northeastbranch@iat.org.uk North West: Emma Owen cheshirebranch@iat.org.ukOxford: Adam Truby oxfordbranch@iat.org.ukSurrey, Hampshire & Sussex (SHS): Francesca Whitmore shsbranch@iat.org.ukWest Middlesex: Hannah Easter westmiddxbranch@iat.org.ukWest of Scotland: Nicola Munroe westscotlandbranch@iat.org.ukAvid plc ........................................................162Institute of Animal Technology ..........161, IBC, 0BCLBS Serving Biotechnology Ltd .......................159Tecniplast UK Ltd ............................................IFC

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160Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareEditorialJas BarleyChair of the Editorial BoardLooking back over issues of the Journal through its various identities, one thing is apparent and that is the contribution thatoverseas authors have made to the content. Topics have varied from dealing with exotic species, lack of sophisticated equipment,different attitudes to everyday problems, staff training and education and disease outbreaks. However, the resolute that has beenconstant throughout, despite the differences across the world, is the love and concern for the animals being cared for.Many include interesting photographs but I unfortunately am unable to use them as the quality of images is so poor whenrepr oduced, to the extent in some cases, they become worthless.Obviously, things have changed over seven decades and the technology described in contributions from overseas is less differentfrom what we use in the UK. This issue welcomes contributions from Australia, the Czech Republic and Iran as well, of coursefrom the UK. Since ATW became an Open Access publication and is being published electronically, it is enjoying a wider audienceand is attracting more contributions than usual. Not all are relevant to our profession, but knowledge is transferable so whatseems ‘off beat’ today may become useful in the future. However, as Editor I will always strive to maintain the quality of ourpublications and the usefulness to our readers.In this issue we include the RSPCA 2019 Rodent and Rabbit Welfare group meeting report. The 26th meeting that the RSPCA haveorganised focussed on ‘sentience, positive welfare and psychological well being’. The report contains contributions from 11presenters as well as notes on the interactive discussion session on sentience that closed the meeting.A paper from Iran, a first as far as I can see for the Jour nal, on reducing the negative effects of methionine on bone parametersin broilers’ embryos may seem of little relevance but it offers a better understanding of how methionine affects bone structurewhich is important to most species. Similarly, Feline Assisted Therapy as described by the team at the University of Life SciencesPrague does not appear to fall into the realms of Animal Technology but it gives us a better understanding of how animals can havea positive effect on some people, which in the current situation may be of significant benefit to a wider population. Our final paperfrom the team at Western Sydney University, details the care of the Children’ Python and two species of Bearded Dragons. Notperhaps the run of the mill laboratory animals but just as important to many Animal Technologists globally as mice and rats. If youkeep reptiles at home or know of someone who is contemplating one as a pet these papers make useful reference documents. Wealso offer two papers from previous issues of the Journal which were very different in appearance and content than today’s Journalof Animal Technology and Welfare and not only because of the change of title. Issues were printed in black and white and in the veryearly days were produced by hand. The paper from France on Physical Hazards in the laboratory animal house will bring back manymemories for some of the older technicians, myself included, but not necessarily good ones. The use of ether as an anaestheticwhich I know is still used in some countries where resources are limited, for human surgery, presented a very real danger to bothanimals and staff. Disease in laboratory animal units was often a recurring problem, bacterial infections such as Pseudomonas asdescribed in the reprint of the article were still presenting Animal Technologists with problems as late as the end of the 1980s. Whenimporting animals and tissues from overseas it is important to realise that they may be carrying disease not seen in the UK forseveral decades. In recent times, Ectromelia was introduced into a unit in the USA via antibodies produced overseas. Precautionsmust be taken until such time as you are sure that the animals and tissues are clear of any underlying infections.We are also able to offer in this issue an interesting Tech-2-Tech article by Seonagh Henderson of the University of Glasgow, ona novel technique of cage cleaning which has a positive effect on the welfare of laborator y rats. Finally, we included several postersprepared for AST2020 but sadly at the moment r emain unpresented.Thanks again to all of our authors, past and present, both internationally and here in the UK. There would not have been 70 yearsof the Journal without you. Here is to the next seven decades and beyond.THE INSTITUTE OF ANIMAL TECHNOLOGYETHICAL STATEMENT“In the conduct of their Professional duties, Animal Technologists have a moral and legalobligation, at all times, to promote and safeguard the welfare of animals in their care,recognising that good laboratory animal welfare is an essential component of goodlaboratory animal technology and science.The Institute recognises and supports the application of the principles of the 3Rs(Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) in all areas of animal research.”ixAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page ixWe always welcome new articles and posters which contribute to the promotion of improvements made for Animal Welfare and Technology from around the world as well as the UK. There is opportunity for the person who the journal’s editorial board feel has produced the outstanding article over the past 12 months to attend IAT Congress as the Majorie Whittingham (Sandiford) journal prize winner. The Tech-2-Tech paper which is deemed the best by the editorial board receives a prize from AS-ET too.When writing for the journal it is important to ensure that we have the original references cited and that they are still applicable before your work is forwarded onto me. It is also important to provide original photographs or to ensure that you have permission to include photographs of others, which must be referenced as well.This journal includes those who contributed to IAT Congress to publish their good work either as a poster, an informal Tech-2-Tech paper or a formal article. Here, we are continuing with part 2 of the posters from IAT Congress 2024 with the first poster being the scientific winning poster at the conference entitled ‘Can a rabbit-human habitation programme reduce stress and aggressive behaviour?’, which is how to reduce stress by the introduction of a handling programme from an early age. The final part 3 of the posters will be published in the April 2025 edition of the journal.In this edition we have included an article and a Tech-2-Tech which were written based on presentations from IAT Congress 2024 along with others that we were sent independently. One being around symbiosis and another regarding the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Process (AWERB) within a large organisation.Included in this journal are 15 posters with a range from:– animal welfare improvements– new refinements of the withdrawal of blood samples in pigs– administration of analgesics – the optimisation of rodent genotyping assays from a 3Rs perspective – handling animals – maintaining uncommon species such as the Cairo spiny mouse– health and safety – engaging with the public on the use of animals in a laboratory environment – the adoption of the ARRIVE guidelines in study plans– fostering excellence in STEM educationEditorialDiane HazlehurstChair of the Editorial Board Editor’s email: atweditor@iat.org.uk Animal Technology and Welfare December 2024

161August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareEditorialJas BarleyChair of the Editorial BoardLooking back over issues of the Journal through its various identities, one thing is apparent and that is the contribution thatoverseas authors have made to the content. Topics have varied from dealing with exotic species, lack of sophisticated equipment,different attitudes to everyday problems, staff training and education and disease outbreaks. However, the resolute that has beenconstant throughout, despite the differences across the world, is the love and concern for the animals being cared for.Many include interesting photographs but I unfortunately am unable to use them as the quality of images is so poor whenrepr oduced, to the extent in some cases, they become worthless.Obviously, things have changed over seven decades and the technology described in contributions from overseas is less differentfrom what we use in the UK. This issue welcomes contributions from Australia, the Czech Republic and Iran as well, of coursefrom the UK. Since ATW became an Open Access publication and is being published electronically, it is enjoying a wider audienceand is attracting more contributions than usual. Not all are relevant to our profession, but knowledge is transferable so whatseems ‘off beat’ today may become useful in the future. However, as Editor I will always strive to maintain the quality of ourpublications and the usefulness to our readers.In this issue we include the RSPCA 2019 Rodent and Rabbit Welfare group meeting report. The 26th meeting that the RSPCA haveorganised focussed on ‘sentience, positive welfare and psychological well being’. The report contains contributions from 11presenters as well as notes on the interactive discussion session on sentience that closed the meeting.A paper from Iran, a first as far as I can see for the Jour nal, on reducing the negative effects of methionine on bone parametersin broilers’ embryos may seem of little relevance but it offers a better understanding of how methionine affects bone structurewhich is important to most species. Similarly, Feline Assisted Therapy as described by the team at the University of Life SciencesPrague does not appear to fall into the realms of Animal Technology but it gives us a better understanding of how animals can havea positive effect on some people, which in the current situation may be of significant benefit to a wider population. Our final paperfrom the team at Western Sydney University, details the care of the Children’ Python and two species of Bearded Dragons. Notperhaps the run of the mill laboratory animals but just as important to many Animal Technologists globally as mice and rats. If youkeep reptiles at home or know of someone who is contemplating one as a pet these papers make useful reference documents. Wealso offer two papers from previous issues of the Journal which were very different in appearance and content than today’s Journalof Animal Technology and Welfare and not only because of the change of title. Issues were printed in black and white and in the veryearly days were produced by hand. The paper from France on Physical Hazards in the laboratory animal house will bring back manymemories for some of the older technicians, myself included, but not necessarily good ones. The use of ether as an anaestheticwhich I know is still used in some countries where resources are limited, for human surgery, presented a very real danger to bothanimals and staff. Disease in laboratory animal units was often a recurring problem, bacterial infections such as Pseudomonas asdescribed in the reprint of the article were still presenting Animal Technologists with problems as late as the end of the 1980s. Whenimporting animals and tissues from overseas it is important to realise that they may be carrying disease not seen in the UK forseveral decades. In recent times, Ectromelia was introduced into a unit in the USA via antibodies produced overseas. Precautionsmust be taken until such time as you are sure that the animals and tissues are clear of any underlying infections.We are also able to offer in this issue an interesting Tech-2-Tech article by Seonagh Henderson of the University of Glasgow, ona novel technique of cage cleaning which has a positive effect on the welfare of laborator y rats. Finally, we included several postersprepared for AST2020 but sadly at the moment remain unpresented.Thanks again to all of our authors, past and present, both internationally and here in the UK. There would not have been 70 yearsof the Journal without you. Here is to the next seven decades and beyond.THE INSTITUTE OF ANIMAL TECHNOLOGYETHICAL STATEMENT“In the conduct of their Professional duties, Animal Technologists have a moral and legalobligation, at all times, to promote and safeguard the welfare of animals in their care,recognising that good laboratory animal welfare is an essential component of goodlaboratory animal technology and science.The Institute recognises and supports the application of the principles of the 3Rs(Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) in all areas of animal research.”ixAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page ixEditorialIt is important that students are encouraged into laboratory animal research. One poster explains how this can be achieved by working in collaboration with colleges and animal facilities to provide students with a journey that can be turned into work experience opportunities.We care for laboratory animals and we also need to care for the technicians who care for the animals. In this edition we have a poster focussed on a bespoke wellbeing programme which was developed over 18 months to address the physical and mental wellbeing needs of those who work with the animals. This included work related stress, physical health, mental health and compassion fatigue. This discusses how their Culture of Care was improved by creating a survey followed by a series of actions to address this, including workshops.Remember that our journal can be used as sources of references for both your independent learning and your IAT educational journal and to gather the great ideas that people come up with to improve the Health and Welfare of the animals in our care.We are here to provide you with the opportunity to publish your work completely free of charge, as we are always looking for new material for ATW processing on Animal Welfare and the 3Rs. The assistance the ATW editorial board provides you with will turn your ideas and concepts into realities.Technicians and Vets: a partnership for animal welfareCALL FOR POSTERSCongress2025CONGRESS Invitation to Participate4th March – 7th Marchl take an active part in the UK’s leading annual meeting for our industryl submit a poster – final date Friday 31st January 2025*l consider giving an oral presentation of your poster as part of the main scientific programme, it could also be accepted within the first time presenter’s category – closing date Friday 29th November 2024*l send your ideas today on the Submission form available from www.iat.org.uk (*posters will not be accepted for display at Congress unless they have been properly submitted and approved by the Congress Committee)l two best posters will receive a prize based on the criteria: animal welfare / scientific contentl plus claim up to 10 CPD points – details given on acceptance of submissionContact: congress@iat.org.ukANNIVERSARY1950 � 2025

163August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareAbstractThis paper reports on our use of refl ective practice to analyse and map the evolution of our legacy Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) over 7 years. We identifi ed 6 interconnected principles that support underlying behaviours and present them in the form of a roadmap for AWERBs to deliver all their tasks as laid out in the United Kingdom (UK) Animal (Scientifi c Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). These principles are:1) Getting going – getting buy-in and building processesand mechanisms that support your values and task delivery.2) Identity and visibility – establishing your presence. 3) Speaking up and listening up – establishing dialogicalreciprocity and symmetrical value systems. 4) Diversity and inclusion – identifying and removing systemic barriers to participation. 5) Recognising and rewarding – to value all participation and investments. 6) Self-assessment – to identify what is working well andwhere improvements can be made. These combined principles promote the overarching outcome of continued improvement. In mapping these principles alongside the AWERB tasks we used a series of case studies to provide further contextualisation and insights and fi nished by outlining practical steps to help AWERB apply the 6 principles.IntroductionThese critical refl ections were collaboratively produced by a subset of AWERB and then reviewed by the whole AWERB at AstraZeneca with the aim to accurately and honestly describe the challenges and feelings of those involved in the AWERB initiatives and to share some of the practical outputs that helped us build a Culture of Care and Openness. Whilst we focus on the AWERB as a UK oversight body for animal research within organisations, we believe our learnings can also be applied to animal research oversight bodies outside of the UK.This paper briefl y outlines the current legal and ethical obligations of UK AWERBs, highlighting the challenges in meeting these requirements and the complexities involved in fostering a culture that manages interpersonal and inter-professional tensions arising from processes of change, improvement and development. We begin by describing the context of our AWERB and exploring what continual improvement looked and felt like for its members. This was followed by a people-centred chronological narrative that contextualised the practical steps taken to implement the 6 principles. Next, we present 3 case studies that offer deeper insights by refl ecting on pivotal moments of improvement and theirimpact on AWERB Culture and Care. Finally, we share additional thoughts on how these lessons can be appliedCreating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacyBENTLEY CRUDGINGTON1, SALLY ROBINSON2,3, LUCY WHITFIELD4, SHARON MILLER5,6and CATHERINE WILKINSON2,71 Institute of Medical Humanities, Durham University2 Formerly Animal Sciences and Technologies, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park3 Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Bristol 4 OWL Vets Ltd, Mildenhall, Suffolk5 Formerly Oncology TDE, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park6 Vaccine and Immune Therapies, Global Regulatory Affairs, AstraZeneca, Macclesfi eld7 Translational Oncology, Sygnature Discovery, Alderley ParkCorrespondence: sally.robinson@cruk.manchester.ac.uk

164Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020by any AWERB or ethical review body seeking to create and sustain a meaningful, collaborative and evolving Culture of Care.BackgroundAn AWERB is required by each animal breeding, supplying and user establishment under the United Kingdom (UK) Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.1 An AWERB functions to assess the likely benefits of the research involving animals, to minimise the harms caused to the animals used in the research and to improve public accountability via robust governance. AWERB tasks (Table 1) include promoting awareness of animal welfare and the 3Rs; acting as a forum for discussion to develop ethical advice for the establishment licence holder (ELH); supporting named persons and other staff dealing with animals, provision of appropriate training; and promoting a Culture of Care within the establishment and the wider community.2 Lay and external/independent members of AWERBs act as the voice of society in ethical discussions and decision making. The ELH is responsible for having an effective AWERB that delivers all its tasks (Table 1 below). The effective functioning of AWERBs is crucial for maintaining high ethical standards in animal research. However many AWERBs have been shown to struggle with delivering robust ethical analysis, with some members expressing that they do not do ethics.3 Many AWERBs tend to focus heavily on project licence reviews often at the expense of the other tasks outlined in Table 1. Contributing factors include limited time, resources and engagement. Particularly from scientists and senior leaders including the ELH.3As the critical oversight body, AWERBs should be able to provide evidence of their effectiveness across all their mandated tasks (Table 1). In 2021, the Home Office mandated significant changes to the operating model of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) to align with leading regulatory practices.4 These changes introduced a framework of audits and performance indicators5,6 likely increasing the emphasis on governance within establishments and AWERBs are a central and critical body for this.It is important to acknowledge that in the UK most animals used in scientific procedures are in academic research settings. A Wellcome Trust report highlighted several areas for improvement in research culture, such as mentoring, development, deterring bad behaviour, fostering an environment where individuals can speak up without fear of reprisal and sharing best practices.7 These factors could significantly impact the effectiveness of an AWERB, making the roadmap we developed particularly useful for AWERBs in large academic institutions.This paper is written from the perspective of a small AWERB within a large corporate entity. Unlike other groups that might be overwhelmed with numerous project licence applications, our AWERB had fewer licences to review, potentially allowing us more time to focus on other tasks. However the decision to actively and consistently pursue excellence across all AWERB tasks was deliberate. We aimed to define and deliver clear goals ensuring all tasks were addressed.Our AWERB operated as an open meeting, regularly attended by Animal Technicians and researchers who were not formal AWERB members. This inclusivity allowed for a rich diversity of perspectives and contributed to Description of TaskAdvise staff dealing with animals in the licensed establishment on matters related to the welfare of the animals in relation to their acquisition, accommodation, care and use (1).Advise on the application of the 3Rs and keep it informed of relevant technical and scientific developments (2).Establish and review management and operational processes for monitoring, reporting and follow-up in relation to the welfare of animals housed or used in the licensed establishment (3).Advise the establishment licence holder whether to support project proposals, primarily considering such proposals from a local perspective and bringing local knowledge and local expertise to bear (4).Follow the development and outcome (retrospective review) of projects carried out in the establishment, taking into account the effect on the animals used, to identify and advise on elements that could further contribute to the 3Rs (5).Assist with the retrospective assessment of relevant projects carried out at their establishment (6).Advise on re-homing schemes, including the appropriate socialisation of the animals to be re-homed (7).More generally, – promoting a Culture of Care, supporting named people, provide a forum for discussion, promoting awareness of Animal Welfare (8).Respond to enquiries and consider advice received from the Animals in Science Committee (9).Table 1. Tasks of an AWERB.Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy

165August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfarea more comprehensive oversight process. Additionally knowing that our facility was scheduled to close and research would move to a new location we were motivated to formalise our care practices and cultures. Our aim was to create a legacy that could benefit other establishments, especially those struggling, either openly or silently, with delivering all AWERB tasks.While many examples of what an AWERB should be exist, there is a scarcity of specific, critical accounts on how to achieve this. Recognising that care practices are contingent, embodied and emplaced, we used methodologies from creative facilitation and reflective practice to deconstruct and reconstruct how behaviours and processes had influenced each other. This approach allowed us to provide an account not just of our successes but also of the challenges we faced and how it felt to work towards a Culture of Care.The chronological narrative, case studies and 6 principles (Figure 2) presented in this paper aim to document our journey of continual improvement. We share not only our achievements but also our failures, lessons learned and what we might do differently in the future. This paper is therefore an honest reflection of hard work and our successes which were at times uneasily earned.This paper emerged from discussions within our AWERB about our legacy and how we could share good practices and promote a Culture of Care more widely. It introduces our 6 principles (pictured as a roadmap, Figure 2) as a strategic, reflective and evolving method for systematically reviewing and improving an AWERB to ensure all tasks are effectively delivered.Methodology This paper reports on the AWERB process through the lens of continual improvement. It is presented from the perspective of an independent member reflecting on their experience of questioning and reconstructing the evolution of an AWERB’s Culture of Care, knowledge production and potential areas for improvement.Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacyGetting GoingIdentity, visibility and buy-inSpeaking up and listening upDiversity and InclusionRecognising and rewarding and sharing successSelf AssessmentDevelop a terms of reference that ensures that there is a critical assessment of how each AWERB task will be delivered. Address any skills or resource gaps. Set annual AWERB goals921 4 6 7B CDevelop robust and varied (e.g. open, confidential, anonymous options) mechanisms for staff to raise concerns . Ensure these are visible (e.g. on prominent display in animal rooms) and easy to use and kept up to date1 3 5 6 9BCConsider the transparency of AWERB meetings and supporting a forum for ethical discussion through inclusion. Can the meetings be opened up, are there mechanisms for staff to input or feedback Consider staff feedback mechanisms and surveys3 4 5 6 8 9B CEnsure the processes and tasks are regularly reviewed and monitored. 2 3 5 678 9A B CAWERB ROADMAP for CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENTDevelop an identity and ensure visibility of the AWERB. For example define a specific purpose, design an identifying logo, develop a poster and/or or web page with who is who on the AWERB, co-produce a Culture of Care PledgeDevelop a Culture of Care vision or pledge including diversity of views such as animal care, technical, science, operations. Use the pledge to recognise good practice Ensure Culture of Care is always on the AWERB agendaDD1 2 3 6 9Figure 2. AWERB Roadmap.Case studiesA The logB The animal in the roomC EnrichmentD Needle re-useTASKS Advise staff dealing with animals in the licensed establishment on matters related to the welfare of the animals, in relation to their acquisition, accommodation, care and use. Advise on the application of the 3Rs, and keep the AWERB informed of relevant technical and scientific developments. Establish and review management and operational processes for monitoring, reporting and follow-up in relation to the welfare of animals housed or used in the licensed establishment. Follow the development and outcome (retrospective review) of projects carried out in the establishment, taking into account the effect on the animals used; and to identify and advise on elements that could further contribute to the 3Rs. Advise on re-homing schemes, including the appropriate socialisation of the animals to be re-homed. Advise the establishment licence holder whether to support project proposals, primarily considering such proposals from a local perspective and bringing to bear local knowledge and local expertise.  Assist with the retrospective assessment of relevant projects carried out at the establishment. Respond to enquiries, and consider advice received, from the Animals in Science Committee. Help promote a Culture of Care within the establishment, and as appropriate, the wider community.

166Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020During a dedicated AWERB meeting, 4 key topics emerged as pivotal moments in the AWERB’s development and cultural shift. These topics were used to create the case studies: • the log • the mouse in the room• enrichment• needle re-usewhich are outlined in this paper.The case studies based on real-life events rather than fictionalised scenarios were chosen to elicit rich, detailed and honest interview data within time constraints.8 The independent member designed a guided reflective practice template (Appendix 1) based on the focussed conversation method.9 This approach goes beyond mere fact-recollection allowing for emotional responses that capture the participatory experiences of the AWERB members. Two staff members completed the reflective exercise for each topic and these responses were then crafted into narrative case studies and reviewed and refined with input from the wider AWERB.In the following sections we chronologically describe the process of establishing AWERB and developing its principles, present the 4 case studies that reflect on the affect experience of pivotal developmental shifts and conclude with practical steps aligned with the 6 principles. Chronological narrative: Developing the AWERB as a process of continual improvementAn AWERB is a dynamic process and not just a body that comes together for meetings. To function effectively everyone involved needs to understand its purpose and how they can contribute. Since AWERBs are continually evolving it is essential to recognise that people’s perceptions of the AWERB can influence its operations.We consciously decided to reshape how our AWERB functioned and the experience of being part of it. This ongoing effort introduced new initiatives aimed at actively fostering, strengthening and embedding an inclusive culture rooted in respect. To achieve this we needed to co-create a strong identity, clear purpose and a shared sense of belonging. We describe our journey chronologically and with reflection identify the 6 interconnected principles that can deliver continual improvement. Getting goingTo assess how the AWERB could foster continual improvement, we conducted a systematic review of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Laboratory Animal Science Association (RSPCA/LASA) Guiding Principles on Good Practice for Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies.10 This resource offers advice and suggestions for AWERBs to effectively fulfil their tasks. The review formed part of an annual goal examining one chapter at each AWERB meeting. We assessed whether our AWERB met the recommendations outlined in the guidance and identified 3 initial priorities: reviewing and refreshing AWERB membership, creating a Culture of Care subgroup and conducting a structured internal assessment against the task of establishing and reviewing management and operational processes related to Animal Welfare.The Culture of Care subgroup developed a Culture of Care pledge reflecting the establishment’s aims and values. This significant piece of work required persistence and negotiation with research, lab, technical and care staff at all levels to reach a consensus. The final pledge was printed as an A0-sized poster signed by staff and placed at the entrance of the unit. This symbolically positioned the Culture of Care at the forefront of our work and helped keep these commitments visible. In additional the pledge became a central tenet to new AWERB staff induction to set out, embed and welcome people into the attitudes and behaviours we collectively sought to promote and uphold. The development of the pledge helped us in Getting Going but could equally have been developed under the principle of Diversity and Inclusion. Identity, visibility and buy-inAn early step was launching a competition to design a logo for our AWERB (Figure 1). Alongside this, we developed Figure 1. AWERB logo. Identity, visibility and buy-in An early step was launching a competition to design a logo for our AWERB (Figure 1). Alongside this, we developed posters that clearly outlined AWERB’s purpose and identified members in key roles. These posters, featuring the new logo, were displayed throughout the animal unit and research labs. This critical initial step helped establish a visual identity that both literally and metaphorically embedded the AWERB and its evolving Culture of Care within the establishment. It signified that a Culture of Care is a product of the people, place and environment where the work takes place. Figure 1: AWERB logo The increased visibility and identity of the AWERB prompted staff to reflect on its current purpose, priorities and their roles in shaping these aspects. This increased buy-Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy

167August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfareposters that clearly outlined AWERB’s purpose and identified members in key roles. These posters, featuring the new logo, were displayed throughout the animal unit and research labs. This critical initial step helped establish a visual identity that both literally and metaphorically embedded the AWERB and its evolving Culture of Care within the establishment. It signified that a Culture of Care is a product of the people, place and environment where the work takes place.The increased visibility and identity of the AWERB prompted staff to reflect on its current purpose, priorities and their roles in shaping these aspects. This increased buy-in led to discussions with some scientific staff expressing concerns that AWERB decisions regarding Animal Welfare often led to changing work practices that they felt lacked robustness and were not evidence-based. This tension between science and welfare is not unique. Decision-making should be evidence-based but conflicts often arise over what constitutes as evidence. To deepen scientists’ involvement and buy-in, we collaboratively defined the AWERB’s purpose. This led to our second and third actions: developing a clear purpose statement (Table 2) and reviewing the terms of reference which included defining the aims, objectives, roles and responsibilities of AWERB members.Alderley Park AWERB PurposeAlderley Park’s Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body provides an ongoing process for critical and ethical led evaluation of practical welfare procedures and scientific evidence to promote the application of all 3Rs; and a Culture of Care that underpins the delivery of our medicines.Table 2. Alderley Park AWERB purpose.Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacySpeaking up and listening upWe received feedback that some staff members were uncomfortable speaking up in AWERB meetings, particularly in open forums that included non-members. This meant valuable perspectives were being missed. To address this we introduced a confidential email inbox that was monitored by the AWERB chair, independent of the animal unit and research groups. The email address was shared at a meeting and advertised on posters around the unit which displayed the new logo and encouraged staff to use the mailbox for both recognising good work and concerns. We hoped this positive framing would establish this additional communication channel and bring more diverse information and opinions to our discussions.However the inbox was not widely used. While our goal was to foster a culture of honesty, openness and respect that would not necessitate such an inbox, its lack of use does not necessarily indicate success. Confidentiality is different from anonymity and staff may have had concerns about how the information shared would be used. While the inbox provided a mechanism for speaking up it may not have addressed fears of participating in a culture of blame or not being heard. To continue improving in this area we further developed the Culture of Care subgroup by nominating an AWERB point of contact, requested collated feedback from the technical team and scientists during our annual retrospective review and utilised anonymous surveys.Diversity and inclusionBeyond diversifying communication mechanisms, we also focussed on diversifying AWERB membership. Each AWERB is unique, shaped by the people involved, their experiences, expectations and the specific contexts in which they operate. How an AWERB works is dependent on who the AWERB consists of. Therefore it is crucial for the ELH to have a clear vision for AWERB membership and to be actively involved in appointments. Clear roles and expectations are essential for ensuring cohesive task delivery and the robustness of AWERB goals. Some of our AWERB members, particularly the external lay members, had held their positions for a long time, potentially becoming too familiar with the processes. This familiarity might have led to a lack of critical questioning which is vital for the AWERB’s effectiveness. The long-standing members understood the need for fresh perspectives and agreed to step down.We appointed an entirely new AWERB, clearly outlining each person’s role and expectations in their appointment letters. These appointments were made by the ELH in collaboration with the AWERB chair. The inclusion of new members, both internal and external, brought diverse perspectives that enriched discussions and enhanced the work of our meetings. In recruiting new members, we prioritised identifying independent and external candidates who operated outside of the local animal care and research teams. For example, some members were from other AstraZeneca research or manufacturing sites.We also recognised that AWERBs can act in a closed fashion and do not always have open and transparent ways of recruiting new members. For example appointments of members can be through personal invitation or through word of mouth often limiting who might contribute. To strengthen the breadth of our AWERB including attracting internal lay members we advertised for members using our internal communications channels across our Cheshire sites. We had over 25 applications from a variety of backgrounds and spoke to everyone who applied before deciding on who to appoint.

168Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Recruiting for external independent or lay members can be even more challenging, often considered an exposure and security risk. Currently there are no publicly available contacts, no sign-up sheets and no referral process for members of the public to express and interest in joining an AWERB.11 This relegates recruitment to private networks which risks only recruiting ‘like us’ candidates which can prevent lay and external members truly representing a society voice within AWERBs.AWERB membership was addressed under diversity and inclusion and later in our journey. As a process this might be something that should be addressed at the earliest stages possible or something that is revisited every couple of years as the AWERB evolves.Recognising, rewarding and sharing successAn AWERB has a role to review management and operational processes in relation to Animal Welfare at the establishment. This may involve discussing potential non-compliance or Standard Condition 18 reports in the meetings alongside the critique of project licences which may result in the tone of the meetings feeling negative. Reviewing events such as potential non-compliance are learning opportunities and this is positive but it is easy to overlook how most of the activities conducted in animal research go well and as planned (see case study The Log). To provide a positive balance in the meetings and to recognise the staff carrying out procedures and care of animals who carry the emotional burden of the work but are often overlooked, we developed an AWERB process to recognise small, bench-side or laboratory improvements that positively impacted Animal Welfare. Individuals who made these contributions were thanked by the ELH and AWERB chair, received a voucher and were acknowledged at the start of each AWERB meeting. We took the opportunity to share some of these improvements with our colleagues at other sites involved in oncology studies thus disseminating good practice. As an AWERB we also celebrated and shared our successes more widely through blogs and publications.12, 13, 14, 15, 16Self-assessmentTo formalise the evaluation and integration of our new initiatives and approaches, we developed a self-assessment process against the AWERB task of establishing and reviewing management and operational processes for monitoring, reporting and follow-up in relation to the welfare of animals housed or used in the licensed establishment.2 This structured internal self-assessment was conducted by the AWERB chair who formed a small team for this purpose. This assessment reviewed various operational processes as well as study and training documentation. The benefits extended beyond the review itself further raising the AWERB’s visibility and lending credibility to the identified areas for improvement. These included developing a structured training and competency program and strengthening record-keeping for personal licensees. Over the history of our AWERB self-assessment became a principle we used often. Self-assessment underpins continual improvement as an outcome. Self-assessment can be used for example to address membership gaps and competencies, AWERB member training, resources and support, AWERB working processes and one or all of the AWERB tasks. There are several resources available that can be used to support self-assessment of different AWERB tasks and processes.10,17,18, 19, 20,21,22 Whilst self- assessment may be challenging in terms of time and resource it provides many positive opportunities to widen participation in AWERB goals, to provide evidence to make a case for support/budget, to develop manageable goals and prioritise which activities to work on and to recognise and celebrate what is going well.All these actions significantly strengthened AWERB’s role within our establishment fostering a more inclusive and collaborative environment. By enhancing AWERB’s identity and visibility we increased staff engagement and buy-in, leading to more thoughtful and evidence-based decision-making. The diversification of membership brought fresh perspectives, enriching discussions and improving the depth of our evaluations. Improved communication mechanisms allowed for a broader range of voices to be heard, contributing to a culture of transparency and mutual respect. Ultimately these efforts led to more effective oversight and continual improvement in our Animal Welfare practices, reinforcing a shared commitment to ethical and responsible research. However these were often not easy to achieve and required careful iterative processes to establish and sustain. A defining factor in the shift from a focus on Animal Welfare to Culture of Care is the inclusion and consideration of the affective experiences, emotional labour and care for staff. These are often deliberately absent from the sanitised procedural accounts of change. We made a commitment to centre these in this review and are included in the following case studies, along with mistakes and failures to share a more honest account of the complexities of caring through change.Figure 2 presents the 6 interconnected principles in a diagram which might be described as a roadmap. The purpose of the 6 principles is to support continual improvement, which is an active and ongoing process, therefore the 6 principles are interconnected and represented in a circular way. Our report is written chronologically mapped to our experience, however an AWERB can begin their journey at any point or multiple points.Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy

169August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareCase studies The edited case studies preserve the original voices where possible. However the 4th case study concerning needle reuse is presented differently and reflects on the asymmetrical emotional impacts of ethical discussions and decision making. The learning from observations and events logWe aimed to create a transparent and systematic approach to recording, monitoring, and learning from events that had previously been handled on an ad hoc basis. Although formal and informal methods for discussing and responding to events already existed, we lacked a structured way to identify patterns that would formalise and action learning in a constructive manner.To address this we developed a learning from observations and events log. A standard operating procedure (SOP) document outlining the process for using the log was made mandatory reading for all staff and the initiative was shared at a cross-team staff meeting. Events were investigated, root causes identified and outcomes and learnings shared. The log review became a standing agenda item at AWERB meetings with a report circulated a week prior. Initially this report was shared only with AWERB members but following feedback it was distributed to the entire establishment.Log items were initially discussed at a dedicated meeting between the ELH, named roles, project licence holders and a facility specialist. The goal was to agree on what items required follow-up and who would be responsible. However these meetings could be lengthy and occasionally challenging. We observed that the learning forms were not always fully or appropriately completed making the compilation of AWERB reports difficult. The process began to feel burdensome. In addition, comments from researchers and the Animal Technicians like “I don’t like to put things on the log, it feels like I’m dobbing colleagues in” or “Oh no, it’s one for the log” became common. The meetings started to provoke unpleasant emotional reactions which could resurface during the AWERB report delivery. What was intended to improve the Culture of Care was in fact having the opposite effect.To address these challenges we streamlined the process by replacing the forms with a summary added directly into the log. This summary was reviewed by the ELH and the Named Information Officer (NIO), reducing the demand on other people’s time. The new log summary allowed us to focus on key points and use positive language to capture learnings and positive changes. This adjustment helped alleviate some of the emotional burdens associated with the log process.The log began receiving recognition from those not directly involved in its production. It even won a Culture of Care Award from the AstraZeneca Council for Science and Animal Welfare (CSAW). While these accolades helped to validate the log’s aims and potential it became clear that its impact varied depending on an individual’s role within the Culture of Care. Power hierarchies and the complexity of critiquing care without highlighting individual shortcomings presented challenges. We sought to address this by shifting to a human and organisational performance (HOP) system of analysis and reporting.23 This focussed on how events occurred and the new learnings they produced rather than treating each event in isolation.Around this time a new external AWERB member asked if we had used the log to identify patterns over a longer timescale. With the data and mechanism now in place we discovered that some events occurred more frequently during our busiest time of the year. This insight prompted us to reconsider working patterns and resourcing. We also calculated the percentage of adverse events over a year and found them to be below the threshold expected from human error. We used this information to illustrate to our teams that most work was being done to a high standard and undesired events were rare.16 This helped build confidence in the log, and it became widely accepted as a positive tool. AWERB members even suggested implementing the initiative in other work areas.Reflecting on the log process we now recognise that the size of our establishment meant that despite our efforts to avoid blame and not use individuals’ names that individuals may have differently received the process. For such a system to succeed everyone must buy into the concept of collective learning rather than blame. This requires using appropriate language and providing sufficient time to establish and reinforce the idea that the aim is to identify what is at fault rather than who is at fault. Building a culture of collective learning takes time and must be a flexible, responsive and iterative process.We fully recommend that other AWERBs implement such a system at their establishments. However it is crucial to remember that blame can take different forms:• from managers • self-blame• cross-team blameand that all forms are unproductive. For example retraining an individual after an undesired outcome can be a form of blame though it is often not recognised as such. Instead we advocate identifying patterns that reveal what is at fault, not who, using HOP principles with the aim of improving working practices and welfare conditions for all.23Our experiences in establishing a learning culture and using HOP have now been published.16 Additionally our Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy

170Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020work has been used to develop a global learning log process across AstraZeneca’s animal facilities.This case study shows the importance of attending to the emotional landscape and pre-conceptions that new initiatives can reveal. By acknowledging and responding to staff concerns about blame cultures and transitioning to a HOP approach we shifted the focus to improving the material and emotional conditions for staff rather than staff feeling like they were pressured to improve. This improved efficiency, reduced emotional burdens and led to valuable insights on work patterns. The log now widely recognised and awarded has fostered a positive culture of collective learning and informed global practices across AstraZeneca’s facilities.The mouse in the roomOne effective way we found to bridge the gap between inside the unit and the AWERB meeting was by including photographs and videos of the animals being discussed. This approach aimed to bring more understanding and awareness to the issues at hand, especially for those who were unfamiliar with the animal facility or who did not routinely see animals used in research.Project licences and protocols often referred to animals generically but in our unit only mice were used. This generic language depersonalises the individual animal experience much like a report stating that the population was displaced, without addressing the impact on individual families. However when we introduced photos and videos they brought the living mouse directly in front of those who were deciding their future (or that of their conspecifics). These visuals transformed non-identifiable animals into real mice with whom we could identify and empathise. This was like the identifiable victim effect in humans, where seeing a specific person in need motivates us to act.24,25 The discussion about mice became much more tangible when they were seen rather than discussed in abstract terms. As an AWERB we aimed to include representations of the mouse in each meeting.In AWERB, conversations could be challenging as participants came from diverse backgrounds and had different experiences often leading to varying vocabularies. Medical, clinical, or procedural terminology could sometimes be problematic and confusing. Discussions sometimes faltered over the naming of a skin ulcer (hole, scab, wet lesion, etc.) which reduced clarity around the issue and distracted from discussing the effect on the mouse rather than the semantics.We found the images enriched our discussions and deepened our understanding of what was at stake. These visuals not only contextualised the impact of procedures or events on the mouse but also allowed those not in the unit to share in the experiences of the staff. This approach fostered a supportive culture and helped to alleviate the emotional burden on staff responsible for conducting procedures on the mice.We included photos for 3Rs competitions, as well as images of clinical and study-related conditions. These visuals ranged from positive examples such as a wound healing after tissue glue application to more challenging ones like bite wounds or tumours. Gradually we introduced video footage, including a video walk-through of the unit presented by an external student, footage of mice with hindlimb lameness and videos of mice using raised tunnels for play and resting. These helped normalise the idea that images were part of the narrative. As our lay member aptly put it, “It is helpful to really see what you are talking about!”.Initially the inclusion of visuals elicited some uncomfortable and nervous emotional responses. For some they made the issues at the heart of the AWERB too real, with one scientist member expressing that it makes it too emotional. These reactions were expected and importantly respected too. However as the positive aspects of this approach became evident, with fuller discussions, deeper understanding and a sense of being fully informed, these initial reservations began to ease. The unwavering support of the AWERB chair and ELH as well as the willingness of the Animal Technicians to share their experiences further facilitated this transition. This practice empowered the Animal Technicians, Named Animal Care and Welfare Officers (NACWOs), and Named Veterinary Surgeons (NVSs) to contribute meaningfully to the meeting, showing everyone what they saw and fostering knowledgeable discussions.The impact of COVID-19 reshaped AWERB practices in 2021 making video links the norm for both facility visits and meetings. With physical access to the unit significantly reduced we experienced first-hand the importance of bringing the mice to the AWERB members.These pictures were not intended to direct blame or heighten risks for the facility but to show the reality of the mice housed and studied there. Images also helped standardise and discuss adverse effects and humane endpoints across similar studies at different facilities, such as our AstraZeneca sites, ultimately resulting in better care for mice and more robust scientific outcomes.We reflected that many other AWERBs did not currently include animal pictures in their meetings and might have been missing out on valuable insights. We agreed that this was a practice that should be celebrated and shared. It was okay to bring photos into AWERB meetings and it was not something to be afraid of.This case study highlights how that without careful attention and active resistance AWERB discussions can Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy

171August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfareshrink into the hypothetical and become untethered from the material conditions and emotional realities of frontline work. We found that including photographs and videos of mice in AWERB meetings bridged the gap between those working directly with animals and those making decisions about their use in research. These visuals made discussions more tangible, fostering empathy and deeper understanding while helping to overcome challenges related to technical jargon. Although some initial discomfort arose from making the issues too real, the practice ultimately led to fuller more informed discussions. The approach supported staff, standardised care across facilities and emphasised the importance of visual representation in ethical decision-making processes and highlighted the urgent need for more AWERBS to reintroduce the reality of animals into their discussions.Enrichment One of our key priorities as an AWERB was to review our enrichment provision for mice. Enrichment is a well-established practice that enhances Animal Welfare by improving the living environments of mice by catering to their social, mental and behavioural needs.26, 27, 28 This necessity is widely accepted and we initially assumed it was a universally supported practice. However our review revealed a more complex reality.Some staff expressed concerns that the amount of enrichment in the cages hindered their ability to observe the mice effectively. As one personal licence holder noted that “There is so much enrichment that it gets in the way of doing the job. With so much of it, you cannot see if there is a welfare concern with a mouse”. Another remarked, “I love the enrichment, but with only a small cage, there’s only so much I can fit in”. In contrast, other staff members felt that these concerns could be mitigated with careful attention from technicians. This divergence in perspectives led to some tension within the unit, highlighting the challenge of balancing optimal enrichment for the mice with the practicalities of working with individually ventilated cages (IVCs) daily.During our AWERB discussions, the raised tunnel at the front of the cage emerged as a particularly contentious form of enrichment as it significantly reduced visibility. Some staff members were so concerned about this that they refused to use it believing it posed a direct threat to both the mice’s welfare and their own ability to monitor the mice which they found distressing. They felt that the potential harm outweighed the benefits the tunnel might offer. Conversely, others were upset that such enrichment which the mice clearly enjoyed and benefited from was not being utilised.The AWERB acknowledged that over the years numerous enrichment items had been added to the cages with little removal and no strategic review. We saw this as an opportunity to gather feedback from those directly working with the mice and the enrichment to identify concerns and address them effectively.To begin, we distributed a unit-wide anonymous questionnaire, which received a high response rate and provided candid insights. While many team members felt the enrichment met the fundamental needs of the mice, they also identified practical challenges. However the questionnaire alone could not determine the best course of action. As a result, we initiated a more in-depth review, involving a cross-section of staff across the unit.For example we conducted a trial comparing the use of the raised tunnel versus the swing, across different mouse strains. The trial revealed that mice used the raised tunnel far more than the swing and it also served as shelter.This information coupled with the collective review led to several changes in our enrichment practices. We opted to use houses with less height and introduced rotating enrichment to enhance visibility in the cages while still providing necessary social, mental and physical stimulation.Ultimately despite the initial controversy, the decision was made to retain the raised tunnel even though it reduced visibility. However because the review process was transparent, inclusive and collaborative, all staff members accepted the outcome.Implementing new refinements even in an open culture can be challenging. Their acceptance is closely linked to the care and practicality of those involved. Individuals may feel that new practices are time-consuming, impractical or even pose risks to welfare by disrupting established routines. They may also fear being judged, or judging themselves on their level of care for the animals compared to their care for themselves and their colleagues.In this case it took an anonymous survey to break down barriers to voicing such concerns, addressing issues like the amount of enrichment, the difficulties it posed and the fear of being judged for possibly caring less than others. The purpose of an AWERB is to make and bring to bear ethical and value judgments. However it is essential to not make assumptions on behalf of everyone and have a critical awareness on who might accidentally be included in and felt judged by the application of broad unchallenged assumptions of what is good and what is bad. This case study exemplifies what an AWERB can achieve when it works collectively in open, honest and judgment-free ways. This process highlights the impor tance of open, inclusive dialogue and demonstrated how collective efforts can address complex issues in Animal Welfare.Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy

172Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Needle Re-use Two AWERB members, who actively participated in the often difficult AWERB deliberations on this topic by sharing their informed and impassioned perspectives from different sides of the harm benefit line, were asked to complete a reflective practice together. Although needle reuse was a highly controversial issue for the AWERB, the staff members involved found it difficult to revisit this topic feeling that it had been thoroughly addressed. Needle reuse at this site has been covered extensively in NC3Rs blog posts12, 13, 14 and a recent CRACK-IT Challenge15. Therefore they declined to have their reflective practice published in this paper. The reflective practice was designed to recall both objective and reflective responses and encourage empathy towards others’ subjective experiences of a past situation or process. It can be confronting to acknowledge how your actions unintentionally impacted someone else. This learning is important as while it is essential for an AWERB to make ethical judgements, they should be without judging and alienating those involved in the process.Abstraction is a process of replacing objective facts and nuances from a situation with more generic statements that summarises actions taken. This can erase the structural, operational and cultural forces that shaped how a person acted. Essentialism is a noticeable shift from questioning the reasons for someone’s actions and behaviour to criticising the person themselves. This uncritical and invasive thinking can lead people to believe that a person made unethical choices because they are an unethical person. While the tasks of an AWERB are clear, they, along with the growing literature do not explain how to achieve them. The primary purpose of the AWERB is to assist the ELH to make decisions relating to Animal Welfare. However the methods by which AWERBs make and implement such decisions has not been theorised or formalised. The culture a decision happens in will shape that decision. It is therefore vital that AWERBs are attentive to and resist behaviours that make others feel judged rather than supported and understood.DiscussionWe hope that the 6 principles and case studies derived from personal reflections will assist others in developing, expanding and maintaining their AWERBs. By detailing our processes and candidly addressing the challenges we faced, we aim to share our learning and offer practical insights to enhance the work of everyone involved in and beyond an AWERB.Our experience has shown that the effectiveness of an AWERB is closely tied to its identity, including its behaviours and purpose. Defining this identity enhances the AWERB’s visibility and credibility within the establishment, encourages buy-in from current members, and aids in recruiting new ones. We have found that designing elements such as a logo, terms of reference and feedback mechanisms, both formal and informal can extend the AWERB’s reach and integrate it into everyday practices. This approach allows the AWERB to support good practices continuously rather than only during formal meetings.While our small size might suggest a reduced administrative burden, we chose to dedicate resources, time and energy to rigorous ethical discussions around Animal Welfare. This decision was made to ensure that our processes are equitable and considerate of all involved. Our meetings were open to all staff within the establishment and while this inclusivity sometimes complicated meeting management, it provided valuable diversity of opinion and fostered a sense of inclusion. Despite occasional challenges we believe the benefits of incorporating diverse perspectives outweigh the difficulties in managing these discussions.Labels and concepts evolve over time. New terminology should reflect changes in systems and processes that aim to embed new behaviours, values and priorities. However it is easy to adopt new labels without implementing the underlying changes required. Terms like Culture of Care and forum for discussion should not merely serve as rebranding exercises. They should signify genuine shifts in practices. For instance by simply renaming AWERBs to BEWAREs (Bodies Examining Welfare and Animal Research Ethics) would not necessarily result in meaningful changes in operation. The real focus should be on how these concepts are enacted and maintained.The AWERB functions not only as a forum for discussion but also as a forum of witnessing. In our open AWERB, where anyone from the facility could attend, our discussions were witnessed by a diverse audience. This transparency allowed participants to see whose opinions and expertise were valued. Effective dialogue requires not just speaking up but also listening and acting on feedback. Our examples illustrate how incorporating broader input can enrich ethical reviews and enhance decision-making.Getting started is different from sustaining momentum. A critical examination of the AWERB infrastructure allows it to address ethical issues through collective, evidence-based decision-making that considers the emotional and professional complexities of all involved. Reporting systems can often be seen as punitive; however our case study, The Log, highlights the importance of fostering behaviours that support their use. Properly embedded, these tools contribute to a learning culture rather than a blame culture.Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy

173August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareOur enrichment case study underscores the value of confidential, anonymous, peer and group feedback in navigating complex ethical issues. By diversifying contributors and perspectives we can better address challenges such as enrichment practices which despite being recognised as good practice can still present complex ethical dilemmas. Openness and transparency in decision-making help staff accept and engage with new recommendations, as they feel part of and able to influence the processes.In sharing our Animal in the Room story, we demonstrate how including images and videos of animals can facilitate richer ethical discussions. Representing the animals in discussions helps address everyday practices that might otherwise remain invisible.It is crucial to remember that an AWERB should be active beyond its formal meetings. Feedback mechanisms from staff, the facility and the broader establishment are valuable for recognising achievements, such as through AWERB recognition awards and identifying cultural influences that may not be captured by dedicated feedback systems. These interactions emphasise that the AWERB is a dynamic process involving multiple systems, all of which must be considered when refining and reviewing practices.In reflecting on our experiences and insights it becomes clear that effective AWERB practices require continuous adaptation and thoughtful engagement with diverse perspectives. In summary, fostering a robust and dynamic AWERB involves not only defining its identity and purpose but also actively engaging with and integrating diverse viewpoints. By embedding ethical considerations into everyday practices and maintaining transparency, AWERBs can enhance their impact and effectiveness, ensuring a Culture of Care that genuinely reflects their core values. ConclusionBreeding, supplying and user establishments all require an AWERB, which provides formal and legal recognition that their work requires ethical review. As research and societal contexts evolve, an AWERB must be committed to continuous improvement and adaptation to address current and emerging ethical challenges. The 6 principles we outline for the continual improvement of AWERBs serve as a legacy for shared learning, with the hope that the wider community will find valuable, can build upon and enhance over time.A summary of practical steps follows. These are derived from the 6 principles and case studies presented. As these principles are interlinked we present practical steps without attaching them to a principle.– Identify skills, resource gaps and ensure diverse perspectives are represented. Review membership regularly and refresh long standing members to bring new perspectives. – Formally issue membership invitation which clearly outlines expectations, time commitments and terms of appointment. – Develop and document AWERB’s purpose and terms of reference.– Advertise for lay members within the establishment to bring in new perspectives as the AWERB and its role can lack visibility especially in large establishments.– Implement mechanisms for anonymously raising concerns and invite feedback from scientists and technicians through retrospective reviews or ad hoc meetings. Open feedback can be solicitated or can be facilitated through a structured open survey. The feedback from a breadth of perspectives can identify blind spots.– Consider opening AWERB meetings to non-members to broaden participation.– Increase visibility for example through an AWERB logo, poster, internal website presence with membership details and newsletters. – Use self-assessment to identify what is working well and improvement areas. Recognising that there should be a continual process of improvement the self-assessment results can help identify priorities and to set annual goals in a manner that is realistic for the establishment. Self-assessment can be conducted against any of the tasks and there are several useful resources to assist with this. These assessments can also serve to identify gaps in membership and ways of working. The outcomes can be used to celebrate what is going well and provide evidence for additional resources and support.– Develop a vision (such as a pledge) and activities centred on a Culture of Care. The vision should encompass care towards staff as well as animals, recognising the emotional burden of animal research.– Use images of animals in procedures to enrich AWERB discussions and to assist in understanding and consistency. – Create a collective learning culture that follows up on events (for example through a learning log) where the focus is on improving processes and systems and addressing what is at fault thus avoiding blame.– Establish a recognition process and celebrate successes. These positive activities can help ensure the AWERB tone is balanced. – Share successes widely including through external communications (e.g. blogs and publications).Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy

174Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020The work of an AWERB is challenging but should always be carried out with care and dedication. While we are proud of our progress, we recognise that there is always more work to be done. This paper aims to outline the structures and processes that support positive engagement and an effective AWERB.AcknowledgementsThe authors acknowledge the Alderley Park AWERB members and Renelle McGlacken for their review and contributions to this manuscript.Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this report.FundingThe author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this report.Research data availability statementThe authors declare there is no primary data associated with this publication.Appendix 1: Guided reflective practice templateWe aim to create a legacy by collectively writing case studies based on some key issues and initiatives linked to our AWERB. The goal is to publish these so that others can learn not just from what we did but how we tried to do it, how long that took and if we think we succeeded. Below is a structure and some prompts to aid reflection. These should only be seen as a guide, some may be useful and others not, you do not need to answer them all. The responses should be yours, we are trying to capture different voices and experiences of participating, not a generalised account. We want to include both objective and subjective experiences to help show the complexity of conducting an ethical review and embodying a Culture of Care. IntentWhat issue were we trying to solve?Where did the need/issue arise from?Observational (objective facts)What happened?What happened first, and then, and then?What words, lines, or phrases do you remember?Reflective (what did you experience – feel)What feelings did you have? What feelings/emotions did you notice in others?Did the discussion go beyond your comfort zone?Interpretive (what are the implications)What is the significance of the outcome?When did it start to fall into place?When did it start to fall apart?When did you start to see it differently?Decisional (Action and resolutions)What is left unfinished?What does it suggest we need to change?What would you do differently?Who needs to hear about this and why?References1 Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/14/contents accessed 1 October 2024.2 Home Office. Guidance on the Operation of Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, Chapter 10 (2014).3 RSPCA Issues with AWERB. Accessed 28 October 2024.https://science.rspca.org.uk/sciencegroup/ researchanimals/ethicalreview/uk/issues4 Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Reports 2019-2021 (originally published 2022, revised 2024). Sections 2 and 3. Accessed 28 October 2024. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/ 6628f6d43b0122a378a7e596/6.8698_HO_Scientific_Procedures_ARA2019-21_REVISED_FINAL _v6a_WEB.pdf5 Home Office: Full System Audit Process Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) 2021, Accessed 28 October 2024. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1023690/210920_ASRU_Full_Systems_Audit_Process.pdfCreating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy

175August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfare6 Evidence for assessment of compliance against ASPA and licence conditions. Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) (2021). https://assets. publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/ system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1023692/ 210920_Evidence_for_assessment_of_compliance_against_ASPA_and_licence_conditions.pdf Accessed 28 October 2024.7 Wellcome Report (2020). What Researchers Think About the Culture They Work in https://wellcome.org/ sites/default/files/what-researchers-think-about-the-culture-they-work-in.pdf Accessed 28 October 2024.8 Sampson, H., Johannessen, I.A. Turning on the tap: the benefits of using ‘real-life’ vignettes in qualitative research interviews. Qualitative Research. 2020; 20 (1): 56-72. doi:10.1177/1468794118816618). Accessed 1 October 2024.9 Stanfield, R.B. (2000). The art of focused conversation: 100 ways to access group wisdom in the workplace. Gabriola Island, B.C., New Society Publishers.)10 RSPCA and LASA, 2015. Guiding Principles on Good Practice for Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies. A report by the RSPCA Research Animals Department and LASA Education, Training and Ethics Section. (M. Jennings ed.) AWERB_Guiding_Principles_2015_final. pdf Accessed 1 October 2023.11 Crudgington, B., Scott, N., Thorpe, J., and Fleming, A. (2024). Building participation through fictional worlds. In Researching animal research, Manchester, England: Manchester University Press. Available from: <https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526 165770.00026 [doi.org]> Accessed 14 October 2024.12 Whitfield, L. and Robinson, S. Reuse of needles is this an indicator of a culture of care. (2017). Accessed 1 October 2024. https://nc3rs.org.uk/news/reuse- needles-indicator-culture-care 13 Robinson, S. Single use of needles: putting refinement into practice. (2019). https://nc3rs.org.uk/news/single- use-needles-putting-refinement-practice Accessed 1 October 2024.14 Robinson, S. Single use of needles: how AWERBs can support refinement in practice. (2021) Accessed 1 October 2024. https://nc3rs.org.uk/news/single- use-needles-how-awerbs-can-support-refinements-practice15 NC3Rs Innovation Platform. Challenge 34 Sharp and to the Point. https://nc3rs.org.uk/crackit/sharp-and-point Accessed 1 October 2024.16 Robinson, S., White, W., Wilkes, J. and Wilkinson, C. Improving culture of care through maximising learning from observations and events: Addressing what is at fault (2022). Laboratory Animals. 56, 135- 146. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/ 0023677221103717717 Rawle, F. The role of review and regulatory approvals processes for animal research in supporting implementation of the 3Rs (2023). https://nc3rs.org.uk/news/new-report-3rs-animal-research Accessed 1 October 2024.Creating an effective, inclusive and open Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body: learning and legacy18 Robinson, S. et al., Robinson et al. The European Federation of the Pharmaceutical Industry and Associations’ Research and Animal Welfare Group: Assessing and benchmarking ‘Culture of Care’ in the context of using animals for scientific purpose (2020). Laboratory Animals 54, 421-432. https://doi.org/10.1177/002367721988799819 Hawkins, P. and Bertelsen, T. 3Rs-Related and Objective Indicators to Help Assess the Culture of Care (2019). Animals, 9, 969. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ ani911096920 RSPCA Delivering effective ethical review. The AWERB as a forum for discussion. https://science.rspca.org.uk/documents/1494935/9042554/AWERB+forum+for+discussion+booklet.pdf/ 36fdb4db-8819-cbd3-89ec-c9a7e67bf07c? t=1583938525299 Accessed 28 October 2024.21 NC3Rs 3Rs Self-Assessment Tools. https://nc3rs.org.uk/3rs-resource-library/3rs-SAT Accessed 28 October 202422 Robinson, S. and Kerton, A. (2021). Contributing to your Culture of Care. Animal Technology and Welfare 20, 211-214.23 Conklin, T. The 5 Principles of Human Performance: A contemporary update of the building blocks of human performance for the new view of safety. Independently Published. New Mexico, 2019.24 Why are we more likely to offer help to a specific individual than a vague group? https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/identifiable-victim-effect Accessed 1 November 2024.25 Moorlock, G. and Draper, H. ‘Empathy, social media and directed altruistic living organ donation’ (2018). 32 Bioethics 289-297.26 RSPCA How can I use environmental enrichment to provide opportunities for my mice to experience good welfare? https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/how-can-i-use-environmental-enrichment-to-provide-opportunities-for-my-mice-to-experience-good-welfare/#:~:text=Environmental%20enrichment%20describes%20the%20provision%20of%20physical%20and,their%20individual%20interests%2C%20which%20underpins%20good%20animal%20welfare Accessed 1 November 2024.27 Young, R.J. (2006). Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals. UFAW Animal Welfare Series. Blackwell Publishing.28 NC3Rs. Choosing Appropriate Enrichment. https:// nc3rs.org.uk/3rs-resources/evaluating-environmental-enrichment/choosing-appropriate-enrichment Accessed 1 November 2024.

176Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Animal Technology and Welfare December 2024IntroductionUnder the United Kingdom (UK) Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) the Named Information Officer (NIO) is responsible for ensuring that staff working with animals have access to information specific to the species housed in their establishment and the procedures being performed.1 It is the responsibility of the NIO to put systems in place to ensure that up-to-date information relevant to those working at the establishment is readily available to them. This should include information relating to the Act and local rules and information, species specific information about the animal’s biology, appropriate care and husbandry, welfare and implementing the 3Rs, relevant guiding principles for good practice and new scientific initiatives and technical advances. According to guiding principles2 the role of the NIO focusses on setting up and applying systems for information flow and reviewing the local processes related to the use of animals in research. This includes information on implementing the 3Rs relevant to the research and species held at the establishment and as such the NIO is well placed to champion the 3Rs at a local level. A recent report 3 commissioned by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of animal use in research (NC3Rs) to review how implementation of the 3Rs is supported by scientific peer review and regulatory approval processes demonstrated that there are significant gaps. The report highlighted that the role of the NIO needs to be better defined and resourced to help researchers and Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies (AWERBs) access key information on the 3Rs. These results formulate part of the NC3Rs evidence gathering on the support required for the NIO role.In September 2024 the NC3Rs and the Laboratory Animal Science Association (LASA)4 published a report outlining the results of their recently conducted survey called supporting the Named Information Officer which aimed to understand how the role of the NIO works in practice as well as what additional support might be required for NIOs to fulfil their responsibilities. Here we describe the results of the survey, most notably the need to better define and resource the NIO role to help researchers and AWERBs access key information on the 3Rs. MethodsA survey was created in collaboration with the LASA Home Office Liaison, Training and Information Forum (HOLTIF) whose activities support NIOs. This project has been reviewed by and approved through the Royal Veterinary College Social Science Research Ethical Review Board (ethics approval reference SR2023-0145). A link to the survey on Microsoft Forms was distributed via the LASA HOLTIF mailing list, the NC3Rs newsletter and NC3Rs social media platforms during the period November 2023 to January 2024. There were 33 questions in total which included a mixture of multiple choice and open-text formats. A copy of the full question set can be found alongside the full study data on the Open Science Framework repository5 (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/485TM).ResultsA total of 62 NIOs completed the survey and all responses were included in the data analysis. Data described below includes all 62 responses unless otherwise stated. Based on there being 139 licenced establishments in the UK6 the response rate represents up to 44% of the NIO population at the time of writing (August 2024). Supporting the Named Information Officer: results from a survey by the NC3RsELLEN FORTYNational Centre for the Replacement Refinement and Reduction of Animals in ResearchCorrespondence: training.engagement@nc3rs.org.uk

177August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareOf the 62 responses, 61% work at academic establishments, 16% within industry or contract-research organisations, 15% within government-funded research units and the remainder withheld the information or work elsewhere. Using the number of project (PPL) and personal (PIL) licences as a pseudo-measure of establishment size, most establishments were small with fewer than 50 PPLs and 100 PILs. Species used at the respondents’ establishments were primarily rodents (52 responses) and aquatic animals (33 responses), with roughly one-third of responses also using other small (e.g. rabbits) or large (e.g. pigs) mammals. Who is the NIO? 41% of respondents have an Animal Technology background, 32% have a research scientist background, 11% have a veterinary background, 10% have an administrative background and 3% have a research technician background. This range of professional experience was reflected by the additional roles and responsibilities undertaken by individuals holding the NIO role. As shown in Figure 1, on average each respondent held an additional 2.74 roles on top of their NIO role with additional responsibilities including the Home Office Liaison Contact (HOLC, 28 responses), Named Training and Competency Officer (NTCO, 19 responses), administrative role (15 responses), animal facility manager (13 responses) and Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer (NACWO, 13 responses), with many NIOs also holding a PIL (26 responses). Figure 1. Additional roles or key responsibilities held by the NIO. Top: values represent the number of responses per role/responsibility category, with individuals having the option to select more than one additional role. Bottom: the number of additional roles per respondent ranged between 0 (4 responses) and 7 (1 response).Time allocated to the NIO roleWith a tendency towards holding multiple roles (only 6% of respondents declared no roles in addition to the NIO) and/or the role being covered by more than one individual (24% of respondents shared the role with others) unsurprisingly the amount of time spent cumulatively on the NIO role was less than one day per week in most cases (68% of responses, Figure 2). Figure 2. Typical amount of time dedicated to the NIO role on a weekly basis, out of 62 responses (single choice answer). *Refers to staff who have been assessed, are competent and registered to perform approved methods of humane killing listed in Schedule 1 of ASPA but do not hold a PIL. Supporting the Named Information Officer: results from a survey by the NC3Rs

178Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Figure 3. Groups and individuals that the NIOs interact with as part of their role (multiple selections allowed). Bars represent the % of responses per category and the frequency of interaction with each category that was selected most often (most numerous frequency) annotated in the righthand column. Figure 4. Topics of information handled by the NIO (multiple selections allowed). Bars represent the % of responses per topic and the frequency of handling information for each topic that was selected most often (most numerous frequency) annotated in the righthand column. Supporting the Named Information Officer: results from a survey by the NC3Rs

179August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareWhat information does the NIO provide?Respondents were asked to select which topics are included in the information they provide. As shown in Figure 4 more than 88% of respondents indicated giving species-specific information on housing and husbandry, environmental enrichment and refinements (on average on a quarterly basis), information on ASPA, local rules, guidance and good practice, as well as general 3Rs advice (on average every month). Providing 3Rs advice related to experimental design and searching for alternatives to animal use were also covered by most NIOs (84% and 85%, respectively), approximately every quarter. Fewer NIOs give information on working outside of ASPA (61% of responses) or circulating opportunities for funding (58% of responses), both on average every quarter. Of note, 100% of respondents provide information on training opportunities to the animal research community every month, suggesting that this is a universally understood and undertaken aspect of the NIO role. Within an additional optional open-text question some responses mentioned additional information topics they cover including PPL application, training and competency, Culture of Care and public engagement/openness. When asked what sources they use to gather information relevant to supporting those working with animals the majority consult resources provided by relevant organisations (e.g. NC3Rs 62 responses, LASA 54 responses, RSPCA 48 responses, IAT 40 responses, HOLTIF 41 responses), as well as written handbooks/guidance/codes of practice (40 responses) and scientific journals (43 responses), suggesting that the NIOs are using appropriate sources for the information they need.What activities does the NIO undertake?NIOs most frequently circulate information from other organisations (98% of responses) and respond to direct enquiries for information (95% of responses) on average every month (Figure 5). Creating information content for an intranet resource is part of the role for most NIOs (73% of responses), though fewer (45% of responses) prepare a dedicated newsletter. AWERB-related activities take place for most NIOs on a quarterly basis, which likely reflects the typical frequency of AWERB meetings and 81% of respondents indicated reviewing PPLs as the NIO. Less regular and slightly less common activities for NIOs are spending time organising events related to the 3Rs (61% of responses, most frequently once a year), or facilitating topic-specific meetings (65% of responses, most frequently every quarter). Additional activities mentioned by some NIOs through optional open-text fields included attending external events, teaching or giving talks and networking or forming collaborations. Figure 5. Activities undertaken by the NIO (multiple selections allowed). Bars represent the % of responses per activity, and the frequency of undertaking each activity that was selected most often (most numerous frequency) annotated in the righthand column. Supporting the Named Information Officer: results from a survey by the NC3Rs

180Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Understanding of the role 50 NIOs described their understanding of the role and gave their opinion on what the role should encompass. Thematic analysis revealed an understanding that the role includes identification or collection of information (94% of responses), dissemination of information (88% of responses), keeping abreast with research (28% of responses) and advising (18% of responses). For half of these responses there was a mismatch between their understanding of the role and their opinion of what the role should be about: the majority (80% of responses) indicating that they would like additional aspects to the role, such as a focus on acquiring 3Rs knowledge, supporting and leading on 3Rs implementation, establishing a network of NIOs and fostering collaborations. In contrast the remaining 20% of responses want to change the remit so that the NIO was not solely responsible for information provision and that this was shared across individuals (other named roles, for example). Successes and challenges of the roleWhen asked to highlight their successes in the role, within the 47 responses, the achievements mentioned included creating a dedicated process or event to share 3Rs advances (16 responses, e.g. local 3Rs network), being the source of information leading to changes in policy, practice or behaviour (11 responses, e.g. influencing researcher behaviour change around breeding practices), and identifying refinements which become practice (7 responses).The biggest barriers to the role identified from open-text responses fell clearly into specific categories: lack of time (22 responses), awareness of the role by others (17 responses), getting access to information to share (12 responses) and understanding of the remit of the role and what they should be doing (10 responses).Support for the NIO within the establishment Only 40% of respondents had a budget available to support the NIO role, with this being dedicated (not shared with other roles/activities) for only 6% of respondents. Where available this budget was used for training the NIO, NIO attending meetings/events and NIO organising events. In line with the guidance NIOs are actively supported by other named persons (48 responses), the Establishment Licence Holder (ELH) (33 responses) and the AWERB (32 responses), with other support coming from administrative roles (15 responses) and 3Rs Champions (7 responses), with only 12 responses indicating an absence of support from any of the above. Themes from optional open-text responses (42 responses) demonstrate that where provided, this support primarily comes in the form of direct interactions (e.g. regular meetings) with the ELH (16 responses), other named persons (20 responses), the AWERB (8 responses) or interactions with other informed individuals (15 responses) such as librarians, researchers or biostatisticians. Some (13 responses) referred to other individuals/groups contributing relevant information for the NIO to pass on. Open-text responses (20 responses) to the question ‘What would you like your establishment to provide to help you perform your role?’ could be divided into 5 main themes. Most responses identified that more time to perform the role (17 responses) would be beneficial, as well as better recognition for the role, a clearer role identity and training for the role (12 responses). While other responses included funding for the role (6 responses), improved internal processes to connect with researchers (5 responses) and a few responses stated that nothing was required from their establishment (3 responses). When given specific options of further support requirement, roughly one-third of respondents agreed that they would value support from their institution in the form of recognition for the role, support from other named persons and the AWERB as well as more time and budget allocated to the role (Figure 6, green bars). Support, resources and training for the NIO role from outside the establishment 89% of respondents are familiar with the guidance document related to the NIO role and more than half are aware of NIO-specific training opportunities (56% of responses) with a similar proportion (53% of responses) having undertaken specific training for role (either in-house training or from external providers). As shown in Figure 6 (purple bars) in terms of additional opportunities to expand skills and knowledge, 60% of respondents would like NIO-specific events and 48% would be interested in receiving training on searching databases/literature for information on the use of animals in research (including advice on searching for alternatives). Whereas training in ASPA-related topics, NC3Rs resources and experimental design were considered less necessary (Figure 6, purple bars). The most popular resource to support NIOs selected was a dedicated NIO newsletter (82% of responses), Supporting the Named Information Officer: results from a survey by the NC3Rs

181August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfareas well as a searchable online resource for information related to the NIO role (68% of responses) and materials for NIOs to disseminate to their community (56% of responses, Figure 6, blue bars). Lastly responses to an open-text question on final comments on the role and support it needs reflected similar themes around role identity and awareness, NIO-tailored resources and a NIO forum/network.SummaryThe demographic spread of responses to the survey demonstrates representation in the data set from different types of establishments, of different sizes and hosting a variety of species. Individual NIOs come from a variety of different professional backgrounds and commonly hold more than one additional role/responsibility. It is commonplace to pair the NIO with other roles held by one individual and is likely contributing to the time-pressure acknowledged as a primary challenge by many. Provision of information is the cornerstone purpose of the NIO role and most NIOs regularly provide relevant information to those working with animals and the AWERB with infrequent interactions with those not using animals (e.g. communicating information on the use of animals at an establishment to the wider research community). Highlighting training opportunities for others is a key information topic, which also includes good practice guidance, ASPA guidance and general 3Rs advice. Aside from contributing to the AWERB functions (including PPL review), other activities of the NIO in practice are primarily responsive. The NIO circulates information that comes to them from other organisations and they may respond to direct enquiries for information from those working with animals. The NIO may be restricted in the time they have available to carry out proactive activities, such as curation of information (e.g. creating a newsletter) or organising 3Rs-related events/meetings to share knowledge. When asked to comment freely on the purpose and scope of their role most responses agreed that identification, collection and dissemination of information are core functions. However there is confusion over the identity of the role as although half of the individuals agreed that the remit of the role should be different to current definitions, there was no consensus on whether there should be more or fewer aspects to the role. Self-identified successes for NIOs related to sharing relevant information, changing behaviours or implementing Figure 6. Additional further support needs selected from options by NIOs (multiple selections allowed). Bars represent the % responses per support option to be provided by specific resources (blue bars), training opportunities (purple bars) or the establishment (green bars). Supporting the Named Information Officer: results from a survey by the NC3Rs

182Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020refinements. Whereas self-identified challenges correspond to the support needs they have highlighted – a lack of time, confusion over the remit of the role, lack of awareness of the role by others and difficulties in accessing information they need. Some NIOs have a budget for activities associated with the role and they are broadly supported by other related roles and groups within establishments, mainly from named persons and the ELH. NIOs would like more support from their establishments in the form of time to carry out the role, support for enhancing the visibility of the role (particularly in relation to other named persons), guidance on key activities of the role and additional funding to carry out activities. With only half of the surveyed population having received training for the role in the past and with all respondents regularly flagging training opportunities to others there is notable appetite for additional training. The most popular training topic selected was related to one of the key functions of the role mentioned in the guidance to actively seek relevant information to disseminate. With half of responses requesting training related to searching databases/literature for information on the use of animals in research (including the use of alternatives), suggesting some lack of confidence in this aspect of the role.Outside of the bounds of establishments, organising regular events and opportunities specifically for the NIO was highly requested. This would provide an ideal opportunity for networking and sharing experiences of activities, successes and challenges related to the role (networking was a repeated featured request in open-text responses). Respondents were also keen to receive more supportive resources including a dedicated newsletter for NIOs, a searchable online resource at their disposal and materials to disseminate. ConclusionIn conclusion the survey results indicate that:– The individual NIO holds more than one role or responsibility.– Is time-poor.– Variable understanding of the remit of the role. The NIO has some support from named persons and the ELH but awareness from others on the scope and activities of the role is low. NIOs need further support from: 1. Their establishments to recognise the importance and awareness of the role in facilitating good practice and promoting the 3Rs within the local animal research community.2. External bodies (e.g. the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU), LASA) to provide clearer direction on the extent of responsibilities associated with the role. 3. Additional resources and training, to increase their efficiency in accessing and disseminating information. 4. NIO-specific networking opportunities that bring the community together.The results of this survey are part of a larger ongoing office-based project at the NC3Rs, determining what support is required for the NIO role.References1 Home Office (2020). Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 2 LASA/LAVA/IAT (2023). Guiding Principles for Establishment Licence Holders/Named Persons Responsible for Compliance, Named Training and Competency Officers, Named Information Officers and Home Office Liaison Contacts working under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 3 Rawle, F. (2023). The role of review and regulatory approvals processes for animal research in supporting implementation of the 3Rs4 The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of animal use in research (NC3Rs) (2024). Survey results: Supporting the Named Information Officer5 Open Science Framework | NC3Rs Survey of Named Information Officers 2024 (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/ 485TM)6 Home Office (2023). Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain: 2022 Supporting the Named Information Officer: results from a survey by the NC3Rs

183August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePAPER SUMMARY TRANSLATIONSDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareCONTENU DE LA REVUECréer un organisme d'examen éthique et du bien-être animal efficace, inclusif et ouvert: apprentissage et héritage BENTLEY CRUDGINGTON1, SALLY ROBINSON2,3, LUCY WHITFIELD4, SHARON MILLER5,6 ET CATHERINE WILKINSON2,71 Bentley Crudgington, Institute of Medical Humanities, Université de Durham2 Anciennement Animal Sciences and Technologies, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park, Royaume-Uni3 Actuellement Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, Université de Bristol 4 OWL Vets Ltd, Mildenhall, Royaume-Uni5 Anciennement Oncology TDE, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park, Royaume-Uni6 Actuellement Vaccine and Immune Therapies, Global Regulatory Affairs, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield, Royaume-Uni7 Actuellement Translational Oncology, Sygnature Discovery, Alderley Park, Royaume-UniCorrespondance: sally.robinson@cruk.manchester.ac.ukRésumé Cet article rend compte de notre utilisation de la pratique réflexive pour analyser et cartographier l'évolution de notre entité historique d’examen éthique et du bien-être des animaux (Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body, ou AWERB) sur 7 ans. Nous avons identifié 6 principes interconnectés qui soutiennent les comportements sous-jacents et les présentons sous la forme d’une feuille de route afin que les AWERB accomplissent toutes leurs tâches comme le prévoit la Loi britannique de 1986 sur les animaux (procédures scientifiques) - (Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act, ou ASPA).Ces principes combinés favorisent le résultat global de l'amélioration continue. En cartographiant ces principes aux côtés des tâches de l’AWERB, nous utilisons une série d’études de cas pour fournir une contextualisation et des idées supplémentaires et terminons en décrivant les étapes pratiques pour aider l’AWERB à appliquer les 6 principes. ★ ★ ★

184Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Paper Summary TranslationsLa symbiose dans le règne animal CONNOR NOLANDLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineCorrespondance: Connor.Nolan@lshtm.ac.ukRésumé L'article explorera le monde intéressant de la symbiose et passera en revue les nombreux exemples que vous pourriez rencontrer dans la nature. Plusieurs types de symbiose existent, notamment la symbiose mutualiste, commensaliste et parasitaire. Nous explorerons ces 3 types relatifs aux animaux et expliquerons les différences entre eux ainsi que la manière dont ils bénéficient tous, ou peut-être pas, de ces accords évolutifs.★ ★ ★Un programme d'habituation lapin-humain peut-il réduire le stress et le comportement agressif?KARLA ESPARZA, ANAÏS LEAL, BENJAMIN RABANY, EDWARD MARDSEN ET KEVIN DHONDTCorrespondance: Karla.Esparza@crl.comObjectif : réduire le stress chez les lapins pour améliorer la recherche scientifique Le lapin (Oryctolagus cuniculus) est considéré comme une espèce sensible au stress. Le stress peut avoir un impact sur la relation homme-lapin et compromettre la qualité de la recherche scientifique. Pour réduire le stress induit par la manipulation et promouvoir le bien-être du lapin, nous avons mis en place un programme d'habituation lapin-humain dans notre établissement d'élevage.Le programme d'habituation comportait trois étapes : – Stade de base (de la naissance à l'âge de 5 semaines)– Stade de renforcement (âge de 6 à 12 semaines)– Stade d’habituation (âge de 13 à 19 semaines) ★ ★ ★ Souris épineuse du Caire (Acomys cahirinus)RICHARD MORRISONUniversité d'Édimbourg, Bioresearch and Veterinary ServicesCorrespondance: Richard.morrison@ed.ac.uk Résumé Aperçu des soins et du bien-être de la souris épineuse du Caire, rongeur nocturne d'Afrique du Nord. Ces rongeurs ont été mis en avant comme espèce modèle émergente pour la médecine régénérative et la santé reproductive parce qu'ils guérissent des blessures cutanées et du poinçonnage sans cicatrices et que les femelles menstruent. La nécessité de s'assurer qu'ils bénéficient d’interactions sociales suffisantes faisait partie des caractéristiques particulièrement notables concernant la prise en charge de ces animaux. ★ ★ ★

185August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePaper Summary TranslationsINHALTVERZEICHNISSchaffung eines effektiven, integrativen und offenen Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (Gremium für Tierschutz und ethische Überprüfung): Gesammelte Erfahrungen und ErbeBENTLEY CRUDGINGTON1, SALLY ROBINSON2,3, LUCY WHITFIELD4, SHARON MILLER5,6 UND CATHERINE WILKINSON2,7 1 Bentley Crudgington, Institute of Medical Humanities, Durham University,2 Ehemals Animal Sciences and Technologies, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park UK3 Derzeit Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Bristol 4 OWL Vets Ltd, Mildenhall, UK5 Ehemals Oncology TDE, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park UK6 Derzeit Vaccine and Immune Therapies, Global Regulatory Affairs, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield UK7 Derzeit Translational Oncology, Sygnature Discovery, Alderley Park, UKKorrespondenz: sally.robinson@cruk.manchester.ac.ukEinleitung Diese Abhandlung befasst sich mit der Anwendung von reflektierter Praxis zur Analyse und Darstellung der Entwicklung unseres bisherigen Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) über sieben Jahre. Wir haben sechs ineinandergreifende Prinzipien identifiziert, die zugrundeliegende Verhaltensweisen unterstützen, und präsentieren sie in Form einer Roadmap für AWERB, damit sie alle ihre im United Kingdom (UK) Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) festgelegten Aufgaben erfüllen können.Diese zusammenhängenden Prinzipien dienen dem allumfassenden Anliegen der kontinuierlichen Verbesserung. Bei der Verknüpfung dieser Prinzipien mit den AWERB-Aufgaben nutzen wir eine Reihe von Fallstudien, um den Kontext zu verdeutlichen und Einsichten zu gewinnen, und skizzieren abschließend praktische Schritte, die die AWERB bei der Anwendung der sechs Prinzipien unterstützen sollen.★ ★ ★

186Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Paper Summary TranslationsSymbiose im Tierreich CONNOR NOLANDLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineKorrespondenz: Connor.Nolan@lshtm.ac.ukEinleitung Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit der interessanten Welt der Symbiose und widmet sich vielen Beispielen, auf die man in der Natur stoßen kann. Zu den verschiedenen Arten von Symbiosen zählen Mutualismus, Kommensalismus und Parasitismus. Wir untersuchen alle 3 Arten in Bezug auf Tiere, erklären die Unterschiede zwischen ihnen und erläutern, inwiefern bzw. ob sie alle von diesen evolutionären „Deals“ profitieren.★ ★ ★Kann ein Kaninchen-Mensch-Gewöhnungsprogramm Stress und aggressives Verhalten reduzieren?KARLA ESPARZA, ANAÏS LEAL, BENJAMIN RABANY, EDWARD MARDSEN UND KEVIN DHONDTKorrespondenz: Karla.Esparza@crl.comZiel: Stressreduzierung bei Kaninchen zur Verbesserung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung Kaninchen (Oryctolagus cuniculus) gelten als stressempfindliche Tierart. Stress kann die Beziehung zwischen Mensch und Kaninchen belasten und die Qualität der wissenschaftlichen Forschung beeinträchtigen. Um den durch die Handhabung verursachten Stress zu verringern und das Wohlergehen der Kaninchen zu fördern, haben wir in unserer Zuchtanlage ein Kaninchen-Mensch-Gewöhnungsprogramm eingeführt.Das Gewöhnungsprogramm umfasst drei Phasen: – Prägung (Geburt bis zur 5. Lebenswoche)– Festigung (6. bis 12. Lebenswoche)– Gewöhnung (13. bis 19. Lebenswoche) ★ ★ ★ Ägyptische Stachelmaus (Acomys Cahirinus)RICHARD MORRISONUniversity of Edinburgh, Bioresearch and Veterinary ServicesKorrespondenz: Richard.morrison@ed.ac.uk Einleitung Ein Überblick über die Pflege und das Wohlergehen der Ägyptischen Stachelmaus, einem nachtaktiven Nagetier aus Nordafrika. Diese Nagetiere wurden als neue Modellspezies für regenerative Medizin und reproduktive Gesundheit vorgeschlagen, da Hautwunden und Ohrlöcher bei ihnen ohne Narbenbildung verheilen und die Weibchen menstruieren. Zu den Besonderheiten bei der Pflege dieser Tiere gehört die Notwendigkeit, ausreichende soziale Interaktion zu gewährleisten. ★ ★ ★

187August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePaper Summary TranslationsINDICE DELLA REVISTACreazione di un Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body efficace, inclusivo e accessibile: apprendimento e retaggioBENTLEY CRUDGINGTON1, SALLY ROBINSON2,3, LUCY WHITFIELD4, SHARON MILLER5,6 E CATHERINE WILKINSON2,71 Bentley Crudgington, Institute of Medical Humanities, Durham University2 In precedenza Animal Sciences and Technologies, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park Regno Unito3 Attualmente, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Bristol 4 OWL Vets Ltd, Mildenhall, Regno Unito5 In precedenza Oncology TDE, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park Regno Unito6 Attualmente, Vaccine and Immune Therapies, Global Regulatory Affairs, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield Regno Unito7 Attualmente, Translational Oncology, Sygnature Discovery, Alderley Park, Regno UnitoCorrispondenza: sally.robinson@cruk.manchester.ac.ukIntroduzione La presente relazione offre un resoconto sull'applicazione della pratica riflessiva con l'obiettivo di analizzare e mappare l'evoluzione del nostro Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) nell'arco di 7 anni. Sono stati individuati 6 principi interconnessi che supportano comportamenti fondamentali e li presentano sotto forma di roadmap per consentire agli AWERB di operare secondo le disposizioni della legge inglese Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act del1986 (ASPA).La combinazione di questi principi promuove l'obiettivo dominante di miglioramento continuo. La mappatura dei principi unitamente all'operato degli AWERB si basa su una serie di casi di studio al fine di fornire una maggiore contestualizzazione e ulteriori approfondimenti, concludendo con la definizione di misure pratiche per assistere l'AWERB nell'applicazione dei 6 principi. ★ ★ ★

188Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Paper Summary TranslationsSimbiosi nel regno animale CONNOR NOLANDLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineCorrispondenza: Connor.Nolan@lshtm.ac.ukIntroduzione L'articolo esplorerà l'interessante mondo della simbiosi, esaminando i vari esempi riscontrabili in natura. Esistono diverse relazioni simbiotiche, come mutualismo, commensalismo e parassitismo. Esploreremo queste 3 tipologie in relazione agli animali, spiegando le differenze tra esse e come traggono più o meno vantaggio da questi contesti evolutivi.★ ★ ★Un programma di abituazione coniglio-uomo può ridurre lo stress e un comportamento aggressivo?KARLA ESPARZA, ANAÏS LEAL, BENJAMIN RABANY, EDWARD MARDSEN E KEVIN DHONDTCorrispondenza: Karla.Esparza@crl.comObiettivo: riduzione dello stress nei conigli per migliorare la ricerca scientifica I conigli (Oryctolagus cuniculus) sono considerati una specie sensibile allo stress. Lo stress può incidere sulla relazione tra uomo e coniglio e compromettere la qualità della ricerca scientifica. Per ridurre la gestione dello stress indotto e promuovere il benessere dei conigli, abbiamo attuato un programma di abituazione coniglio-uomo presso il nostro centro di allevamento.Il programma ha previsto tre fasi: – Fase di imprinting (dalla nascita a 5 settimane di vita)– Fase di rafforzamento (da 6 a 12 settimane di vita)– Fase di abituazione (da 13 a 19 settimane di vita) ★ ★ ★ Topo spinoso del Cairo (Acomys Cahirinus)RICHARD MORRISONUniversity of Edinburgh, Bioresearch and Veterinary ServicesCorrispondenza: Richard.morrison@ed.ac.uk Introduzione Una panoramica della cura e del benessere del topo spinoso del Cairo, un roditore notturno originario del Nord Africa. Si ritiene che questi roditori siano una specie modello emergente per la medicina rigenerativa e la salute riproduttiva, in quanto sono in grado di sanare ferite nella pelle e fori all'orecchio senza cicatrici e le femmine hanno il ciclo mestruale. Tra gli aspetti particolarmente rilevanti per la cura di questi animali è emersa la necessità di garantire un'interazione sociale adeguata.★ ★ ★

189August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePaper Summary TranslationsINDICE DE LA REVISTACreación de un órgano de revisión ética y de bienestar animal efectivo, inclusivo y abierto: aprendizaje y legadoBENTLEY CRUDGINGTON1, SALLY ROBINSON2,3, LUCY WHITFIELD4, SHARON MILLER5,6 Y CATHERINE WILKINSON2,7 1 Bentley Crudgington: Instituto de Humanidades Médicas, Universidad de Durham2 Anteriormente I+D en Biofarmacéutica, Ciencias y Tecnologías Animales, Farmacología Clínica y Ciencias de Seguridad, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park Reino Unido3 Actualmente Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, Universidad de Bristol 4 OWL Vets Ltd, Mildenhall, Reino Unido5 Anteriormente TDE de oncología, I+D en Oncología, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park Reino Unido6 Actualmente Vacunas y Terapias Inmunes, Asuntos Regulatorios Globales, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield UK7 Actualmente Oncología Traslacional, Sygnature Discovery, Alderley Park, Reino UnidoCorrespondencia: sally.robinson@cruk.manchester.ac.ukResumen Este estudio informa sobre nuestro uso de la práctica reflexiva para analizar y trazar la evolución de nuestro Órgano de Ética y Revisión de Bienestar Animal (AWERB) durante 7 años. Identificamos 6 principios interconectados que sustentan los comportamientos subyacentes y los presentamos en forma de guía para que los AWERB puedan cumplir con todas sus tareas, tal y como establece la Ley del Reino Unido sobre Animales (Procedimientos Científicos) de 1986 (ASPA).Estos principios combinados fomentan el resultado global de una mejora continua. Al establecer estos principios junto con las tareas del AWERB, utilizamos una serie de estudios de caso para proporcionar una mayor contextualización y comprensión, y, para terminar, esbozamos los pasos prácticos que ayudarán al AWERB a aplicar los 6 principios. ★ ★ ★

190Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Paper Summary TranslationsSimbiosis en el reino animal CONNOR NOLANDEscuela de Higiene y Medicina Tropical de LondresCorrespondencia: Connor.Nolan@lshtm.ac.ukIntroduzione El artículo explorará el interesante mundo de la simbiosis y repasará los numerosos ejemplos que podrían encontrarse en la naturaleza. Existen varios tipos de simbiosis, como la mutualista, la comensalista y la parasitaria. Exploraremos los 3 tipos pertenecientes a los animales y explicaremos las diferencias entre ellos, y cómo se benefician o no de estos pactos evolutivos.★ ★ ★¿Puede un programa de habituación conejo-humano reducir el estrés y el comportamiento agresivo?KARLA ESPARZA, ANAÏS LEAL, BENJAMIN RABANY, EDWARD MARDSEN Y KEVIN DHONDTCorrespondencia: Karla.Esparza@crl.comObjetivo: reducir el estrés de los conejos para mejorar la investigación científicaLos conejos (Oryctolagus cuniculus) se consideran una especie sensible al estrés. El estrés puede afectar a la relación entre humanos y conejos, y comprometer de este modo la calidad de la investigación científica. Para reducir el estrés inducido por la manipulación y fomentar el bienestar de los conejos, pusimos en marcha un programa de habituación conejos-humanos en nuestros centros de cría.El programa de habituación constaba de tres etapas: – Etapa de impronta (del nacimiento a las 5 semanas de edad)– Etapa de refuerzo (de 6 a 12 semanas de edad)– Fase de habituación (de 13 a 19 semanas de edad) ★ ★ ★ Ratón espinoso egipcio (Acomys Cahirinus)RICHARD MORRISONUniversidad de Edimburgo, Investigación Biológica y Servicios VeterinariosCorrespondencia: Richard.morrison@ed.ac.uk Introduzione Una visión general del cuidado y bienestar del ratón espinoso egipcio, un roedor nocturno del norte de África. Se ha señalado que estos roedores son una especie modelo emergente para la medicina regenerativa y la salud reproductiva porque sanan heridas en la piel y perforaciones en las orejas sin presentar cicatrices y las hembras menstrúan. Entre las características más destacadas del cuidado de estos animales se incluye la necesidad de garantizar que tengan suficiente interacción social.★ ★ ★

191August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareAbstractThis article will explore the interesting world of symbiosis and probe the many examples you could come across in the wild. Several different types of symbiosis exist including mutualistic, commensalism and parasitic. We will explore all 3 types pertaining to animals and explain the differences between them all and how they all benefit or perhaps not from these evolutionary deals.Symbiosis in South AmericaOne of the most misunderstood examples of symbiosis I see on a regular basis is between a tarantula and a frog. Xenesthis immanis and Chiasmocleis ventrimaculata are the only example of this relationship between these two types of animals. Tarantulas are fast, defensive and venomous and depending on the species have urticating hairs allowing them to put up a good fight and/or escape and hide. This provides the perfect protection for the small frog with much less of a defence from predators. So what does the frog provide? Well unfortunately for tarantulas these defences prove to be pointless against ants, the small size, speed and teamwork all allow them to easily attack nests and often pick apart live tarantulas. The frog will consider these ants a meal, eating any intruders that may pose a threat to their protector and the nest.Staying in the trees you will discover one of the more unique relationships between sloths and moths. Due to the sedentary nature of a sloth, they often will have algae and lichens growing in the fur which turns out to be very nutritious for the sloth. It has been discovered that the moths with the most growth in the fur are hosted by a species of moth that sometimes are completely reliant on the sloth for reproduction. The moth will lay its eggs in the fresh sloth dung and once hatched will return to the sloth for mating. This entire process increases nitrogen within the sloth’s fur promoting algae growth which benefits the sloth’s diet.49Haven’t the time to write a paper but want to have something published? Then read on!This section offers readers the opportunity to submit informal contributions about anyaspects of Animal Technology. Comments, observations, descriptions of new or refinedtechniques, new products or equipment, old products or equipment adapted to new use,any subject that may be useful to technicians in other institutions. Submissions can bepresented as technical notes and do not need to be structured and can be as short or aslong as is necessary. Accompanying illustrations and/or photos should be high resolution.NB. Descriptions of new products or equipment submitted by manufacturers are welcomebut should be a factual account of the product. However, the Editorial Board gives nowarranty as to the accuracy or fitness for purpose of the product.What 3Rs idea have you developed?EMMA FILBYMira Building, University of Cambridge, University Biomedical Services,Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FSCorrespondence: emma.filby@admin.cam.ac.ukBased on an ar ticle written for the National Centre for the 3RsApril 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareTECH-2-TECHBackgroundEmma was invited to write an article as a 3Rschampion in NC3Rs ‘Tech 3Rs’ Issue 5, November2019.Here is her response describing how she has used anautomated system to reduce how frequently mousecage bedding is changed without compromisingcleanliness.IntroductionOur unit opened in 2017, during the procurement ofnew equipment we had the opportunity to purchase adigital ventilated rack system from Tecniplast UK. Thecages are referred to as the Digitally Ventilated Cage orDVC. This system uses the data collected by sensorsbelow the cage to flag when to clean out based on thechange in an electromagnetic signal. To have thisfunctionality we first needed to create an algorithmduring a learning phase.The learning phase: devising analgorithmWe held a meeting to agree what warranted a cage basechange based on pictures to avoid being subjective. Wereferred to the Home Office Codes of Practice for thehousing and care of animals bred, supplied or used forscientific purposes (HOCoP) for advice on husbandr ypractices to set our criteria, balancing hygiene and theimportance of olfactory cues to rodents and their needfor control over their environment.1We started the trial, noting when the cage reached thepoint it required a base change. We assessed airquality, what proportion of the cage base was wet andwhether the animals still had choice over theirenvironment and their ability to show spatial separationof different behaviours such as nesting and excretion,for example their nest was free of faeces. During the‘learning phase’ we asked our Named Veterinar ySurgeon (NVS) and Home Office inspector (HOI) tocheck that they agreed with our assessment.APRIL_1-628207435_4-628196990.e$S:Animal Technology and Welfare 24/9/20 06:51 Page 49TECH-2-TECHSymbiosis in the animal kingdomCONNOR NOLANLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineCorrespondence: Connor.Nolan@lshtm.ac.uk

192Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Over to AfricaEven the heaviest land mammal can rely on symbiosis to enhance survival. Elephants are not particularly considered prey animals due to the size and strength of these creatures. However the young are a little more vulnerable to the predators of Africa. In some cases elephants have formed mutualistic relationships with Olive Baboons where in the dry season, elephants are forced to dig for watering holes which a lot of smaller animals would struggle to do. The baboons will hover in the area and keep an eye out for predators, perhaps looking to hunt the elephants’ calves and warn them of this. In return the elephants allow the baboons to drink from the newly dug watering hole.Baboons are not the only animals teaming up with some of the largest animals around. Plover birds are known for forming mutualistic relationships with Nile Crocodiles. When the crocodiles have eaten a meal they may get pieces of flesh stuck in between the teeth and due to the lack of the ability to floss there isn’t much they can do themselves. The crocodile will open its mouth inviting the Egyptian Plover in where they will pick the food out from its teeth enjoying the free meal whilst relieving the crocodile of the uncomfortable feeling and potential risks that come with rotting meat in the mouth.Some birds also form commensalistic relationships (Figure 1) with some of these predators the baboons warn the elephants about. Vultures are scavenger birds that will follow and remain in the region of predators like lions and hyenas. Once the predator has finished a meal leaving the carcass behind, they no longer want or cannot remove any more flesh from, the vultures will come down and pick the morsels remaining on the bones and the other bits the predators left leaving just the bones.Heading over to the Tanganyika lakes you will find many species of cichlids and catfish of which there is an example of brood parasitism. Many species of cichlids exhibit an incubation method called mouthbrooding which is where the male or female will keep the eggs in its mouth, tumbling them, until they hatch and often the fry will stay in the mouth until they are able to survive on their own. Like the cuckoo bird the synodontis catfish will find a way to lay its eggs amongst the cichlid eggs so they all get mouth brooded together, the catfish eggs then hatch first and eat all the cichlid eggs.Under the seaOne of the most well-known examples of mutualism are from clownfish and anemones (Figure 2). Figure 1. Commensalistic relationship. Figure 1 commensalistic relationship Vultures are scavenger birds that will follow and remain in the region of predators like lions and hyenas. Once the predator has finished a meal leaving the carcass behind, they no longer want or cannot remove any more flesh from, the vultures will come down and pick the morsels remaining on the bones and the other bits the predators left leaving just the bones. Heading over to the Tanganyika lakes you will find many species of cichlids and catfish of which you will find an example of brood parasitism. Many species of cichlids exhibit an incubation method called mouthbrooding which is where the male or female will keep the eggs in its mouth, tumbling them, until they hatch and often the Figure 2. Clownfish and anemones. fry will stay in the mouth until they are able to survive on their own. Like the cuckoo bird the synodontis catfish will find a way to lay its eggs amongst the cichlid eggs so they all get mouth brooded together, the catfish eggs then hatch first and eat all the cichlid eggs. Under the Sea One of the most well-known examples of mutualism are from clownfish and anemones (Figure 2). Figure 2 clownfish and anemones Anemones are made up of many tentacles that can sting its prey which allows them to pull them in and eat them using their tentacles. Fortunately for clownfish they are immune to this defence mechanism providing the ideal form of protection for them. In return Symbiosis in the animal kingdom

193August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareSymbiosis in the animal kingdomAnemones are made up of many tentacles that can sting their prey which allows them to pull them in and eat them using their tentacles. Fortunately for clownfish they are immune to this defence mechanism providing the ideal form of protection for them. In return for hosting the clownfish and allowing them to rest and mate free from predators the clownfish returns the favour by keeping the anemones free from parasites and other pests that may harm the anemone and do not appear to be affected by the stinging. The faeces from the clownfish also provide many nutrients for the anemone providing them with a food source even when no prey is present to catch and feed, this would also help the anemone preserve resources.Another common example of mutualism in the ocean is from the pistol shrimp and goby. Invertebrates are often lower on the food chain and unfortunately for the shrimp it also has poor vision.The shrimp digs burrows providing shelter and enough space to house themself and a goby (Figure 3) where they can hide away from predators of their own, mainly groupers, who will keep guard and alert the shrimp of any incoming predators to allow them to both retreat to the burrow. The shrimp is also able to eat in peace knowing it has a bodyguard to alert them to any dangers, they sometimes will feed purely on the fish’s faeces to minimise the amount of time spent outside the burrow.Not everything below the surface of the water can hunt for themselves with much success. These creatures such as many species of invertebrates and some fish rely on the leftovers of other predators or just fish that have died from other factors. They will eat the sunken meal without having to hunt or cause harm from this relationship whilst the hunter with leftovers does not benefit or have loss from this happening. Younger fish of smaller species will sometimes form commensalistic relationships with jellyfish which form protection from other predators not small enough to manoeuvre the stinging tentacles. The jellyfish does not benefit from this relationship and likely as not, is even aware of this happening.A parasitic relationship you may find if you start checking the tongues of fish are with the Cymothoidae crustaceans. This animal will attach itself to its host, sever its tongue and take its place. The crustacean will then feed on the food the fish catches and eats slowly depriving it of nutrition. This can cause the fish to become thin and weak and eventually die whilst the crustacean gets a free ride to a full meal and protection. Interestingly it is only females that do this and males must fend for themselves and find a mate. Being a hermaphroditic species they all start off as males and if no females are present they become female but females can also secrete pheromones to prevent males from being able to become females in the nearby area creating a parasitic Figure 3. Shrimp and goby. Figure 3 shrimp and goby Not everything below the surface of the water can hunt for themselves with much success, these creatures such as many species of invertebrates and some fish rely on the leftovers of other predators or just fish that have died from other factors. They will eat the sunken meal without having to hunt or cause harm from this relationship whilst the hunter with leftovers does not benefit or have loss from this happening. Younger fish of smaller species will sometimes form commensalistic relationships with jellyfish which form protection from other predators not small enough to manoeuvre

194Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020relationship within its own species. Fortunately for these fish they also often form mutualistic relationships with some species of cleaner shrimp that eat the juvenile crustaceans that first attach onto the skin of the fish helping to prevent further damage for the fish whilst getting a tasty meal for themselves.What about us?People are no exception to the rule when it comes to symbiotic relationships. Throughout history we have shown many cases of symbiosis including dogs, horses and donkeys. In exchange for providing a constant source of food and warmth for the animals they provide with protection, transportation and companionship.Examples of this go as far back as 30,000 years when we first started to domesticate dogs. One modern day example that does not involve domestication are the Honeyguides in Africa. These birds have learned to show people where to find bees nests which the people harvest for food and in exchange the birds get to eat the leftover honey and wax, larvae and any insects it may attract without the risks of dealing with the bees themselves. This is an example of mutualism where both animals benefit from the exchange. Commensalism and parasitism are something people experience on a regular basis. Much wildlife comes to rely on human settlements to survive, major examples are birds and squirrels in highly populated areas such as London. They will scavenge and feed from dropped wood waste left by us, this provides a food source for them whilst causing no harm to us. The waterfowl in many rivers and lakes like Windsor also lately rely on people coming to feed them to no benefit of our own.A major example for parasitism is malarial parasites which affect over 200 million people every year. The parasite requires the human host to survive and complete its cycle whilst leaving the host a number of symptoms including but not limited to; fever, headaches, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal, muscle and joint pain and in over 600,000 cases a year, death.ReferencesImages sourced from Adobe Stock under a Standard License.Symbiosis in the animal kingdom

195August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareI have worked in this industry for 25 years. I started as a trainee Animal Technician and worked my way up to my current position as an incubator manager. The education necessary for an Animal Technician is very clear cut and straightforward. Over the years I have completed the Certificate, Membership and the Fellowship of the Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) which is now known as IAT Levels 2 to 6. I am currently completing an MSc in Senior Leadership but this lacks the nuances needed to run an animal facility.The role of manager, which has a huge responsibility it is not about simply overseeing operations. It is about guiding teams to make decisions that impact the care givers as well as the animals themselves. Yet this does not require any formal education and that is where this qualification fits in.This programme will help potential managers navigate the everchanging landscape of Laboratory Animal Science (LAS). It will address the need for specialised training in all aspects of running an animal facility as well as the growing public concern for the welfare of animals used in this field.We will offer comprehensive education that is tailored to suit the animal facility manager by keeping them up to date with ethical advances and regulatory changes in the field. There will be several options that make the course flexible to suit a range of requirements such as time to complete the course and previous qualifications held. The programme is designed to complement those who have a background in the field and already hold some qualifications as well as those who are stepping into the field of management for the first time. Whatever your background we are here to help you every step of the way.The course offers a holistic approach that will cover a wide range of subjects from team building and leadership skills, conflict resolution and negotiation to grant applications and funding opportunities. All are designed to help you navigate your way through the complex intricacies of facility management. Beyond the curriculum we offer a global network of peers as well as multiple continued professional development opportunities. We have an emphasis on collaboration to ensure that we stay at the forefront of the industry needs.So why Alliance Manchester Business School?Alliance Manchester Business School is an ideal choice due to its commitment to ‘Original Thinking Applied’ which ensures practical and innovative solutions. The school holds triple accreditation from leading global organisations, reflecting its world-class education. Its global presence provides unique opportunities for students, researchers and clients to network and collaborate across borders. The school’s strong industry focus and partnerships contribute to its high research ranking, positively impacting various fields. As part of the prestigious University of Manchester the school has a rich history and is the United Kingdom’s (UK) largest campus-based business and management school.The course will be put together with the help of specialised leaders at the forefront of their fields.We are proud to partner with both AAALAC and the Fondazione Guido Bernardini foundation to provide an immersive, practical real-world education that will not only educate but transform the participants. Recently we Business education programme in Laboratory Animal ScienceEMMA OWENThe University of ManchesterCorrespondence: Emma.L.Owen@manchester.ac.uk

196Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Business education program in Laboratory Animal Sciencejoined with the University of Copenhagen to increase the collaboration and effectiveness of this course.Flexibility is a key aspect and as mentioned earlier the course can be broken down into different pathways depending on the resources available to everyone.Option 1 will provide the student with a Post Graduate Certificate upon completion of 3 core modules – these being: – Facility Management and Quality Assurance. – Ethics and Animal Welfare. – Budgeting and Financial Planning. Option 2 is an MSc with a dissertation-more research-oriented programme.Option 3 is the Global MBA. This is ideal for mid to senior managers, it is a part time programme that requires the attendance of the 6 courses and a live project. Courses include:– Leading and Managing in a Global Environment (part A & B).– Operationalising and Community Value.– Business Accounting and Finance.– Digital Economy.– Strategy and Competition.This course will be available in the EU, USA, China and Australia and we have a preliminary launch date of September 2025. The road ahead needs managers and leaders to help both people and animals.151IntroductionA hallmark symptom of rheumatoid arthritis in humansis painful swollen joints. Pain can manifest before anyinflammation is noticeable1,2as well as persist longafter inflammation has resolved.3In rodent models of arthritis, ankle or foot pad width isa commonly used surrogate marker of pain (seeFigure 1).Measur ing footpad wi dth assumes that increasedswelling is proportional to enhanced pain. A mildarthritis phenotype in which there is minimal swellingmay therefore inaccurately reflect the extent of painand discomfort.POSTER PRESENTATIONSOriginally presented at:IAT Congress 2019Assessing pain in models ofRheumatoid ArthritisSAMUEL SINGLETON,1MERIAM NEFLA,1NGAIRE DENNISON,1SIMON ARTHUR2and TIM HALES1School of Life Sciences, Division of Cell Signalling and Immunology, University of Dundee,Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK2MRSU and Institute of Academic Anaesthesia, Division of Systems Medicine, NinewellsHospital, University of Dundee, DD1 9SY, UKCorrespondence: s.z.singleton@dundee.ac.ukAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareFigure 1. Footpad width as a surrogate measure of pain in arthritis models. Commonly used methods to assess painare footpad width (A), ankle width (B) or footpad ankle length (C).BCAAim: We aimed to determine how well pain correlated to footpad widths using the collagen antibody arthritismodel.August20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page 151

197August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfarePOSTER PRESENTATIONS151IntroductionA hallmark symptom of rheumatoid arthritis in humansis painful swollen joints. Pain can manifest before anyinflammation is noticeable1,2as well as persist longafter inflammation has resolved.3In rodent models of arthritis, ankle or foot pad width isa commonly used surrogate marker of pain (seeFigure 1).Measur ing footpad wi dth assumes that increasedswelling is proportional to enhanced pain. A mildarthritis phenotype in which there is minimal swellingmay therefore inaccurately reflect the extent of painand discomfort.POSTER PRESENTATIONSOriginally presented at:IAT Congress 2019Assessing pain in models ofRheumatoid ArthritisSAMUEL SINGLETON,1MERIAM NEFLA,1NGAIRE DENNISON,1SIMON ARTHUR2and TIM HALES1School of Life Sciences, Division of Cell Signalling and Immunology, University of Dundee,Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK2MRSU and Institute of Academic Anaesthesia, Division of Systems Medicine, NinewellsHospital, University of Dundee, DD1 9SY, UKCorrespondence: s.z.singleton@dundee.ac.ukAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareFigure 1. Footpad width as a surrogate measure of pain in arthritis models. Commonly used methods to assess painare footpad width (A), ankle width (B) or footpad ankle length (C).BCAAim: We aimed to determine how well pain correlated to footpad widths using the collagen antibody arthritismodel.August20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page 151 Goal: reducing stress in rabbits to improve scientifi c researchRabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) (Picture 1) are considered a stress-sensitive species.1 Stress can impact the human-rabbit relationship and compromise the quality of scientifi c research.2,3 To reduce handling induced stress4 and promote rabbit welfare we implemented a rabbit-human habituation programme at our breeding facility.Following posters originally presented at: IAT Congress 2024Can a rabbit-human habituation programme reduce stress and aggressive behaviour? KARLA ESPARZA1, ANAÏS LEAL2, BENJAMIN RABANY3, EDWARD MARDSEN4and KÉVIN DHONDT51 Charles River Netherlands2,3,4,5 Charles River FranceCorrespondence: Karla.Esparza@crl.com Sponsored byGoal: reducing stress in rabbits to improve scientific researchRabbits (Picture 1) (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are considered a stress-sensitive species1. Stress can impact the human-rabbit relationship and compromise the quality of scientific research2,3. To reduce handling induced stress4and promote rabbit welfare we implemented a rabbit-human habituation programme at our breeding facility.Picture 1 rabbitsPlan: a holistic approach for positive human-rabbit bondingThe habituation programme consisted of three stages: − Imprinting stage (birth to 5 weeks of age)− Reinforcement stage (6 to 12 weeks of age)− Habituation stage (13 to 19 weeks of age) The programme activities are detailed in Figure 1. Picture 1. Rabbits.

198Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Plan: a holistic approach for positive human-rabbit bondingThe habituation programme consisted of three stages: – Imprinting stage (birth to 5 weeks of age).– Reinforcement stage (6 to 12 weeks of age).– Habituation stage (13 to 19 weeks of age). The programme activities are detailed in Figure 1.Method: a 2-year double blinded randomised study at client facilityTo measure the effi cacy of our habituation programme, we worked closely with a rabbit client who performed Figure 1. Rabbit-human habituation programme timeline. Figure 1 rabbit-human habituation programme timelineMethod: a 2-year double blinded randomised study at client facilityTo measure the efficacy of our habituation programme, we worked closely with a rabbit client who performed a randomised study. The rabbits evaluated came from 4 different breeding rooms of which only room ZE78 implemented the habituation programme. Animals were evaluated for multiple clinical stress signs (see Figure 2) during theiracclimatisation period (7-14 days), once at the client’s facility.Imprinting Imprinting stageBirth to 5Birth to 5th th WeekReinforcement Reinforcement stage66th th to 12to 12th th WeekHabituation Habituation stage1313th th to 19to 19th th WeekDaily 10 seconds peng in thenest boxThree clinical exams withpeng (at weeks 6, 10, and 12)Individual weekly pettinga randomised study. The rabbits evaluated came from 4 different breeding rooms of which only room ZE78 implemented the habituation programme. Animals were evaluated for multiple clinical stress signs (Figure 2)during their acclimatisation period (7-14 days), once at the client’s facility. The presence of a clinical sign was ranked with a grade ranging from 1 to 3, based on the severity of the sign. Scores were added at the end of the acclimatisation period resulting in a stress score for each rabbit.A stress score of 0 would be considered ideal, as it meant no clinical signs associated with stress were observed. The highest stress score recorded during the study was equal to 5. The percentage of rabbits with stress score > 0 for each breeding room was calculated.Figure 2. Diagram of the experimental design. Figure 1 rabbit-human habituation programme timelineMethod: a 2-year double blinded randomised study at client facilityTo measure the efficacy of our habituation programme, we worked closely with a rabbit client who performed a randomised study. The rabbits evaluated came from 4 different breeding rooms of which only room ZE78 implemented the habituation programme. Animals were evaluated for multiple clinical stress signs (see Figure 2) during theiracclimatisation period (7-14 days), once at the client’s facility.Imprinting stageBirth to 5th WeekReinforcement stage6th to 12th WeekHabituation stage13th to 19th WeekDaily 10 seconds peng in thenest boxThree clinical exams withpeng (at weeks 6, 10, and 12)Individual weekly pettingPoster Presentations

199August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster PresentationsA baseline measure for the stress score, was obtained by retrospective analysis of information collected by the rabbit client in years prior to the implementation of the habituation programme, assessing a total of 1,281 rabbits. For the habituation programme data, we established a target to evaluate 200 rabbits from room ZE78. In total, 787 rabbits from the 4 breeding rooms were scored during this phase.To compare the percentage of stress scores > 0 before and after the implementation of the habituation programme, a Chi2 test was conducted and significance established at p = 0.05.Results and conclusionsResults showed a significant reduction in the percentage of stress score > 0 in rabbits breed in room ZE78 before (11.1%) compared to after (5.5%) the implementation of the habituation programme. For the other 3 breeding rooms, no statistically significant differences were found (Figure 3).When examining the qualitative characteristics of the stress score in rabbits bred in room ZE78 (Figure 4) we noted:– Shift towards lower scores.– Absence of score 5 after the implementation of the habituation programme.Figure 3. Stress score percentage by breeding room before (n=1281) and after (n=787) the implementation of the habituation programme. Results and conclusions Results showed a significant reduction in the percentage of stress score > 0 in rabbits breed in room ZE78 before (11.1%) compared to after (5.5%) the implementation of the habituation programme. For the other 3 breeding rooms, no statistically significant differences were found (see Figure 3). Figure 3 stress score percentage by breeding room before (n=1281) and after (n=787) the implementation of the habituation programme. When examining the qualitative characteristics of the stress score in rabbits bred in room ZE78 (see Figure 4) we noted: • Shift towards lower scores Figure 4. Stress score severity in room ZE78 before and after the implementation of the habituation programme. • Absence of score 5 after the implementation of the habituation programme Figure 4 stress score severity in room ZE78 before and after the implementation of the habituation programme Complete absence of the following clinical signs associated with human induced stress. In conclusion, the habituation programme implemented improved rabbit Welfare by reducing the clinical signs associated with stress observed at the client’s facility.

200Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Complete absence of the following clinical signs associated with human induced stress.In conclusion, the habituation programme implemented improved rabbit welfare by reducing the clinical signs associated with stress observed at the client’s facility. References1 Bilkó, Á., & Altbäcker, V. (2000). Regular handling early in the nursing period eliminates fear responses toward human beings in wild and domestic rabbits. Developmental Psychobiology: The Journal of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, 36(1), 78-87.2 Swennes, A.G., Alworth, L.C., Harvey, S.B., Jones, C.A., King, C.S., & Crowell-Davis, S.L. (2011). Human handling promotes compliant behavior in adult laboratory rabbits. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, 50(1), 41-45.3 Verga, M., Luzi, F., & Carenzi, C. (2007). Effects of husbandry and management systems on physiology and behaviour of farmed and laboratory rabbits. Hormones and Behavior, 52(1), 122-129.4 Zucca, D., Redaelli, V., Marelli, S.P., Bonazza, V., Heinzl, E., Verga, M., & Luzi, F. (2012). Effect of handling in pre-weaning rabbits. World Rabbit Science, 20(2), 97-101.Bite VocalisationNeed for extra hay + pettingNeed for critical care dietFearPoster Presentations

201August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareIntroductionIn 1960, Russell and Burch developed the 3R principles aiming to improve animal wellbeing.1 These definitions have since been updated by the NC3Rs2 and the three terms are defined as: Replacement: Accelerating the development and use of predictive and robust models and tools based on the latest science and technologies to address important scientific questions without the use of animals. Reduction: Appropriately designed and analysed animal experiments that are robust and reproducible which truly add to the knowledge base. Refinement: Advancing research Animal Welfare by exploiting the latest in vivo technologies and by improving understanding of the impact of Welfare on scientific outcomes.In 2023, the addition of the 4th R, Responsibility at Charles River encourages the revaluation of practices to ensure the best possible care for animals used in research.When looking at transgenic rodent strains it is important to ensure genotyping protocols accurately report zygosity to allow for the best management of colonies and reduce the possibility of zygosity induced phenotypes occurring when not necessary for research needs.Case studyA researcher was unable to robustly determine the zygosity of their mouse strain as the genotyping protocol using traditional PCR methodology could not determine the location of the gene insertion. The strain is susceptible to quick onset homozygous phenotype issues, managed with appropriate endpoints. Unnecessary pain, suffering, distress and a potential breach of licensing conditions could result if the genotype was incorrectly assigned. The original genotyping method needed control samples to be submitted with each sample to be tested (to be used as comparisons in raw data analysis) leading to duplicate tissue sampling and the need to breed otherwise unused animals. The corresponding line was characterised by 2 genetic alterations – – One that could be detected by conventional PCR allowing differentiation into wildtype, heterozygous and homozygous animals.– A second where the genotype of the transgene could be determined via quantitative real time PCR to distinguish heterozygous and homozygous samples, with both PCR methods using controls. With regard to the 3Rs, by switching to use qPCR there is a reduction in the number of animals produced as only one biopsy per animal is needed for both analyses (no additional control samples need to be taken as the initial control samples are kept on record).Optimising selection of rodent genotyping assays – a 3Rs perspectiveAMBER COULTHWAITE1 and MIRIAM HOPFE21 Charles River UK2 Charles River GermanyCorrespondence: Amber.Coulthwaite@crl.com December 2024 Animal Technology and Welfare

202Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020A refinement in confidently knowing the zygosity of the animals means any which are reported as being homozygous can be humanely killed or used for research before the onset of the severe phenotype.ResultsConventional/traditional PCR analysed via capillary electrophoresis (CE)Traditional PCR has been a well-established technique for several decades and can be used in many fields. In genotyping, specific genomic areas of interest are amplified using a polymerase, primer, magnesium and a buffer. Resulting PCR fragments (Figure 1) are analysed using microfluidic, a highly sensitive capillary electrophoreses platform. Compared to traditional gel-based assays, the platform is run in a 96 or 368 well format making it less susceptible to human error and contamination. The system offers a sensitivity of 0.25 – 50 ng/µl per PCR fragment and is highly accurate with automated results upload.Real-time PCR genotyping – qPCR zygosity testingIt is often difficult to discriminate between homozygous and hemizygous transgenic animals using traditional PCR but the distinction between zygosities is critical to transgenic breeding strategies as well as to planning study cohorts. With a qPCR platform, zygosity of animals can be determined with randomly integrated transgenes by using samples of known genotypes for normalisation. The genotype for samples of interest can be determined by using the ΔΔCt method (Figure 2/Table 1). This method can also be used in the zygosity identification of animals with unexpectedly low or intermediate transgene copy number values, indicating, for example, transgene loss. Figure 1. Microfluidic Technology using LabChip Gx-System, Perkin Elmer. Digital Gel picture, LM: lower marker (green – 0 bp), UM: upper marker (green- 7000 bp), WT: Wild-type (red – 345 bp), Mut: Mutant (purple – 365 bp) IQC: Internal quality control (yellow – 600 bp) (A). Overlay electropherogram from WT(Wild-type), Mut (Mutant) and IQC (internal quality control) amplicon (B); HE – heterozygous.A.B.Table 1. RQ values determine by ΔΔCt calculation method. The value of the HO (homozygous control) was defined as 1. All unknown samples were normalized to this value.Sample ID Genotype RQ (2-ddCt)Sample A HO 1.03Sample B HO 0.94Sample C HO 1.00Ref HO HO 1.00Ref WT WTWT MutIQC800700600500400300200100018Fluorescence355345593586700049002900190011007005003001000HE controlnegative controlHE controlnegative controlWT controlWT control700049002900190011007005003001000Poster Presentations7.06.56.05.55.04.54.03.53.02.52.01.51.00.50.0

203August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster PresentationsDiscussionFast, accurate genotyping conducted on a routine basis can help keep colony sizes manageable, select animals for study cohorts and set aside animals for future breeding. Therefore, an optimal genotyping strategy is very important to achieve correct results as quickly as possible and to adapt breeding strategies, keeping animal numbers and costs low.There are many different PCR methods which can be used for genotyping e.g. conventional PCR, real-time PCR, droplets digital (dd)-PCR or sequencing analyses. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages (Table 2). It is advisable to choose the most favourable method in terms of results, timelines and costs.1. We recommend to use quantitative real-time PCR for the determination of line with random integration of transgenes if:– Heterozygous and homozygous discrimination is needed.– Heterozygous and/or homozygous samples as controls are available.2. For larger gene segments (200 to 3000 bp) the use of a conventional PCR is advisable.3. Single mutations, deletions and insertions can be detected very fast via real-time endpoint analysis compared to conventional PCR with enzymatic digestions.Figure 2. Amplifi cation plot of ear biopsies in quantitative real-time PCR analysis. 4. If two or more lines are crossed during breeding toobtain a multi-transgenic line, it is necessary to check that the genotyping protocols do not infl uence each other.Conventional PCR Real-time PCR96/368 well format – automatable96/368 well format – automatableEndpoint analysis (present/absence analysis) and endpoint analysis (e.g. single SNPs)Real-time analysis (zygosity testing, present/absence analysis) and endpoint analysis (e.g. single SNPs)PCR fragment sized discriminationCt value discrimination to determine presence or absence of an allele; Ct value using the ΔΔCt calculation method to determine the ZygosityPrimer Primer and probe for TaqMan assayPCR amplicon < 3000 bp PCR amplicon < 200 bpSemi-quantifi cation Quantifi cationsensitivity of 0.25 ng/µl* Sensitivity 1 Copy*Lysed material or purifi ed DNAPurifi ed DNA recommendedTable 2. Conventional versus real time PCR *according to supplier information.7.06.56.05.55.04.54.03.53.02.52.01.51.00.50.00 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40CycleAmplifi cation PlotNegative controlEndogenous control Target Gene ΔRn

204Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020ConclusionGenotyping rodents in animal research can help with alignment to the 3Rs through:Reduction:– Allowing breed schemes to be planned to avoid production of unneeded genotypes.– Minimising the possibility of mis-selection of breeders.– Reducing the number of mice produced.Refinement:– Mitigate zygosity related phenotypes.AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank Wairimu Gatome, Nicola Mills, Rebecca Mohr and Sivatharsini Thasian-Sivarajah for reviewing the poster.References1 Russell and Burch, Methuen & Co. Limited, 1960, The 3Rs | NC3Rs2 https://nc3rs.org.uk/who-we-are/3rs#definitions-of-the-3rsPoster Presentations

205August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareIntroductionProviding our animals with the best welfare possible is one of our main goals as Animal Technicians.As we want to deliver the most appropriate care for our hamsters, we have undertaken some research projects of our own to ensure the most suitable environment so they can thrive, while providing better welfare and more accurate results.During multiple carcinogenicity studies we worked on aspects that we thought needed the most improvement: social housing and enrichment.Current hamster environmentSyrian hamsters are the most common strain of hamstersused in medical research. They are typically used in carcinogenesis studies due to their susceptibility to a variety of carcinogens and the development of tumours. They are also used in metabolic disorder and diabetes studies.Hamsters are well known for their defensive behaviour and aggression. This aggression is notable enough that some universities are trying to genetically modify them to be more friendly.Some labs may start group housing their animals but usually fi nd that territorial behaviour starts to show around the age of sexual maturity, especially in females.There are limited choices for enrichment for hamsters in controlled environments. There are few non-dietary options that do not splinter or cause compaction. Most enrichment options are designed for rats or mice.EnrichmentOriginally the hamsters were provided with the same medium-sized wooden chew blocks that the rats are Hamster enrichment and social housingABBIE DEVINE and ANNA BORATYNLabcorp Early Development Laboratories Ltd. UKCorrespondence: Abbie.devine@labcorp.com typically housed with (Figure 1). Due to splintering in the pouches, the chew blocks were swapped for aspen balls.The aspen balls were a relative success at fi rst but once the study fi nished unusual fi ndings were noted at pathology. It was discovered that the hamsters were trying to fi t the aspen balls in their mouth which resulted in stretched muscles in the cheek pouches and an increased amount of mouth/oral cavity lesions and 56 instances of noncancerous pyogranulomas (Figure 2).Some labs may start group housing their animals but usually find that territorial behaviour start to show around the age of sexual maturity, especially in females.There are limited choices for enrichment for hamsters in controlled environments. There are few non-dietary options that do not splinter or cause compaction. Most enrichment options are designed for rats or mice.EnrichmentOriginally the hamsters were provided with the same medium-sized wooden chew blocks that the rats are typically housed with (Figure 1). Due to splintering in the pouches, the chew blocks were swapped for aspen balls.Figure 1 Chew blockFigure 1. Chew block.Figure 2. Pyogranulomas of oral mucosa with chew blocks/chew balls available.PYOGRANULOMAS OF ORAL MUCOSAMarked Minimal Moderate Severe SlightMarked Minimal Moderate Severe Slight23%23%5%32%17%

206Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Out of 755 animals, 46 hamsters had oral cavity and mouth lesions as their cause of demise (Figure 3). Comparing this data with the initial removal of study, we found that these lesions caused bodyweight loss as well as multiple masses.Due to these issues we needed to fi nd a non-splintering, sturdy and non-ingestible alternative. We decided that the nylon green bones were the most appropriate enrichment that fulfi lled our requirements (Figure 4).initial removal of study, we found that these lesions caused bodyweight loss as well as multiple masses.Figure 3 pathology slide of hamster oral cavity 1 tooth enamel, 2 cheek pouches, 3 pyogranulomasDue to these issues we needed to find a non-splintering, sturdy and non-ingestible alternative. We decided that the nylon green bones were the most appropriate enrichment that fulfilled our requirements (Figure 4).Figure 3. Pathology slide of hamster oral cavity. 1 tooth enamel, 2 cheek pouches, 3 pyogranulomas.initial removal of study, we found that these lesions caused bodyweight loss as well as multiple masses.Figure 3 pathology slide of hamster oral cavity 1 tooth enamel, 2 cheek pouches, 3 pyogranulomasDue to these issues we needed to find a non-splintering, sturdy and non-ingestible alternative. We decided that the nylon green bones were the most appropriate enrichment that fulfilled our requirements (Figure 4).Figure 4. Nylon green bone.After monitoring the animals in the current study, we discovered that the hamsters interacted with the nylon bones positively with no signs of ingestion even after repetitive gnawing. After the end of the latest study, out of 836 animals, we had 0 pyogranulomas and only 2 animals that had oral cavity/mouth lesion recorded as their cause of demise.Social housingAt Labcorp Harrogate, we started group housing our hamsters in single-sex groups and up to 3 per cage. We house them in cages with a fl oor area of 2456.3 cm2and upon arrival they are 4 to 7 weeks old (Figure 6A).We start our handling acclimatisation the day after arrival. This provides time for the hamsters to settle into their newhome cage and familiarise themselves with their new cage mates.The daily handling consists of the animals being gently removed from the home cage and held in cupped hands until the animal is calm and is placed back into the home cage as recommended by NC3Rs. They are then positivelyrewarded with sunfl ower seeds (Figure 5B).is placed back into the home cage as recommended by NC3Rs. They are then positively rewarded with sunflower seeds (Figure 5B). Figure 5 Nylon green bone in use (a) Hamster eating sunflower seeds (B) This positive reinforcement is our key to ensuring happy friendly hamsters (Figure 6B). Large enclosures, amber hides, large food hoppers with ad libitum access to diet, constant supply of water and daily dietary supplements reduce the need to fight for resources. is placed back into the home cage as recommended by NC3Rs. They are then positively rewarded with sunflower seeds (Figure 5B). Figure 5 Nylon green bone in use (a) Hamster eating sunflower seeds (B) This positive reinforcement is our key to ensuring happy friendly hamsters (Figure 6B). Large enclosures, amber hides, large food hoppers with ad libitum access to diet, constant supply of water and daily dietary supplements reduce the need to fight for resources. This positive reinforcement is our key to ensuring happy friendly hamsters (Figure 6B).Large enclosures, amber hides, large food hoppers with ad libitum access to diet, constant supply of water and daily dietary supplements reduce the need to fi ght for resources.Figure 5. Nylon green bone in use (A). Hamster eating sunfl ower seeds (B).Poster Presentations

207August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster PresentationsConclusionsAfter our success with social housing as well as positive findings with the new enrichment type, we plan to further our research into providing hamsters with the best opportunity to thrive.In the future we hope to find alternative caging, implement a dietary reward rotation after procedures and provide more interactive enrichment to ensure the hamsters can express their natural behaviour in a safe manner.As the popularity of hamsters increases in laboratories, we want to provide them with the best care and welfare to ensure happy animals and more reliable data.is placed back into the home cage as recommended by NC3Rs. They are then positively rewarded with sunflower seeds (Figure 5B). Figure 5 Nylon green bone in use (a) Hamster eating sunflower seeds (B) This positive reinforcement is our key to ensuring happy friendly hamsters (Figure 6B). Large enclosures, amber hides, large food hoppers with ad libitum access to diet, constant supply of water and daily dietary supplements reduce the need to fight for resources. Figure 6. Hamsters 4 to 5 days after arrival (A) at the end of 2-year study (B).is placed back into the home cage as recommended by NC3Rs. They are then positively rewarded with sunflower seeds (Figure 5B). Figure 5 Nylon green bone in use (a) Hamster eating sunflower seeds (B) This positive reinforcement is our key to ensuring happy friendly hamsters (Figure 6B). Large enclosures, amber hides, large food hoppers with ad libitum access to diet, constant supply of water and daily dietary supplements reduce the need to fight for resources.

208Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020OverviewAn overview of the care and welfare of the Cairo spiny mouse, a nocturnal rodent from north Africa. These rodents have been suggested to be an emerging model species for regenerative medicine and reproductive health because they heal from skin wounds and ear punches without scarring and that the females menstruate. Particularly notable features of caring for these animals included the need to ensure they have suffi cient social interaction.Characteristics– Gregarious animal which lives in small family groups.– The Cairo spiny mouse grows to a head and body length of about 3.75 to 5 inches (95 to 127 mm) with a tail of much the same length (Figure 1).– They have large ears that help them cool off in the hot climate they originate from.– Their tail is devoid of hairs.– The spiny mouse is known to have relatively weak skin. Cairo spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus)RICHARD MORRISONUniversity of Edinburgh, Bioresearch and Veterinary ServicesCorrespondence: Richard.morrison@ed.ac.uk Animal Technology and Welfare December 2024What is a Cairo spiny mouse?Cairo spiny mice live in burrows or rock crevices, are mostly terrestrial and clamber about in low bushes.They are nocturnal and omnivorous, eating anything edible they can fi nd. Their diet includes seeds, nuts, fruit, green leaves, insects, spiders, molluscs and carrion.When they live in the vicinity of humans, they consume crops, grain and stored food. They dislike cold weather.Location and habitat–The Cairo spiny mouse is found in Africa, north of the Sahara Desert where its natural habitats are rockyarea and hot deserts (Figure 2).– From Morocco and Algeria in the west to Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt in the east. Figure 1 Cairo spiny mouse What is a Cairo spiny mouse? Cairo spiny mice live in burrows or rock crevices and are mostly terrestrial who clamber about in low bushes. They are nocturnal and omnivorous, eating anything edible they can find. Their diet includes seeds, nuts, fruit, green leaves, insects, spiders, molluscs, and carrion. When they live in the vicinity of humans, they consume crops, grain, and stored food. Figure 1. Cairo spiny mouse.They dislike cold weather. Location and habitat− The Cairo spiny mouse is found in Africa, north of the Sahara Desert where its natural habitats are rocky area and hot deserts (Figure 2).− From Morocco and Algeria in the west to Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt in the east.Figure 2 locationHusbandryFigure 2. Location.

209August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareHusbandryThey are housed in groups of up to 8 animals in large ratholding cages (Figure 3)As their name suggests the animal’s dorsal sacral area is covered in spiny guard hairs.Showing the current restraining technique to enable an intraperitoneal injection (IP) to be performed, the spiny mouse once restrained will often act like it is dead (Figure 5).They are housed in groups of up to 8 animals in large rat holding cages (Figure 3) Figure 3 housed in groups up to 8. Figure 3. Housed in groups up to 8.They are housed in groups of up to 8 animals in large rat holding cages (Figure 3) Figure 3 housed in groups up to 8. Figure 4. Bedding substrates.– Bedding includes wood chip, paper wool and hay (Figure 4).–Environmental enrichment includes cardboard tunnels, chewsticks, suspended plastic tubes, glass jars and plastic hammocks.–Diet: Omnivore, animals are fed SDS RM1 maintenancediet as well as scattered hamster food and a weekly treat of dried mealworms.– Cages are cleaned every 3 weeks or as required.HandlingDue to nature of a spiny mouse defence against predators,the skin is very easily ripped during handling. This is especially true when scuffi ng the animal to restraint it for a procedure. Like a gerbil the animal’s tail can also come away very easily again as part of its defence against predation. Showing the current restraining technique to enable an intraperitoneal injection (IP) to be performed, the spiny mouse once retrained will often act like it is dead (Figure 4). Figure 4 restraint Breeding Breeding groups consist of 1 male and 3-4 females in a cage. Figure 5. Restraint.BreedingBreeding groups consist of 1 male and 3-4 females in a cage.The young spiny pups are looked after by all the females in the cage. This type of behaviour is very similar to whatwe see in gerbil colonies.• gestation period is around 39 ≠ 42 days • litter size is between 1 to 3 pups (although recently we have had litter of 4)Pups are very well developed when they are born. Animalsare usually up and about moving around after 1-2 days. Pups can eat solids around day 5. Young are weaned at day 25 however they could be weaned as early as day 14 due to how well developed the pups are when they are born. – The juveniles mature at 2 to 3 months old.– The lifespan is up to 4 years in captivity. Figure 6 photo was taken on day 1 of the pups being born,as you can see fully developed and active. Figure 5 day 1 pups Problems − extended gestational period. − small litters of 1 to 3 pups − additional environmental enrichment − food treats / supplements − weak skin − tail autotomy − special handling and restraining techniques Figure 6. 5 day 1 pups.Poster Presentations

210Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Problems• extended gestational period• small litters of 1 to 3 pups• additional environmental enrichment• food treats/supplements • weak skin• tail autotomy• special handling and restraining techniquesBenefi ts• clean mice (Figure 7)• drink and eat very little • super friendly and inquisitive • adapted to tube handling very well• long life span compared to other mice• only rodent to have a menstruation cycle HistoryWe have had the mice since the 6th of October 2021.We received them from Bayer in Berlin. • 20 boxes arrived• 83 Mice arrived • 22 Males • 61 Females • oldest mice 2 years and 3 months• youngest mice 1 year 10 months AcknowledgementsCraig Watt Senior Facility Manager, David McIver Senior Technician, Lorraine Wells Senior Technician, KB Technicians.Benefits − clean mice (Figure 6) − drink and eat very little − super friendly and inquisitive − adapted to tube handling very well − long life span compared to other mice − only rodent to have a menstruation cycle Figure 6 benefits Figure 7. Benefi ts.Research usesThe spiny mouse has emerged as an exciting research organism due to its remarkable ability to undergo scarless regeneration of skin wounds and ear punches (Figure 8).• chronic fi brosis model• regenerative medicine• diabetes• dermal wound healing studies• small animal model for menstrual research • female reproductive biologyResearch uses − The spiny mouse has emerged as an exciting research organism due to its remarkable ability to undergo scarless regeneration of skin wounds and ear punches (Figure 7). − chronic fibrosis model − regenerative medicine − diabetes − dermal wound healing studies − mall animal model for menstrual research − female reproductive biology Figure 7 regeneration History − We have had the mice since the 6th of October 2021 Figure 8. Regeneration.Poster Presentations

211August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareBackground and objectivesStudy plans are becoming commonplace in the animal unit to compliance check and quality check experiments before they begin. However the amount of information gathered varies across institutions and often excludes critical information on the experimental design of the study that is needed to ensure that animal research results are in high quality and reliable published data.Objective 1Provide documentation for named persons and technicians:– For record keeping and compliance.– For procedural and welfare information.– That is standardised across institutions.Objective 2Provide researchers and licence holders with:– Guidance on experimental design.– Methods for feedback on study design.– A record for transparent reporting of in vivo studies.Objective 3Facilitate the ethical review body to:− Maximise the 3Rs impact of studies.− Review studies under a larger project (e.g. a PPL).Maximising study plans – adopting the ARRIVE guidelines and including key experimental design informationSTEPHEN TURNOCKNational Centre for the Replacement, Refi nement and Reduction of Animals in ResearchCorrespondence: ARRIVE@nc3rs.org.uk The ARRIVE Study Plan has been created through a series of interviews with key stakeholders: researchers, technicians and named persons. It will undergo user testing before it is released freely for all to use. Page 1 of 1 The ARRIVE Study Plan can be used to provide the necessary experimental design information before the start of your next experiment to researchers, technicians and the ethical review body. Information included will facilitate record keeping, compliance and good experimental design for reporting of your in vivo studies. Underlined items are hyperlinked to more information on the ARRIVE website. Project details Project title: Title or ID Grant code: Enter Start date: Enter a start date End date: Enter an end date PPL number: Enter PPL holder: Name, email Protocol numbers: All protocols used Expected severity: Select PIL responsible: Name Contact details: Email, phone Secondary contact: Name Contact details: Email, phone Experimental animals Species Strain/Genotype Sex Age Weight Source Numbers e.g. Mouse e.g. C57Bl/6J Select e.g. 6 weeks e.g. 20-22g Enter here e.g. 10 Total number Enter here Location e.g. room Acclimatisation e.g. 7 days Experimental procedures What is done and how is it done, when and how often. Procedures: Include the route, number, frequency and duration of all the procedures taking place. Surgical procedures: Details of any surgical procedures, including pre- and post-operative care regime. Anaesthesia: Type and duration Analgesia: Pre- and post-surgery analgesia regime ARRIVE Study Plan Figure 1. Page 1.

212Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Resource development− A record for transparent reporting of in vivo studies. Objective 3 Facilitate the ethical review body to: − Maximise the 3Rs impact of studies. − Review studies under a larger project (e.g. a PPL). Resource development Page 1 of 1 Animal care and monitoring Adverse effects: Procedural specific adverse effects expected during this study Humane end points: Indicate the number of events and/or duration of an event that would terminate the study in an animal Welfare monitoring: Timing and frequency of monitoring for this study. Attached score sheet: Y/N Risks and restrictions Changes in housing and husbandry: Indicate whether there are changes in the housing or husbandry conditions that deviate from the standard (e.g. single housing) Emergency procedures: Detail the necessary steps to minimise data loss in the absence of the PIL. E.g. tissue collection procedures. Potential risk to personnel: Indicate if there are any risks to personnel due to the interventions/procedures being used. E.g. carcinogenic material, toxicity, risk to pregnant staff Restrictions in veterinary care: Justify restricting the use of certain drugs/diet supplementation. Sign off Primary PIL: Name Date ☐I confirm I am aware of my responsibilities as a PIL holder and my training and competency record is up to date. PPL holder: Name Date ☐I confirm I am aware of my responsibilities as a PPL holder and this work is in line with the PPL. Unit sign off: Name Date Role Figure 2. Page 2.Considerations of the ARRIVE Study Plan– Cover essential procedural and welfare information.– Maximise experimental design details recorded, to ensure a high-quality and robust study.–Include links to guidance such as the ARRIVE explanationand elaboration pages.–Be compatible with the Experimental Design Assistant(EDA) tool.– Be suitable for all in vivo experiments.– Make freely available to all institutions. Page 1 of 1 Study design and sample size Control groups: Details of the negative, positive, sham or time-point control groups Experimental groups: Details of all the experimental groups being compared Experimental unit: The independent biological unit assigned to a group Sample size per group: Experimental units per group Justification for sample size: Scientific justification for sample size. If statistical analysis will be used, a power calculation should be provided. EDA read only diagram link: Visual representation of the experiment Access code: Enter Inclusion and exclusion criteria Pre-define the eligibility or disqualification of animals and/or data for once the study has commenced Inclusion criteria: Criteria set that would determine inclusion of the animal, experimental unit or data point into the study or analysis Exclusion criteria: Criteria set that would exclude an animal, experimental unit or data point from the study or analysis Randomisation and masking Randomisation and masking are strategies to minimise potential biases in research, reducing the risk of accidentally influencing the results. Method of allocation to group: How the experimental unit will be assigned to the control or experimental group, e.g. the use of a randomisation tool Randomisation during experiment: Methods used to minimise the risk of confounders and introducing systematic differences during the conduct of a study Masking strategy: Methods to minimise the confirmation bias of the researcher(s) Outcome measures and statistical methods Primary outcome measure: The single, main outcome measure of this study Secondary outcome measure(s): Other measurements taken during the study Statistical plan: Information on the planned statistical analyses Figure 3. Page 3.User testing – get involvedBefore the launch of the ARRIVE Study Plan, we are looking to gain further insight into the use and utility of study plans in different animal research settings and gain feedback from user testing.If you would like to get involved, please contact the ARRIVE mailbox at ARRIVE@nc3rs.org.ukARRIVEguidelines.orgPoster Presentations

213August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareIntroductionIn April 2022, in response to an initiative for a technician arm of the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB), a new group was established, the Technician Review Body (TRB), comprising of technicians from the BRU. The group has been an extreme success and operates autonomously with their own Terms of Reference and working methods and the group has a rotational Chair and Secretary. Our aimThis group was set up with the aim of introducing technicians to AWERB meetings to gain experience of how the AWERB works within Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute (CRUK CI). This was part of their training and career development and subsequently to contribute to the AWERB function. This training is translated into useful tools that will aid the technician’s confidence with the care and welfare of the animals.Terms of referenceMain objectives:− To review project licences provided by AWERB.− To review endpoints within active project licences.− To provide information for the retrospective review of project licenses to the AWERB.− To recommend and promote good practice for Animal Welfare, housing and enrichment.− To review Animal Welfare within protocols on provided project licences.− To establish the voices of Animal Technicians within CRUK CI.− To present views and opinions on AWERB topics and 3Rs’ projects. Achievements The TRB has reviewed multiple project licence requests over the last two years. We have provided invaluable feedback to the project licence holders and AWERB committee. Consequently, we reviewed a PPL amendment that is based off-site (CRUK secondary availability) of which one of our comments was heavily discussed at the UBS AWERB and the PPL application revised. This exhibits the impact that the TRB has made externally within other facilities, even though the group is only in its infancy.We have revised our process to pinpoint various discussions within the team of various disciplines. This has given the confidence to technicians to provide their peers with support on reading a PPL and humane endpoints. Following the recent LASA forum article, the TRB inclusion has attracted external interest from external institutions. This is a testament to the importance of the body’s work and its potential to improve the welfare of the animals and empower technicians with confidence within their roles.Animal Welfare impactOne of our goals is to guarantee the humane endpoints in PPLS are clear and concise to ensure that the mice can reach their scientific endpoint within the legal and ethical boundaries. This enables the technicians to decipher the PPL and make decisions on the ground, reducing any unnecessary pain or distress. This contributes to improving Animal Welfare standards with in the BRU.Technician review bodyNATALIE PETTIT and ALISTAR PEARMANBiological Resource Unit, Cancer Research UK, Cambridge Institute Correspondence: natalie.pettit@cruk.cam.ac.uk and alistar.pearman@cruk.cam.ac.uk December 2024 Animal Technology and Welfare

214Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Looking to the future In the future, as a team, we are bursting with ideas and plans on how to expand the groups potential. These plans include:− Outreach with other animal facilities to encourage the creation of TRB initiatives within their own facility.− Legislation training for technicians (PEL, PPL severities, ASPA/code of practice). − Reviewing procedures that are novel to the institute.− Developing a 3Rs project support system.References“The TRB is an excellent initiative that fits in very well with our aims in a Culture of Care where we try to bring different perspectives from researchers and animal carers together for improved welfare and better science. This work also fits in very well with the BRU vision of setting standards and leading the way and I understand that there has been interest from other institutions in getting something similar off the ground. Really well done and congratulations on your excellent contribution to PPL reviews and helping to make applications stronger and welfare better.” – Brendan Doe, BRU Core head “I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the TRB for their work over the last year, and congratulations on how the functioning of the team has developed. It is now invaluable. It makes the task for non-animal technician members of the PPL Writing Support Team so much easier in the knowledge that all aspects of detailing adverse effects for PPL applicants will be expertly reviewed by those who have direct experience. In addition, the team offers pertinent advice on other points in applications. They have undoubtedly helped to improve the quality of CI PPL applications.” – Davina Honess, retired scientist AWERBAcknowledgementsThe author would like to acknowledge the support of the CRUK Cambridge Institute’s AWERB & BRU SMT for supporting and encouraging the AWERB technician arm initiative. Also the TRB team members that have helped develop the group and Lily Armstrong for her assistance in setting up the TRB. Poster Presentations

215August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareIntroductionThe handling method, cupped/tubed or tailed, can affect the behaviour of the mouse and has a considerable infl uence on their anxiety levels. Tailed mice have higher levels of anxiety and still showthese high levels of anxiety after subcutaneous injections. Whereas tubed/cupped mice have low anxiety levels evenafter subcutaneous injections and were likely to approachthe handler.1 Altered mouse behaviour can also be seenwith the different experimenter sex. Male experimenters cause both rats and mice to inhibit pain responses whereas this is not seen with the female experimenters.2A lot of factors can contribute to the anxiety levels of mice and their behaviour.Does the regular husbandry handling method affect response to a novel handlerTARA McLAUGHLIN, ROS LANGSTON and NGAIRE DENNISONUniversity of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital, MSRUCorrespondence: c.gillan@dundee.ac.ukAimsAim 1:Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on ease of handling of mice by future experimenters.Aim 2:Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on anxiety in mice.Aim 3:Investigate whether there are mouse-specifi c sex differencesin response to tube vs tail handling.Aim 4:Investigate whether there are experimenter-specifi c sex differences in ease of handling of tubed vs tailed mice.Anxiety measures: A common method to analyse anxiety in mice uses their natural tendency to be in contact with vertical surfaces (thigmotaxis). By observing the time spent in the centre against the time spent in the perimeter of an open field maze, an anxiety index (preference for the centre of the maze) can be calculated. For tubed mice the anxiety index remains the same for the baseline and reversal measure. For tailed mice time in the centre increased after reversal indicating reduced anxiety. Handling: Male cupped mice are the easiest to handle. Tubed mice are easier to handle than tailed mice for both sexes of mouse. Female handlers scored both male and female mice easier to handle than male handlers. This data indicates that tubing mice is worthwhile as the mice become easier to handle and their anxiety levels are lower. If an experiment involves female mice the improvement in ease of handling is likely to be highest. Increased benefits in ease of handling may be seen by male handlersDiscussion & ConclusionsAcknowledgementsThe handling method, cupped/tubed or ‘tailed’, can affect the behaviour of the mouse and has a big influence on their anxiety levels. Tailed mice have higher levels of anxiety and still show these high levels of anxiety after subcutaneous injections. Whereas tubed/cupped mice have low anxiety levels even after subcutaneous injections and were likely to approach the handler (1). Altered mouse behaviour can also be seen with the different experimenter sex. Male experimenters cause both rats and mice to inhibit pain responses whereas this is not seen with the female experimenters (2). A lot of factors can contribute to the anxiety levels of mice and their behaviour.IntroductionDoes the Regular Husbandry Handling Method Affect Response to a Novel HandlerTara McLaughlin, Ros Langston and Ngaire Dennison. Dundee University, Ninewells Hospital, MSRU, Level 5 Dundee, DD19SYAim 1: Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on ease of handling of mice by future experimenters.Aim 2: Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on anxiety in mice.Aim 3: Investigate whether there are mouse-specific sex differences in response to tube vs tail handling. Aim 4: Investigate whether there are experimenter-specific sex differences in ease of handling of tubed vs tailed miceAimsExperimental methods & timeline.Figure 3 - Male vs Female Mice Figure 4 - Male vs Female ExperimentersGraph 1. Comparison between cupped and tubed mice20 wild type mice were split into two groups made up of 5 males & 5 females. The two groups were handled differentlyGroup 1: cupped/tubedGroup 2: tail handledPerimeterCentre50cm5cmOpen field box showing the settings for observing thigmotaxis. Mice placed in box for 10 minutesWeek 12: mice placed in open field mazeWeek 13 - Baseline anxiety measure: Mice placed again in open field mazeWeek 19Week 20 Week 21Week 228 x researchers scored the animals on their ease of cupping and handling, unaware to prior handling techniques.Week 23: Open field maze Week 23: Groups 1 and 2 both cupped during cage change –“Reversal”Week 26 -Reversal Measure: mice placed in open field mazeIndependent observer (via video) and experimenters scored ease of handlingGraph 5. Showing the difference in sex of experimenter and handling method1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 0Handlin g scoresSex of Mouse and Handling Technique1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 03.1 0Handlin g scoresSex of Handler and Handling TechniqueGraph 4. Showing the difference in sex of mouse and handling methodPreference for the centre of the maze –anxiety index was calculated.Graph 2 showing the anxiety index for tubed miceGraph 3 showing the anxiety index for tailed miceScoringsystemNumber Unable to handle0Hard1Medium2Easy3Table 1. The scoring system used for cupping and handling the mice and it converted into numbers. The mean was then taken for each mouse.0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80tailedBaseline Reversal 0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80Tailed0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80tubedBaseline Reversal 0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80TubedCalculated by = (centre -perimeter time) / (centre + perimeter time)1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 0Handling scoresCupped and Tailed ResultsReferences: 1. Sorge RE, Martine LJ, Isbester KA et al. Olfactory exposure to males, including men, causes stress and related analgesia in rodents. Natural methods. 2014. 11(6) 629-32. 2. Gouveia K and Hurst JI. Improving the practicality of using non-aversive handling methods to reduce background stress and anxiety in laboratory mice. Sci rep. 20305 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56860-7Week 13Week 16Week 15Week 14Female mice/CuppedFemale mice/TailedMale mice/CuppedMale mice/TailedFemale handler/CuppedFemale handler/TailedMale handler/CuppedMale handler/TailedCuppedTailedThe authors would like to thank the researchers that handled the mice, the independent scorer and all the staff at the MSRU. Experimental methods and timeline

216Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Discussion and conclusionsAnxiety measuresA common method to analyse anxiety in mice uses their natural tendency to be in contact with vertical surfaces (thigmotaxis). By observing the time spent in the centre against the time spent in the perimeter of an open fi eld maze, an anxiety index (preference for the centre of the maze) can be calculated. For tubed mice the anxiety index remains the same for the baseline and reversal measure. For tailed mice time in the centre increased after reversal indicating reduced anxiety.HandlingMale cupped mice are the easiest to handle. Tubed mice are easier to handle than tailed mice for both sexes of mouse. Female handlers scored both male and female mice easier to handle than male handlers.This data indicates that tubing mice is worthwhile as the mice become easier to handle and their anxiety levels are lower. If an experiment involves female mice the improvement in ease of handling is likely to be highest. Increased benefi ts in ease of handling may be seen by male handlers.AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank the researchers that handled the mice, the independent scorer and all the staff at the MSRU.References1Sorge, R.E., Martine, L.J., Isbester, K.A. et al. Olfactoryexposure to males, including men, causes stress and related analgesia in rodents. Natural methods. 2014.11(6) 629-32. 2Gouveia, K. and Hurst, J.I. Improving the practicality of using non-aversive handling methods to reduce background stress and anxiety in laboratory mice. Sci rep. 20305 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56860-7Figure 2. Tubed vs Tailed anxiety index.Figure 3. Male vs Female mice.Figure 4. Male vs Female experimenters.Anxiety measures: A common method to analyse anxiety in mice uses their natural tendency to be in contact with vertical surfaces (thigmotaxis). By observing the time spent in the centre against the time spent in the perimeter of an open field maze, an anxiety index (preference for the centre of the maze) can be calculated. For tubed mice the anxiety index remains the same for the baseline and reversal measure. For tailed mice time in the centre increased after reversal indicating reduced anxiety. Handling: Male cupped mice are the easiest to handle. Tubed mice are easier to handle than tailed mice for both sexes of mouse. Female handlers scored both male and female mice easier to handle than male handlers. This data indicates that tubing mice is worthwhile as the mice become easier to handle and their anxiety levels are lower. If an experiment involves female mice the improvement in ease of handling is likely to be highest. Increased benefits in ease of handling may be seen by male handlersDiscussion & ConclusionsAcknowledgementsThe handling method, cupped/tubed or ‘tailed’, can affect the behaviour of the mouse and has a big influence on their anxiety levels. Tailed mice have higher levels of anxiety and still show these high levels of anxiety after subcutaneous injections. Whereas tubed/cupped mice have low anxiety levels even after subcutaneous injections and were likely to approach the handler (1). Altered mouse behaviour can also be seen with the different experimenter sex. Male experimenters cause both rats and mice to inhibit pain responses whereas this is not seen with the female experimenters (2). A lot of factors can contribute to the anxiety levels of mice and their behaviour.IntroductionDoes the Regular Husbandry Handling Method Affect Response to a Novel HandlerTara McLaughlin, Ros Langston and Ngaire Dennison. Dundee University, Ninewells Hospital, MSRU, Level 5 Dundee, DD19SYAim 1: Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on ease of handling of mice by future experimenters.Aim 2: Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on anxiety in mice.Aim 3: Investigate whether there are mouse-specific sex differences in response to tube vs tail handling. Aim 4: Investigate whether there are experimenter-specific sex differences in ease of handling of tubed vs tailed miceAimsExperimental methods & timeline.Figure 3 - Male vs Female Mice Figure 4 - Male vs Female ExperimentersGraph 1. Comparison between cupped and tubed mice20 wild type mice were split into two groups made up of 5 males & 5 females. The two groups were handled differentlyGroup 1: cupped/tubedGroup 2: tail handledPerimeterCentre50cm5cmOpen field box showing the settings for observing thigmotaxis. Mice placed in box for 10 minutesWeek 12: mice placed in open field mazeWeek 13 - Baseline anxiety measure: Mice placed again in open field mazeWeek 19Week 20 Week 21Week 228 x researchers scored the animals on their ease of cupping and handling, unaware to prior handling techniques.Week 23: Open field maze Week 23: Groups 1 and 2 both cupped during cage change –“Reversal”Week 26 -Reversal Measure: mice placed in open field mazeIndependent observer (via video) and experimenters scored ease of handlingGraph 5. Showing the difference in sex of experimenter and handling method1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 0Handlin g scoresSex of Mouse and Handling Technique1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 03.1 0Handlin g scoresSex of Handler and Handling TechniqueGraph 4. Showing the difference in sex of mouse and handling methodPreference for the centre of the maze –anxiety index was calculated.Graph 2 showing the anxiety index for tubed miceGraph 3 showing the anxiety index for tailed miceScoring system Number Unable to handle 0Hard 1Medium 2Easy 3Table 1. The scoring system used for cupping and handling the mice and it converted into numbers. The mean was then taken for each mouse.0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80tailedBaseline Reversal 0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80Tailed0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80tubedBaseline Reversal 0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80TubedCalculated by = (centre -perimeter time) / (centre + perimeter time)1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 0Handling scoresCupped and Tailed ResultsReferences: 1. Sorge RE, Martine LJ, Isbester KA et al. Olfactory exposure to males, including men, causes stress and related analgesia in rodents. Natural methods. 2014. 11(6) 629-32. 2. Gouveia K and Hurst JI. Improving the practicality of using non-aversive handling methods to reduce background stress and anxiety in laboratory mice. Sci rep. 20305 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56860-7Week 13Week 16Week 15Week 14Female mice/CuppedFemale mice/TailedMale mice/CuppedMale mice/TailedFemale handler/CuppedFemale handler/TailedMale handler/CuppedMale handler/TailedCuppedTailedThe authors would like to thank the researchers that handled the mice, the independent scorer and all the staff at the MSRU. Figure 1. Tubed vs Tailed ease of handling.The correlation value between the independent scorer and researcher is 0.87.Experimenters scores were used.Anxiety measures: A common method to analyse anxiety in mice uses their natural tendency to be in contact with vertical surfaces (thigmotaxis). By observing the time spent in the centre against the time spent in the perimeter of an open field maze, an anxiety index (preference for the centre of the maze) can be calculated. For tubed mice the anxiety index remains the same for the baseline and reversal measure. For tailed mice time in the centre increased after reversal indicating reduced anxiety. Handling: Male cupped mice are the easiest to handle. Tubed mice are easier to handle than tailed mice for both sexes of mouse. Female handlers scored both male and female mice easier to handle than male handlers. This data indicates that tubing mice is worthwhile as the mice become easier to handle and their anxiety levels are lower. If an experiment involves female mice the improvement in ease of handling is likely to be highest. Increased benefits in ease of handling may be seen by male handlersDiscussion & ConclusionsAcknowledgementsThe handling method, cupped/tubed or ‘tailed’, can affect the behaviour of the mouse and has a big influence on their anxiety levels. Tailed mice have higher levels of anxiety and still show these high levels of anxiety after subcutaneous injections. Whereas tubed/cupped mice have low anxiety levels even after subcutaneous injections and were likely to approach the handler (1). Altered mouse behaviour can also be seen with the different experimenter sex. Male experimenters cause both rats and mice to inhibit pain responses whereas this is not seen with the female experimenters (2). A lot of factors can contribute to the anxiety levels of mice and their behaviour.IntroductionDoes the Regular Husbandry Handling Method Affect Response to a Novel HandlerTara McLaughlin, Ros Langston and Ngaire Dennison. Dundee University, Ninewells Hospital, MSRU, Level 5 Dundee, DD19SYAim 1: Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on ease of handling of mice by future experimenters.Aim 2: Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on anxiety in mice.Aim 3: Investigate whether there are mouse-specific sex differences in response to tube vs tail handling. Aim 4: Investigate whether there are experimenter-specific sex differences in ease of handling of tubed vs tailed miceAimsExperimental methods & timeline.Figure 3 - Male vs Female Mice Figure 4 - Male vs Female ExperimentersGraph 1. Comparison between cupped and tubed mice20 wild type mice were split into two groups made up of 5 males & 5 females. The two groups were handled differentlyGroup 1: cupped/tubedGroup 2: tail handledPerimeterCentre50cm5cmOpen field box showing the settings for observing thigmotaxis. Mice placed in box for 10 minutesWeek 12: mice placed in open field mazeWeek 13 - Baseline anxiety measure: Mice placed again in open field mazeWeek 19Week 20 Week 21Week 228 x researchers scored the animals on their ease of cupping and handling, unaware to prior handling techniques.Week 23: Open field maze Week 23: Groups 1 and 2 both cupped during cage change –“Reversal”Week 26 -Reversal Measure: mice placed in open field mazeIndependent observer (via video) and experimenters scored ease of handlingGraph 5. Showing the difference in sex of experimenter and handling method1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 0Handlin g scoresSex of Mouse and Handling Technique1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 03.1 0Handlin g scoresSex of Handler and Handling TechniqueGraph 4. Showing the difference in sex of mouse and handling methodPreference for the centre of the maze –anxiety index was calculated.Graph 2 showing the anxiety index for tubed miceGraph 3 showing the anxiety index for tailed miceScoringsystemNumber Unable to handle0Hard1Medium2Easy3Table 1. The scoring system used for cupping and handling the mice and it converted into numbers. The mean was then taken for each mouse.0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80tailedBaseline Reversal Baseline Reversal 0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80Tailed0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80tubedBaseline Reversal 0.000.800.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80TubedCalculated by = (centre -perimeter time) / (centre + perimeter time)1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 0Handling scoresCupped and Tailed ResultsReferences: 1. Sorge RE, Martine LJ, Isbester KA et al. Olfactory exposure to males, including men, causes stress and related analgesia in rodents. Natural methods. 2014. 11(6) 629-32. 2. Gouveia K and Hurst JI. Improving the practicality of using non-aversive handling methods to reduce background stress and anxiety in laboratory mice. Sci rep. 20305 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56860-7Week 13Week 16Week 15Week 14Female mice/CuppedFemale mice/TailedMale mice/CuppedMale mice/TailedFemale handler/CuppedFemale handler/TailedMale handler/CuppedMale handler/TailedCuppedTailedThe authors would like to thank the researchers that handled the mice, the independent scorer and all the staff at the MSRU. Anxiety measures: A common method to analyse anxiety in mice uses their natural tendency to be in contact with vertical surfaces (thigmotaxis). By observing the time spent in the centre against the time spent in the perimeter of an open field maze, an anxiety index (preference for the centre of the maze) can be calculated. For tubed mice the anxiety index remains the same for the baseline and reversal measure. For tailed mice time in the centre increased after reversal indicating reduced anxiety. Handling: Male cupped mice are the easiest to handle. Tubed mice are easier to handle than tailed mice for both sexes of mouse. Female handlers scored both male and female mice easier to handle than male handlers. This data indicates that tubing mice is worthwhile as the mice become easier to handle and their anxiety levels are lower. If an experiment involves female mice the improvement in ease of handling is likely to be highest. Increased benefits in ease of handling may be seen by male handlersDiscussion & ConclusionsAcknowledgementsThe handling method, cupped/tubed or ‘tailed’, can affect the behaviour of the mouse and has a big influence on their anxiety levels. Tailed mice have higher levels of anxiety and still show these high levels of anxiety after subcutaneous injections. Whereas tubed/cupped mice have low anxiety levels even after subcutaneous injections and were likely to approach the handler (1). Altered mouse behaviour can also be seen with the different experimenter sex. Male experimenters cause both rats and mice to inhibit pain responses whereas this is not seen with the female experimenters (2). A lot of factors can contribute to the anxiety levels of mice and their behaviour.IntroductionDoes the Regular Husbandry Handling Method Affect Response to a Novel HandlerTara McLaughlin, Ros Langston and Ngaire Dennison. Dundee University, Ninewells Hospital, MSRU, Level 5 Dundee, DD19SYAim 1: Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on ease of handling of mice by future experimenters.Aim 2: Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on anxiety in mice.Aim 3: Investigate whether there are mouse-specific sex differences in response to tube vs tail handling. Aim 4: Investigate whether there are experimenter-specific sex differences in ease of handling of tubed vs tailed miceAimsExperimental methods & timeline.Figure 3 - Male vs Female Mice Figure 4 - Male vs Female ExperimentersGraph 1. Comparison between cupped and tubed mice20 wild type mice were split into two groups made up of 5 males & 5 females. The two groups were handled differentlyGroup 1: cupped/tubedGroup 2: tail handledPerimeterCentre50cm5cmOpen field box showing the settings for observing thigmotaxis. Mice placed in box for 10 minutesWeek 12: mice placed in open field mazeWeek 13 - Baseline anxiety measure: Mice placed again in open field mazeWeek 19Week 20 Week 21Week 228 x researchers scored the animals on their ease of cupping and handling, unaware to prior handling techniques.Week 23: Open field maze Week 23: Groups 1 and 2 both cupped during cage change –“Reversal”Week 26 -Reversal Measure: mice placed in open field mazeIndependent observer (via video) and experimenters scored ease of handlingGraph 5. Showing the difference in sex of experimenter and handling method1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 0Handling scoresSex of Mouse and Handling Technique1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 03.1 0Handling scoresSex of Handler and Handling TechniqueGraph 4. Showing the difference in sex of mouse and handling methodPreference for the centre of the maze –anxiety index was calculated.Graph 2 showing the anxiety index for tubed miceGraph 3 showing the anxiety index for tailed miceScoringsystemNumber Unable to handle0Hard1Medium2Easy3Table 1. The scoring system used for cupping and handling the mice and it converted into numbers. The mean was then taken for each mouse.0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80tailedBaseline Reversal 0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80Tailed0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80tubedBaseline Reversal 0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80TubedCalculated by = (centre -perimeter time) / (centre + perimeter time)1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 0Handling scoresCupped and Tailed ResultsReferences: 1. Sorge RE, Martine LJ, Isbester KA et al. Olfactory exposure to males, including men, causes stress and related analgesia in rodents. Natural methods. 2014. 11(6) 629-32. 2. Gouveia K and Hurst JI. Improving the practicality of using non-aversive handling methods to reduce background stress and anxiety in laboratory mice. Sci rep. 20305 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56860-7Week 13Week 16Week 15Week 14Female mice/CuppedFemale mice/TailedMale mice/CuppedMale mice/TailedFemale handler/CuppedFemale handler/TailedMale handler/CuppedMale handler/TailedCuppedTailedThe authors would like to thank the researchers that handled the mice, the independent scorer and all the staff at the MSRU. Anxiety measures: A common method to analyse anxiety in mice uses their natural tendency to be in contact with vertical surfaces (thigmotaxis). By observing the time spent in the centre against the time spent in the perimeter of an open field maze, an anxiety index (preference for the centre of the maze) can be calculated. For tubed mice the anxiety index remains the same for the baseline and reversal measure. For tailed mice time in the centre increased after reversal indicating reduced anxiety. Handling: Male cupped mice are the easiest to handle. Tubed mice are easier to handle than tailed mice for both sexes of mouse. Female handlers scored both male and female mice easier to handle than male handlers. This data indicates that tubing mice is worthwhile as the mice become easier to handle and their anxiety levels are lower. If an experiment involves female mice the improvement in ease of handling is likely to be highest. Increased benefits in ease of handling may be seen by male handlersDiscussion & ConclusionsAcknowledgementsThe handling method, cupped/tubed or ‘tailed’, can affect the behaviour of the mouse and has a big influence on their anxiety levels. Tailed mice have higher levels of anxiety and still show these high levels of anxiety after subcutaneous injections. Whereas tubed/cupped mice have low anxiety levels even after subcutaneous injections and were likely to approach the handler (1). Altered mouse behaviour can also be seen with the different experimenter sex. Male experimenters cause both rats and mice to inhibit pain responses whereas this is not seen with the female experimenters (2). A lot of factors can contribute to the anxiety levels of mice and their behaviour.IntroductionDoes the Regular Husbandry Handling Method Affect Response to a Novel HandlerTara McLaughlin, Ros Langston and Ngaire Dennison. Dundee University, Ninewells Hospital, MSRU, Level 5 Dundee, DD19SYAim 1: Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on ease of handling of mice by future experimenters.Aim 2: Investigate the effects of tube vs tail handling on anxiety in mice.Aim 3: Investigate whether there are mouse-specific sex differences in response to tube vs tail handling. Aim 4: Investigate whether there are experimenter-specific sex differences in ease of handling of tubed vs tailed miceAimsExperimental methods & timeline.Figure 3 - Male vs Female Mice Figure 4 - Male vs Female ExperimentersGraph 1. Comparison between cupped and tubed mice20 wild type mice were split into two groups made up of 5 males & 5 females. The two groups were handled differentlyGroup 1: cupped/tubedGroup 2: tail handledPerimeterCentre50cm5cmOpen field box showing the settings for observing thigmotaxis. Mice placed in box for 10 minutesWeek 12: mice placed in open field mazeWeek 13 - Baseline anxiety measure: Mice placed again in open field mazeWeek 19Week 20 Week 21Week 228 x researchers scored the animals on their ease of cupping and handling, unaware to prior handling techniques.Week 23: Open field maze Week 23: Groups 1 and 2 both cupped during cage change –“Reversal”Week 26 -Reversal Measure: mice placed in open field mazeIndependent observer (via video) and experimenters scored ease of handlingGraph 5. Showing the difference in sex of experimenter and handling method1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 0Handlin g scoresSex of Mouse and Handling Technique1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 03.1 0Handlin g scoresSex of Handler and Handling TechniqueGraph 4. Showing the difference in sex of mouse and handling methodPreference for the centre of the maze –anxiety index was calculated.Graph 2 showing the anxiety index for tubed miceGraph 3 showing the anxiety index for tailed miceScoringsystemNumber Unable to handle0Hard1Medium2Easy3Table 1. The scoring system used for cupping and handling the mice and it converted into numbers. The mean was then taken for each mouse.0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80tailedBaseline Reversal 0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80Tailed0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80tubedBaseline Reversal 0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80TubedCalculated by = (centre -perimeter time) / (centre + perimeter time)1.5 01.7 01.9 02.1 02.3 02.5 02.7 02.9 0Handling scoresCupped and Tailed ResultsReferences: 1. Sorge RE, Martine LJ, Isbester KA et al. Olfactory exposure to males, including men, causes stress and related analgesia in rodents. Natural methods. 2014. 11(6) 629-32. 2. Gouveia K and Hurst JI. Improving the practicality of using non-aversive handling methods to reduce background stress and anxiety in laboratory mice. Sci rep. 20305 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56860-7Week 13Week 16Week 15Week 14Female mice/CuppedFemale mice/TailedMale mice/CuppedMale mice/TailedFemale handler/CuppedFemale handler/TailedMale handler/CuppedMale handler/TailedCuppedTailedThe authors would like to thank the researchers that handled the mice, the independent scorer and all the staff at the MSRU. Poster Presentations

217August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareIntroductionThe standard practice to collect a blood sample from a Minipig is to invert the animal onto its back and into a cradle. The blood sample is then collected via jugular venepuncture. This technique can cause large amounts of stress for the animal and requires the animal to remain in this position until cessation of blood flow is achieved.By implanting a long-term cannula into a large blood vessel via the auricular vein or the saphenous vein, the amount of handling, needle sticks and stress to the animals is reduced.Procedure − A JELCO® is inserted into the desired sample site to allow access into the vein. (Figure 1)− A guide wire is then inserted into the vein through the JELCO®, in the case of the auricular vein, the guide wire is manoeuvred into the jugular vein.Long term ear and saphenous cannulation – to perform blood sampling over longer periods using the Seldinger techniqueGLYNN BAILEY, TIM SIMPSON and JOE SHARPELabcorp Early Development Laboratories Limited Correspondence: glynn.bailey@labcorp.com− The cannula (10-20cm) is then threaded over the guidewire.− Once the guide wire is in position, the guide wire is then removed and the cannula is capped. (Figure 2)− The cannula is sutured to the skin and wrapped with tape to provide secure fitting.− The animal is only under anaesthesia for approximately 45 minutes for 2 cannulas to be implanted. − The cannula (10-20cm) is then threaded over the guidewire. − Once the guide wire is in position, the guide wire is then removed and the cannula is capped. − The cannula is sutured to the skin and wrapped with tape to provide secure fitting. − The animal is only under anaesthesia for approximately 45 minutes for 2 cannulas to be implanted. Results − Long Term Cannulas have so far been implanted into Minipigs ranging from 10-50kg in weight. Figure 1. JELCO® insertion. Figure 2. Capped cannula.

218Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020− During the sampling procedure, the animals can be offered treats to encourage the desired behaviour.− Prior to blood sampling, a syringe is used to withdraw and discard the contents of the cannula.− A fresh blood sample is then taken from the animal.− The cannula is then locked with a solution of sodium heparin solution (5000ui/mL) and the cannula cap is replaced.Results− Long Term Cannulas have so far been implanted into Minipigs ranging from 10-50kg in weight. − The cannulas have been found to remain patent for up to 3 weeks.− Saphenous cannulation was found to be easier for implantation. However it does not provide the same access advantage of the ear vein cannula. (Figure 3)− Multiple samples can be taken over a long period of time with minimal impact to Animal Welfare.− With a flow rate of 38mL/minute it allows large samples to be taken from the cannulas.− The improvement to Animal Welfare leads to better relationships between technicians and animals.Animal Welfare improvementWith a saphenous vein cannula implanted the need to handle the animals is greatly reduced.With a marginal ear vein cannula implanted, the need to handle the animal is completely removed.The time spent disturbing the animals is significantly reduced.No longer inverting the animals allows that a greater bond of trust can be built between the animals and technicians.Needle stick injuries are greatly reduced.Very little, to no discomfort, is seen in the animals after the surgery is completed. − During the sampling procedure, the animals can be offered treats to encourage the desired behaviour. − Prior to blood sampling, a syringe is used to withdraw and discard the contents of the cannula. − A fresh blood sample is then taken from the animal. − The cannula is then locked with a solution of sodium heparin solution (5000ui/mL) and the cannula cap is replaced. Figure 3. Saphenous vein.Poster Presentations

219August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareAbstractOver the last 18 months we have been addressing the physical and mental wellbeing needs of Animal Science and Technology (AST) United Kingdom (UK) in vivo scientists (IVSs). IVSs are caring for sentient beings and performing complex technical procedures working at pace to meet the AstraZeneca (AZ) pipeline requirements while evolving in a facility of defined footprint and a biosecure environment. Together these bring unique challenges to their wellbeing to support our AZ ‘Great Place to Work’ ambition. We have developed a bespoke wellbeing programme with our UK Safety Health and Environment (SHE) group by assessing AST UK health and wellbeing in the workplace through anonymous survey which gave 3 key areas for development:− Work-related stress: Site activities to promote awareness of prevention and mitigation of physical/mental health issues. − Physical health: Created a network of trained ergonomic champions, procured ergonomic chairs and shoe insoles.− Mental health and compassion fatigue (CF): acknowledged CF, its prevalence, symptoms and mitigation strategy with a professional.Summary− Developed an initial 6-month programme dedicated to improving AST wellbeing, as part of the UK SHE Wellbeing strategy.− Facilitated ‘Culture of Care’ workshops to understand what ‘Culture of Care’ means to our in vivo scientists.− Addressed ergonomics, to reduce the incidence and severity of discomfort, increase awareness and self help.InitiativesA bespoke programme was made up of three main parts intended to provide information, promote wellbeing and protect wellbeing moving forwards. Health and wellbeing survey:To understand how we could improve Culture of Care, first we needed to be informed and establish how the in vivo scientist’s felt about:1. Their current health and wellbeing at work.2. Whether or not they were aware of the existing internal wellbeing resources, supporting mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing.3. Recognition of compassion fatigue and whether it is experienced by in vivo staff within the AST team at AstraZeneca.Culture of Care workshops:Two interactive Culture of Care workshops were run with the aim to:– Reflect on what is meant by Culture of Care, the relationship between care, compassion, compliance and continuous improvement.– Update our Culture of Care pledge.– Start planning for Compassion Fatigue mitigation.Physical health:Training provided to build knowledge and understanding of the physical pressure that is also experienced as part of in vivo work within a controlled barrier facility (Figure 1).Wellbeing within AZ Animal Science and Technology UKROZ MASON and KAREN BALCHAnimal Science and Technology (AST), Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Science Correspondence: roz.mason@astrazeneca.com

220Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020OutcomesWhilst encouraging, we want to do more to improve wellbeing and support people in these areas.Culture of Care workshops:These workshops provided a wealth of understanding, highlighting the areas that were important to AST (Figure 2) whilst also indicating topics the team would like to hear more about.What we heard:By Culture of Care we mean:Care and respect, people, compassion, Animal Welfare, improvement, integrity, patients and society.The building blocks are:Empowerment, psychological safety, recognition, resources, continuous learning and complianceAwareness of support resources (n=38) Training provided to build knowledge and understanding of the physical pressure that is also experienced as part of in vivo work within a controlled barrier facility (Figure 1). Outcomes Overall health and wellbeing (n=39) Awareness of support resources (n=38) Experienced compassion fatigue (n=38) Excellent 2Good 15Fair 16Poor 5Very poor 1Training provided to build knowledge and understanding of the physical pressure that is also experienced as part of in vivo work within a controlled barrier facility (Figure 1). Outcomes Overall health and wellbeing (n=39) Awareness of support resources (n=38) Experienced compassion fatigue (n=38) Yes 23No 0Some but not all 15Experienced compassion fatigue (n=38)Figure 1 AST health and wellbeing surveyWhilst encouraging, we want to do more to improve wellbeing and support people in these areas.Culture of Care workshops:These workshops provided a wealth of understanding, highlighting the areas that were important to AST (Figure 2) whilst also indicating topics the team would like to hear more about.Daily 2Occasionally 13Rarely 9Never 14Overall health and wellbeing (n=39)Figure 1. AST health and wellbeing survey.Figure 1 AST health and wellbeing surveyWhilst encouraging, we want to do more to improve wellbeing and support people in these areas.Culture of Care workshops:These workshops provided a wealth of understanding, highlighting the areas that were important to AST (Figure 2) whilst also indicating topics the team would like to hear more about.Figure 2. Important areas to AST.Outcomes:Science, welfare, pride, job satisfaction, great place to work, success and reputationCompassion Fatigue workshop:We facilitated a compassion fatigue (CF) workshop inviting a guest speaker to learn more. We conducted an anonymous survey to understand the areas the team wanted to focus on.These are the top 5 actions:1. Improved planning to include peripheral activities – devising a new planning/resource tool to address this.2. Strengthen pre/post study meetings with therapy areas – format for these meetings now in place.3. Learn more about self-care strategies – information curated and sent to the team (Figure 3).4. Create a resource pack dedicated to CF – information curated and shared with the team.5. Provide a Decompression Room – a space conduciveto refl ection, meditation and de-stress activities. Where staff can engage in de-stress activities, process thoughts and feelings associated with the compassionate nature of our work.1. Improved planning to include peripheral activities – devising a new planning/resource tool to address this. 2. Strengthen pre/post study meetings with therapy areas – format for these meetings now in place. 3. Learn more about self-care strategies – information curated and sent to the team (Figure 3). 4. Create a resource pack dedicated to CF - information curated and shared with the team. 5. Provide a Decompression Room – a space conducive to reflection, meditation and destress activities. Where staff can engage in de-stress activities, process thoughts and feelings associated with the compassionate nature of our work. Figure 3 Some self-care strategies Figure 3. Some self-care strategies.Poster Presentations

221August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster PresentationsGlobal Culture of Care week:A global event to showcase our 2023 Culture of Care journey and our updated AST UK pledge (Figure 4). Supported by representatives to discuss mental health fi rst aid, wellbeing, ergonomics and psychological safety. Providing information relating to wellbeing, mindfulness and care for ourselves, through activities, speakers and posters. Taking care of ourselves so we can continue to provide the best animal care and welfare!Next steps− Initial feedback to the measures taken so far is positive. We will repeat the health and wellbeing survey to assess the impact on staff wellbeing in theworkplace.− Expand on the topics the team would like to hear more about.− Share key learnings with the wider in vivo community.−Review the current work-related stress risk assessmentwith the cross functional team.AcknowledgementsLaraine Gregory and Aurélie Thomas – AST, CPSS, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.Eileen Fisher and Kerri Malyon – Safety, Health & Environment,R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge UK. Global Culture of Care Week: A global event to showcase our 2023 Culture of Care journey and our updated AST UK pledge (Figure 4). Supported by representatives to discuss Mental Health First Aid, Wellbeing, Ergonomics and Psychological Safety. Providing information relating to wellbeing, mindfulness and care for ourselves, through activities, speakers and posters. Taking care of ourselves so we can continue to provide the best animal care and welfare! Figure 4. The fi nal Culture of Care pledge, recognised and supported by senior leadership.

222Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020IntroductionThis poster will provide an overview of intratracheal administration in mice with a focus on the refinements made by Christopher Moore from the Francis Crick Institute. It will explore the equipment that has been developed to increase Animal Welfare and maximise scientific outcomes when performing this procedure. The refined process enables easier training and demonstration of competence whilst minimising potential impact to the animal.Intratracheal administration is one of the primary methods for introducing substances into the lungs of experimental mice. In order for all lobes of the lungs to be targeted intubation under anaesthesia is the ideal method. This procedure has been amended in multiple stages over time with Chris Moore’s approach designed to refine the intubation process into a safer and more humane procedure for both animals and technicians. This poster will explore the ways in which this method is a refinement of intratracheal intubation.The problems and the solutionsProblem: Injectable anaesthesia– Increased mortality rate due to non-recovery of consciousness.– Length of procedure was longer so inhalation anaesthesia would result in animal regaining consciousness mid-procedure.– Increased training time, affecting motivation and confidence of trainee.Solution: Inhalation anaesthesia– Overall refinements mean the procedure can be competently completed in a fraction of the time allowing for inhalation anaesthesia.Refining intratracheal administrationJAY O’BRIEN and HANNAH EASTERFrancis Crick Institute Correspondence: jay.obrien@crick.ac.uk Animal Technology and Welfare December 2024– Mice are anaesthetised for a much shorter period of time, resulting in faster recovery.– Does not need heat mats/lamps for recover y – mice can instead recover in their home cage, reducing stress levels.Problem: Tongue damageFigure 1. Preparing for intubation by holding tongue with forceps.The problems and the solutions Problem: Injectable anaesthesia Increased mortality rate due to non-recovery of consciousness. Length of procedure was longer so inhalation anaesthesia would result in animal regaining consciousness mid-procedure. Increased training time, affecting motivation and confidence of trainee. Solution: Inhalation anaesthesia Overall refinements mean the procedure can be competently completed in a fraction of the time, allowing for inhalation anaesthesia. Mice are anaesthetised for a much shorter period of time, resulting in faster recovery. Doesn’t need heat mats/lamps for recovery –mice can instead recover in their home cage, reducing stress levels Problem: Tongue damage Figure 1. Preparing for intubation by holding tongue with forceps. Continued concentration by trainee meant increased pressure on forceps, damaging tongue and resulted in humane culling. Required additional light source to visualise trachea. – Continued concentration by trainee meant increased pressure on forceps, damaging tongue and resulted in humane culling.– Required additional light source to visualise trachea.– Increased procedure time.Solution: The tongue– The tongue does not need to be pulled out of the mouth to guide the cannula into the trachea.– Hooking the forceps on the bottom teeth and gently pushing down to open the mouth provides clear access.– Allows for very swift and easy intubation, without the risk of causing injury to the tongue or the trachea itself.

223August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster PresentationsFigure 2. Hooking the forceps onto the incisors to smoothly intubate mouse.Increased procedure time. Solution: The tongue Figure 2 Hooking the forceps onto the incisors to smoothly intubate mouse. The tongue does not need to be pulled out of the mouth to guide the cannula into the trachea. Hooking the forceps on the bottom teeth and gently pushing down to open the mouth provides clear access. Allows for very swift and easy intubation, without the risk of causing injury to the tongue or the trachea itself. Problem: Intubation needleFigure 3.Holding the cannula so that it covers thetip of the intubation needle.Problem: Intubation needle Figure 3. Holding the cannula so that it covers the tip of the intubation needle. Damage to trachea by intubation needle being longer than overlaid plastic canula. Canula is too soft and flexible to be used without the needle. Needle and cannula need to be held manually at different lengths to keep pointed metal tip covered. Increases training time and mortality rate, which also affects trainee confidence and number of animals used in the experiment. Solution: The collar Figure 4. The collar inserted on an intubation needle. Chris Moore created a 3D printed spacer, referred to as a collar to fit onto the intubation needle. – Damage to trachea by intubation needle being longer than overlaid plastic canula.– Canula is too soft and fl exible to be used without the needle.– Needle and cannula need to be held manually at different lengths to keep pointed metal tip covered.– Increases training time and mortality rate, which also affects trainee confi dence and number of animals used in the experiment.Solution: The collarFigure 4. The collar inserted on an intubation needle.Problem: Intubation needle Figure 3. Holding the cannula so that it covers the tip of the intubation needle. Damage to trachea by intubation needle being longer than overlaid plastic canula. Canula is too soft and flexible to be used without the needle. Needle and cannula need to be held manually at different lengths to keep pointed metal tip covered. Increases training time and mortality rate, which also affects trainee confidence and number of animals used in the experiment. Solution: The collar Figure 4. The collar inserted on an intubation needle. Chris Moore created a 3D printed spacer, referred to as a collar to fit onto the intubation needle. Problem: Intubation needle Figure 3. Holding the cannula so that it covers the tip of the intubation needle. Damage to trachea by intubation needle being longer than overlaid plastic canula. Canula is too soft and flexible to be used without the needle. Needle and cannula need to be held manually at different lengths to keep pointed metal tip covered. Increases training time and mortality rate, which also affects trainee confidence and number of animals used in the experiment. Solution: The collar Figure 4. The collar inserted on an intubation needle. Chris Moore created a 3D printed spacer, referred to as a collar to fit onto the intubation needle. – Using the collar preserves the rigidity of the needle that is necessary to accurately target the trachea, without compromising Animal Welfare.The refi ned procedure1. Anaesthetise the mouse using inhalatory anaesthesia.2. Once unconscious, hook top teeth onto wire frame.3. Gently open the mouth by hooking the forceps around the bottom incisors to expose the throat and tongue.4. Guide the intubation needle, with the collar carefully into the throat. Follow the curve of the tongue to allow for smooth insertion and to avoid the oesophagus.5. When the needle has been fed all the way down, remove the metal I.V. needle so that only the plastic cannula remains in the trachea.6. Take the pipette and place the tip at the end of the needle hub where it joins the plastic cannula. Insert the substance into the trachea.7. If successful, the mouse should begin to breathe while a wet clicking sound can be heard. Gently remove the cannula from the trachea and place mouse back.Benefi ts Benefits Figure 5. Mouse hooked onto the intubation frame Figure 6. Mouse receiving an intratracheal injection Welfare − Lower mortality rate means less mice are used. − Avoids prolonged anaesthesia. − Able to safely intubate younger mice with no risk. Figure 5. Mouse hooked onto the intubation frame. Benefits Figure 5. Mouse hooked onto the intubation frame Figure 6. Mouse receiving an intratracheal injection Welfare − Lower mortality rate means less mice are used. − Avoids prolonged anaesthesia. − Able to safely intubate younger mice with no risk. Figure 6. Mouse receiving an intratracheal injection.– Chris Moore created a 3D printed spacer, referred to as a ‘collar’ to fi t onto the intubation needle.– This collar lengthens the cannula so that it covers the entirety of the intravenous (IV) needle, thus negating the risk of puncturing the trachea during insertion.

224Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Welfare− Lower mortality rate means less mice are used.− Avoids prolonged anaesthesia.− Able to safely intubate younger mice with no risk.− Avoids potential mistakes that could cause injury or death to the animal.Training− Much safer to train – eliminates the mortality rate associated with puncturing the trachea.− Quicker to achieve full competency.− Increases trainee confidence – adopts a positive approach to the procedure, reducing stress and improving mental wellbeing.Experimental− Provides reliable experimental data –animals recover quickly without any adverse affects.− Useful for long-term studies with multiple intubation periods, as there is no risk.− Useful for studies that use younger mice.− Able to accurately target the lungs.Positive feedback“Since being trained in using the collar and stand method, I now very rarely have failed intratracheal injections, resulting in better experiments, using less mice and shorter anaesthesia.” – Clare Weedan, Postdoctoral Project Research Scientist“I can now accurately target all areas of the lungs in my experiments and have been able to confidently train others to reproduce the same results.” – William Hill, Postdoctoral Fellow“At first, I was nervous that using the inhalatory anaesthesia would mean I had to be quicker with the procedure but it has become one of the easiest procedures for me to do and train others in.” – Michael Nagliati, BRF Research Scientist“I did not feel nervous learning this procedure as the refinements meant that I didn’t have to worry about how to hold the cannula or the tongue.” – Ryan Hoskins, BRF Research OfficerPotential future refinementsAlternatively, the use of extended pipette tips could be used instead of the needle/cannula combination. This would allow substances to be directly inserted but as the tips are considerably shorter than the cannula, full proliferation throughout the lungs may not be fully achieved.Intranasal administration can also be used either instead of, or in conjunction with intratracheal intubation. While this is far less invasive for the mice, it is less accurate and can cause unwanted side effects such as tumour growth in the nasal passage which is dependent on the substance used.Lowering the inhalator anaesthesia induction level is potentially a smoother recovery but needs care to ensure the animal does not wake up too soon.AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank Christopher Moore, Helen Bailey, Clare Brazill-Adams, Alan Palmer, Nicholas Chisholm, William Hill, Clare Weedan, Eva Gronroos, Michael Nagliati, Ryan Hoskins and ChrysanteIliakis for their help towards this poster.References1 Intratracheal Intubation Technique SOP by Christopher Moore, The Francis Crick Institute, 08/08/2023.2 Conditional mouse lung cancer models using adenoviral or lentiviral delivery of Cre recombinase; Michael DuPage, Alison Dooley, Tyler Jacks, NIH (2009).Poster Presentations

225August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareSocial media is used to reach a wider audience. ImperialCollege London (ICL) decided to improve its use of social media and engaged in several campaigns to promote our animal research excellences. Platforms like Instagram and X (formally Twitter) are specifi cally common among younger audiences. As such, we decided to use them to explain to younger people e.g. Imperial College students, the reasons and the ethics behind animal research at ICL.#MiceInResearch CampaignIn 2021 Understanding Animal Research (UAR) started a social media campaign using the #MiceInResearch to celebrate openness and transparency around the use of mice in research and to highlight the role of the most used animal in scientifi c research. Every year the campaign involves many institutions engaging with millions of people worldwide through social media platforms using the hashtag.Imperial College London #MiceInResearchAs mice are the most used animal at ICL, in May 2023 we joined UAR’s annual #MiceInResearch social media event with an Instagram takeover. Central Biomedical Services (CBS) opened the doors of the state-of-the-art breeding unit to talk openly about the research and care of mice. The takeover saw as protagonists an Animal Technician, a PhD student and a senior researcher who was also a member of the local Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body (AWERB) working as a team to show the public how we care for mice, why we use mice at ICL and how animal research is regulated.Using social media as a tool to educate about animal researchSTEPHANIE NATARIOImperial College London Correspondence: s.natario@imperial.ac.uk How we care for our animalsStephanie Natario showed that:The health and welfare of our animals is of primary importance, with CBS’s high quality in animal care has been AAALAC Accredited since 2018.We have a team of highly experienced technicians who care for the animals. The animals are provided with food, water, enrichment, companionship and the right environmental conditions to ensure they have a comfortable and happy life.research and care of mice. The takeover saw as protagonists an Animal Technician, a PhD student and a senior researcher who wasalso member of the local Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body (AWERB) working as a team to show the public how we care for mice, why we use mice at ICL and how animal research is regulated.How we care for our animals

226Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020We also make sure to use the correct personal protectiveequipment (PPE) that not only protects us but also protects the animals from anything we may bring from the outside into unit.We work closely with our in-house environmental enrichment committee to give our animals a better lifestyle that allows them to express natural behaviours.Why we use animalsChiara Pojani demonstrated that:Animal use plays an essential part in many ICL Research Programmes, advancing our knowledge of disease and treatment options.We work with animals to understand the mechanisms ofdiseases like obesity and their effects on the human body. Animal research plays a crucial role in identifying ways oftreating diseases.Any experiment is conducted considering the welfare of the animals used and with the principles of the 3Rs in mind.ICL is transparent about their animal research and aims to communicate it openly.Why we use animalsChiara Pojani demonstrated that:Animal use plays an essential part in many ICL Research Programmes, advancing our knowledge of disease and treatment options.We work with animals to understand the mechanisms of diseases like obesity and their effects on the human body. Animal research plays a crucial role in identifying ways of treating diseases.Any experiment is conducted considering the welfare of the animals used and with the principles of the 3Rs in mind.ICL is transparent about their animal research and aims to communicate it openly.How we regulated animal researchElaine Irvine explained that:Before researchers can use animals at Imperial there is a rigorous process they need to go through.They initially need to submit a project licence within ICL which goes through several stages of internal review before being sent to AWERB for further review.The application is then sent to the Home Offi ce for approval.Each application is scrutinised for scientifi c and ethical justifi cation of animal use.This process can take up to a year to be completed.Poster Presentations

227August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster PresentationsMeasuring success The post-takeover analytics showed that the ICL campaign was followed by a high number of users and attracted a good level of engagement on social media (Figure 1).We received the openness award from UAR which was a great achievement for us and encourages us to continue to speak to the public about animal research. What made this take over stand out was that it was technician led and brought in people from separate roles. Measuring success The post-takeover analytics showed that the ICL campaign was followed by a high number of users and attracted a good level of engagement on social media. Figure 1. Thanks to this experience, I felt prouder of my work and felt that what I do is part of a bigger picture. The takeover gave me the confi dence to engage more in initiatives involving openness around animal research as there is still a stigma with regards to testing on animals.We received the openness award from UAR which was a great achievement for us and encourages us to continue to speak to the public about animal research. What made this take over stand out was that it was technician led and brought in people from separate roles. Thanks to this experience, I felt prouder of my work and felt that what I do is part of a bigger picture. The takeover gave me the confidence to engage more in initiatives involving openness around animal research as there is still a stigma with regards to testing on animals. Imperial College London on social media in the future

228Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Imperial College London on social media in the futureWe are working on having dedicated Imperial Animal Research social media channels to continue engaging with the public. Moreover, we also want to focus on helping our local communities learn about the research we have going on. Therefore we are working on developing community engagement initiatives and school projects to inform and educate our neighbourhood about animal research across Imperial College Campuses.ReferencesInstagram Takeover on UAR Instagram Page and the UAR Website.Poster Presentations

229August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareIntroductionMarble Burying Test (MBT) is frequently used to assess anxiety, OCD and repetitive behaviour in laboratory rodents by analysing their normal digging and burying behaviour. Rats bury non-noxious objects such as marbles and food and have been shown in different studies to approach and interact with marbles by sniffing and then deliberately burying the marbles by forward movement of the snout and forepaws.1MBT is a non-regulated behavioural test which allows students at King’s College London who are undertaking the animal module course as part of their Pharmacology degree to evaluate the housing and enrichment of rats and evaluate their behaviour and how they differ between individuals in a thought provoking practical. Students observe the animals in their home cage and look at their normal behaviour before placing them in the test cage to evaluate how this impacts how they behave.Aims− Students to observe and record behaviour.− Does the type of caging; conventional or individually ventilated cage (IVC) impact the rats marble burying behaviour?− Is there a difference between males and females in their burrowing behaviour?Losing our marblesMEGAN WOODBERRY, GARY FULCHER, WILLIAM MINES, ADOLFO VALENCIA GARCIA, RIA TAYLOR, ROSIE-JO NORRIS, SAMUEL DOUGHTY and CLAIRE PEARCE Biological Services, Kings College London Correspondence: megan.woodberry@kcl.ac.uk Method− Cages were filled with wood chip bedding 5cm deep. Bedding was reused between experiments and flattened down between tests. Each rat returned to the same test cage.− 15 glass marbles of different colours and patterns were used and placed 4cm apart within the cage.− 2 cohorts of males and females (IVC 2 males and 2 females and conventional 3 males and 3 females) were used and the same cohort was used throughout the study.− 1 Sprague Dawley (SD) rat (6-weeks-old at the start of the study) was placed in each cage and left in a quiet, undisturbed room for 30 minutes once daily at 3pm for 3 weeks, followed by a 2 week break before retesting for a further 3 weeks. This continued for 4 months.− Marbles were counted after each burying session. A fully buried marble counted as the whole marble being covered by the substrate and if the marble was covered by two-thirds of substrate then this was partially buried.− Whilst not on study the SD rats were housed in pairs, kept on a 12-hour light/dark cycle and had access to food and water ad libitum.Results− Is there a difference between males and females in their burrowing behaviour? Method − Cages were filled with wood chip bedding 5cm deep. Bedding was reused between experiments and flattened down between tests. Each rat returned to the same test cage. − 15 glass marbles of different colours and patterns were used and placed 4cm apart within the cage. − 2 cohorts of males and females (IVC 2 males and 2 females and conventional 3 males and 3 females) were used and the same cohort was used throughout the study. − 1 Sprague Dawley (SD) rat (6-weeks-old at the start of the study) was placed in each cage and left in a quiet, undisturbed room for 30 minutes once daily at 3pm for 3 weeks, followed by a 2 week break before retesting for a further 3 weeks. This continued for 4 months. − Marbles were counted after each burying session. A fully buried marble counted as the whole marble being covered by the substrate and if the marble was covered by 2/3’s of substrate then this was partially buried. − Whilst not on study the SD rats were housed in pairs, kept on a 12-hour light/dark cycle and had access to food and water ad libitum. Results

230Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Data was analysed by conducting a statistical T-Test. This provided a statistically significant finding (p=7.10E-12) showing rats housed in IVCs buried more marbles than that of those housed in conventional cages.Furthermore, there is statistical significance (p=5.65E-05) finding that female rats bury more marbles than male rats regardless of the cage type.The MBT provides students with an opportunity to observe any stressors that may occur. The timing of the study provided us with a great opportunity to assess whether moving from conventional caging to IVCs caused behavioural changes. Further studies need to be conducted to draw conclusions.The QR code displayed at the top left corner will show you a short clip of the interactions between one of the test rats and marbles.The number of marbles buried within the MBT did not diminish throughout the test therefore we can rule out that the rats became habituated during the test and exposure times as marble burying is consistent with repetitive behaviour or compulsion as well as repetitive digging behaviour.Steroid hormones, progesterone and oestrogen could be influencing the approach/anxiety behaviour in females, thus impacting on the number of marbles that the females are burying.2Students provided highly positive feedback on this practical such as ‘I hadn’t thought about the behavioural aspect of animal research before the marble burying practical’ and the enjoyment of performing a hand on practical with different species.AcknowledgementsPharmacology students at King’s College London.Thanks to the Hodgkin BSF technical staff; Gary Fulcher, William Mines, Adolfo Valencia Garcia, Ria Taylor, Rosie-Jo Norris, Samuel Doughty and Claire Pearce.References1 https://www.nature.com/articles/nprot.2006.202 Progestogens and estrogen influence impulsive burying and avoidant freezing behavior of naturally cycling and ovariectomized rats – ScienceDirect Discussion The aim of the study was for the students to observe and record behaviours in the rats, to look at the different caging types and to see if there was a difference between males and females in their burrowing behaviour of non-noxious objects such as marbles. We will explore our findings here. DiscussionThe aim of the study was for the students to observe and record behaviours in the rats, to look at the different caging types and to see if there was a difference between males and females in their burrowing behaviour of non-noxious objects such as marbles. We will explore our findings here.One theory of the rats burying more marbles in IVCs compared to conventional caging could be because the rats are being placed into a new cage environment which is not mimicking their home cage. Poster Presentations

231August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareBackgroundA consistent and regular photoperiod is an important variable to control in research with animal models. Light has a major influence on both physiology and behaviour in mammals, especially regulating circadian rhythms. At the Crick, reverse light cycle rooms are used in behavioural studies as mice are nocturnal. This allows researchers studying behaviour and neuroscience to test and train animals in the dark when mice are most active, during normal working hours. In these rooms red lighting is used because of rodent insensitivity to long wavelength light, allowing staff to see while mice respond as if in darkness. Interruption of darkness with light at night (LAN) can disturb biological and circadian rhythms, so restricting this is also especially important. However working in the dark can also impact staff welfare affecting human circadian rhythms. This poster explores the challenges and advantages of these rooms, including opportunities for refinement and the adjustments we have made.Introduction: the importance of light− Consistent photoperiods are vital to maintain circadian rhythms in mammals. Light has been shown to have a substantial influence on the physiology and behaviour of laboratory mice.1− The lighting conditions of holding rooms are significant to Animal Welfare and experimental reproducibility. Light intensity wavelength and photoperiod should all be considered.Shifting shadows: navigating the challenges and benefits of reverse photoperiod rooms in rodent behavioural studiesOONA SHAH and TRINITY CAMACHO Francis Crick Institute Correspondence: Caroline.zverev@crick.ac.uk Light at night (LAN) disturbs biological rhythms and can affect stress levels, immune response, depression like response and even result in an increased risk of cancer.2 Even 15-minute bursts of light can cause increased stress levels in laboratory mice. During periods of darkness, effort should be taken to minimise any light exposure.3,4,5Visual sensitivity of mice vs humans− Mice have poor vision (qualifying as legally blind by human standards).− Mice rely on sight for many different functions: simple object detection, movement detection and detecting changes in environmental light levels.1− Differences in visual pigments result in different sensitivities to different wavelengths of light.− Humans are maximally sensitive to red, green and blue light.− Mice are maximally sensitive to ultraviolet and green wavelength light.− Therefore mice are less sensitive to long wavelength light (red) than humans (Figure 1).At 600nm (red light) humans are 12 times more sensitive than mice.1Red light can be used for mouse behavioural work where mice respond as if in darkness but researchers are able to see. However the lighting must be of sufficient dimness as mice can still see under red light but at a reduced sensitivity.Most lighting is measured and regulated using lux, a unit based on perceived brightness weighted to the sensitivity

232Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020of the human visual system. This is not relevant to non-human species which possess a different spectral sensitivity to light. Instead a spectrophotometer could be used although these tend to be much more expensive.Role of reverse lighting− Mice are used as a model to study human physiology and disease but most research is carried out when the mice are inactive/asleep during the day.−Studying mice under a reverse light cycle may producemore reliable and translatable data.− Reversing the light cycle means the mice can be tested in the dark during the normal working day.− Light plays a critical role in many non-visual responses,including regulating circadian rhythms, sleep, pupil constriction, heart rate, hormone release and learningand memory.−Reverse lighting is often preferred for housing animalsin behavioural testing experiments.Getting the most out of red lightAll holding room lights gradually turn on/off over a period of approximately 30 minutes with a dusk and dawnfunction avoiding a sudden change in darkness andmimics the natural effect of a sunrise/sunset. This gradualchange means we can avoid the stress response animals experience from LAN.Animal facilities generally use white laboratory light whichis provided by white LED lights or fl uorescent strip lightingthat is usually measured in lux.Lighting is regulated under ASPA in lux however this is more to do with the local regulations that are required for staff to work under than for Animal Welfare.Calculating the wavelengths present in white light involvestaking measurements with a spectrophotometer or power meter and complex calculations. Knowing the intensity of the wavelengths that make up white light is not a requirement in the Code of Practice.Making sure that the light in reverse lighting rooms is of an appropriate intensity has been convoluted. Measurements have been taken in lux and although the intensity reads 0, the rooms are not under complete darkness but low intensity red light. There is still enough light for (limited) human sight, but not for mice.It has been suggested that the spectral power distribution of light sources should be reported to ensure reproducibility. Knowing the lighting type and the lux measurements can provide a general idea of the content of the white light in holding rooms.A free toolbox created by Stuart Peirson www.ndcn.ox.uk/team/stuart-peirson has been used here to display an approximation of the Crick spectral power distribution (Figure 2) in a holding room during daylight hours with fl uorescent light at 363 lux.Figure 1. Schematic representation of human vs mouse sensitivities to different wavelengths of light. Made using BioRender.Light Transmission in Human Eyes Light Transmission in Mouse EyesFigure 2. Graph showing the spectral power distribution ofnormal Crick holding rooms.wavelength (nm)spectral power distributionµW.cm-2.nm-114.012.010.08.06.04.02.00.0300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750Poster Presentations

233August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster PresentationsReverse light rooms at the Crick Acclimatisation periods− Non-standard lighting cycles have been repeatedly shown to hasten death in animals.6− Studies have shown that phase advance (earlier onsetof light) is more detrimental than phase delay in bothhumans and rodents7.− One study suggests that for each hour of acute phase advance, the molecular clock requires 1 entire day for expression to shift to, e.g. 6-hour phase shift = 6 days of acclimatisation.7More research is needed on the ideal acclimatisation period, and increasing these times is a key refi nement opportunity.Impacts on animals, technicians and scientistsAnimals− Welfare checks in dim light may result in indicators of ill health being missed.−In a surgery heavy room (cranial implants, craniotomies),blood may be hard to spot.Technicians− Diffi cult to work in darkness. Work must be completed early, which can impact the distribution of work across the facility.− Extended periods working in red light may result in eye strain.Scientists− Spending a signifi cant amount of time in dim lighting can affect the human circadian rhythm and cause problems sleeping.− Transferring animals to reverse lighting required organisation and more planning.“Working under red light affected my sleep cycle. It shifted 3 to 4 hours later, and I couldn’t sleep until 03:00 to 04:00 which left me feeling exhausted.”MG, a scientist who works under reverse lighting conditionsfor several hours daily.Researchers can adjust the lighting in the behavioural area (Figure 3) while the lighting behind the curtain where mice are housed, is on a fi xed timer.Crick Institute light cycles: Figure 3 example of a reverse light holding room. Researchers can adjust the lighting in the behavioural area (Figure 3) while the lighting behind the curtain, where mice are housed, is on a fixed timer. Crick Institute light cycles: Normal photoperiod 07:00 to 19:00 hours Reverse photoperiod 22:00 to 10:00 hours Animal and staff Welfare provisions The room consists of: − Behavioural area lights can manually be changed between white and red lighting. − Hoods can be changed to white or red light. − IVC rack area behind a blackout curtain on an automatic timer. Figure 3. Example of a reverse light holding room.Animal and staff welfare provisionsThe room consists of:− Behavioural area lights can manually be changed between white and red lighting.− Hoods can be changed to white or red light.− IVC rack area behind a blackout curtain on an automatic timer.− A light proof curtain around the outside of door stopslight entering when the door is opened. − This allows for researchers to work under normal lighting, even during dark hours.Normal photoperiod 07:00 to 19:00 hoursReverse photoperiod 22:00 to 10:00 hoursMinimum mouse acclimatisation times at the CrickMinor and terminal procedures = 2 daysSurgical procedures = 7 days

234Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Challenges and opportunities for refinementChallenges RefinementSummaryRed light is the most effective approach to studying rodent innate nocturnal behaviour, given their inherent insensitivity to long wavelength light. However it is important to carefully regulate the dimness of the lighting to ensure the mice cannot perceive the red lights.Prior to commencing any procedural work an acclimatisation period for the mice becomes necessary due to the alteration in photo periods.Additionally, disruptions in darker conditions such as LAN pose significant welfare concerns, potentially modifying rodent natural nocturnal behaviours.It is crucial to acknowledge the potential impacts on employees as prolonged exposure to red light may interrupt the human circadian rhythm and give rise to various health issues.Wider industry awareness on the significance of LAN exposure, with a view to prioritising both employee wellbeing and Animal Welfare.Better reporting on the spectral distribution in labs could improve scientific outcomes and reproducibility.AcknowledgementsThanks to Sam Cooper, Helen Bailey, Caroline Zverev and Clare Brazill-Adams.References1 Peirson, S.N. et al. (2018). Light and the laboratory mouse, Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 2 Emmer, K.M. et al. (2018). Effects of light at night on laboratory animals and r y animals and research outcomes, Behavioural Neuroscience. 3 Fonken, L.K. et al. (2009). Influence of light at night on murine anxiety- and depressive-like responses, Behavioural Brain Research.4 Wang, T. et al. (2023). Effects of outdoor artificial light at night on human health and behavior: A literature review, Environmental Pollution, 5 Wilson, A.-L. and Downs, C.T. (2015). Light interference and melatonin affects digestion and glucocorticoid metabolites in striped mouse, Biological Rhythm Research. 6 Wolff, G. et al. (2013). Chronic phase advance alters circadian physiological rhythms and peripheral molecular clocks, Journal of Applied Physiology.7 Wolff, G. et al. (2013). Chronic phase advance alters circadian physiological rhythms and peripheral molecular clocks, Journal of Applied Physiology. Poster PresentationsChallengesRefinementMaintaining acclimatisation periods can delay experimentsLack of awareness on the effect of LAN and inadequate acclimatisation periodsGaps in awareness and legislation Risk of eye strainInformation may be hard to readLimiting exposure to Light at Night (LAN)Wavelengths measurements not in Code of PracticeToo many changes in photoperiod may lead to mice becoming stressedLux as a unit of measurement is based on human experiences of light intensity, so is not very relevantSpectrophotometers are very expensive and impracticalThe effect of lighting on experimental results is not fully understoodDusking and dawning function allows for gentle transitions between light and dark, reducing stress in the animalsOpaque bags used for transport of cages to better block out lightReduced brightness of red lighting and red-light torchesIncreased use of reverse lighting in research leading to a better understanding of light on resultsIncreased acclimatisation periods up to 2 weeksLimiting working time under red lightEliminating light pollution at night e.g. turning off switches, printers and covering lights with cardIncreased wider recognition of the impact of LANWider recognition of the impact of wavelength range on reproducibilityBetter reporting on the spectral distribution in labs

235August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareIntroductionCambridge: a global hub of innovationCambridge recognised as one of the world’s foremost business clusters is celebrated for its vibrant entrepreneurial culture in science and technology. The burgeoning biomedical, biotech and IT industries have propelled the region into a global epicentre for groundbreaking innovation. However this rapid growth hasaccentuated a pressing skills shortage across scientifi c and technological roles, ranging from entry-level to post-doctoral positions.Bridging the skills gap – Cambridge Academy of Science and Technology As an initiative-taking response to this challenge, theCambridge Academy of Science and Technology (CAST), a proud member of the Cambridge Academic Partnership(CAP) and supported by the Baker Dearing Trust as a University Technical College (UTC) stands as a beaconof solution. CAST specialises in delivering focussed education for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering,and Maths (STEM). Tailored for young minds aged from13 to 19 years old, CAST’s comprehensive programmeencompasses GCSE, A Level and BTEC coursescomplemented by a unique opportunity for students to collaborate with nearby businesses engaged in innovative scientifi c pursuits.Challenge projects: nurturing skills for the futureAt the core of CAST’s innovative educational approach lies the ‘Challenge Project’ model. Integrated into the curriculum, Challenge Projects immerse students in realand pertinent research and work, cultivating essential Fostering excellence in STEM education – unlocking opportunities for outreachTONY DAVIDGE Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of CambridgeCorrespondence: tony.davidge@cruk.cam.ac.uk skills crucial for success in STEM fi elds. From designing robotic arms to delving into bioinformatics-based projectswith industry leaders, these projects provide fi rsthand experiences that go beyond traditional classroom learning.2023 Challenge project winnersIndustry collaborations and recognition: a decade of Dragons Den ExcellenceOriginally organised by the MRC, the Challenge Projects have been orchestrated by CRUK’s Cambridge Institute for the past 10 years. Enjoying invaluable support from esteemed Cambridge-based organisations involved in laboratory animal research, both historically and presently, the Challenge Projects have also garnered support from industry players. This collaboration has facilitated introductions to individually ventilated cages (IVCs), green technology, career Industry collaborations and recognition: a decade of Dragons’ Den ExcellenceOriginally organised by the MRC, the Challenge Projects have been orchestrated by CRUK’s Cambridge Institute for the past 10 years. Enjoying invaluable support from esteemed Cambridge-based organisations involved inlaboratory animal research, both historically and presently, the Challenge Projects have also garnered support from industry players. This collaboration has facilitated

236Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020introductions to individually ventilated cages (IVCs), green technology, career pathways and the design and marketing of environmental enrichment – including recentexploration into the principles of technical design.This immersive experience equips students with a profound understanding of legislative, biosecurity, practical and welfare constraints. Throughout their 3-month journey, students benefi t from insights shared by expert speakers, virtual and actual facility tours. The grand fi nale of the project is a Dragons’ Den style pitch where various teams of students passionately sell their ideas, supported with fl yers, infographics, video and 3D modelling. The Dragons, a select group of technicians, managers, suppliers and named individuals, provide invaluable feedback. A fortunate few even secure covetedwork experience opportunities.Thank you and acknowledgementsA special acknowledgment goes to Theresa Langford for her exceptional foresight in developing the programme – her commitment and innovative approach truly elevated the project. To all those who have supported us in the past your contributions have been exceptional.This poster stands as a testament to the collaborative spirit and hard work of all the team involved. Thank you all for your invaluable contributions!Poster Presentations

237August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareLaboratory animal allergens (LAA) are so common in the workplace that approximately 15 to 20% of individuals with no previous allergic condition will become sensitisedif no controls are implemented.Laboratory animal allergens – a BVS approachJAMES CAMERON University of Edinburgh Bioresearch and Veterinary ServicesCorrespondence: Jim.Cameron@ed.ac.uk – Maintenance of 12 to 16 air changes per hour in the holding rooms.– Operation of negative pressure holding rooms.– Increased use of individually ventilated cages for ratsand mice.– Daily use of safe changing stations, downdraft tables,dump stations and LAF cabinets.Laboratory animal allergens (LAA) are so common in the workplace that approximately 15 to 20% of individuals with no previous allergic condition will become sensitised if no controls are implemented.BVS recognise both the hazard and risks associated with this and work to reduce the LAA risks through engineering, procedural and personal protective equipment (PPE) controls.Laboratory animal allergens (LAA) are so common in the workplace that approximately 15 to 20% of individuals with no previous allergic condition will become sensitised if no controls are implemented.BVS recognise both the hazard and risks associated with this and work to reduce the LAA risks through engineering, procedural and personal protective equipment (PPE) controls.BVS recognise both the hazard and risks associated withthis and work to reduce the LAA risks through engineering, procedural and personal protective equipment (PPE) controls.• Maintenance of 12 to 16 air changes per hour in the holding rooms.• Operation of negative pressure holding rooms.• Increased use of individually ventilated cages for rats and mice.• Daily use of safe changing stations, downdraft tables, dump stations and LAF cabinets.Engineering controls • Compliance with national/University of Edinburgh/local policies and guidance. • Restricted facility entry procedure. • Comprehensive induction process including mandatory training requirements. • Robust health surveillance programme. • Specific procedures for visitors. • Routine local inspections to check compliance. Procedural controls – Compliance with national/University of Edinburgh/local policies and guidance.– Restricted facility entry procedure.– Comprehensive induction process including mandatory training requirements.• Maintenance of 12 to 16 air changes per hour in the holding rooms.• Operation of negative pressure holding rooms.• Increased use of individually ventilated cages for rats and mice.• Daily use of safe changing stations, downdraft tables, dump stations and LAF cabinets.Engineering controls

238Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020– Robust health surveillance programme.– Specifi c procedures for visitors.– Routine local inspections to check compliance.• complete clothes change• long sleeved tops• mob caps• gloves (disposable and permanent)• respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE)• Complete clothes change• Long sleeved tops• Mob caps• Gloves (disposable and permanent)• Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE)PPE controls• Complete clothes change• Long sleeved tops• Mob caps• Gloves (disposable and permanent)• Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE)PPE controls• Complete clothes change• Long sleeved tops• Mob caps• Gloves (disposable and permanent)• Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE)PPE controls• Complete clothes change• Long sleeved tops• Mob caps• Gloves (disposable and permanent)• Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE)PPE controlsImplementation of these BVS controls mitigate the risk of LAA exposure to staff and visitors.• Complete clothes change• Long sleeved tops• Mob caps• Gloves (disposable and permanent)• Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE)PPE controls• Complete clothes change• Long sleeved tops• Mob caps• Gloves (disposable and permanent)• Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE)PPE controls• Complete clothes change• Long sleeved tops• Mob caps• Gloves (disposable and permanent)• Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE)PPE controls• Complete clothes change• Long sleeved tops• Mob caps• Gloves (disposable and permanent)• Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE)PPE controls• Complete clothes change• Long sleeved tops• Mob caps• Gloves (disposable and permanent)• Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE)PPE controlsWe provide and wear comfortable and appropriate PPE and RPEWe work with safe caging and equipmentWe have guidance to follow to keep me safeWe have suffi cient information, instructions and traningOur health is monitored and advice providedPoster Presentations

239August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2024 Animal Technology and WelfareIntroduction/backgroundThe pain or distress that an animal experiences during scientifi c procedures should be minimised as much as possible. There are now a wide range of analgesia methods that can be used following on from a surgical procedure. Administering oral analgesics can cause stress to the animals. So how can this be provided to the animal with minimal handling and no inconvenience to the user?An adequate analgesic strategy is important to improve the postoperative recovery and welfare of laboratory animals. It is desirable that the method for administering the drug is non-invasive and stress-free. Below are a few methods that we use to minimise restraining animals after any surgery.Working together with animal care staff, the named veterinary surgeon and the animal users, we came up with new ideas to promote Animal Welfare.Metacam jelly – MiceAt the SWC we use fl avoured jelly (Hartleys™ strawberry fl avour) mixed with Metacam as an alternative to injectable Metacam for the mice and rats after they have surgery. The jelly is low cost and easy to order. We fi rst discussed with our NVS on how this may work and the correct dosages needed, and then once we rolled it out, we emailed the potential users and got the message around.Analgesia administration practices to support minimal handling ROSIE KEENAN1, AMY LYNCH1, SIAN MURPHY1, ELENI AMANITI1, TINA O’MAHONY2, OLGA WOOLMER2, GEORGIE WILKINSON3andARTURO FERNANDEZ41 Sainsbury Wellcome Centre (SWC)2 Cambridge University3 Red Kite Veterinary Consultants4 Francis Crick InstituteCorrespondence: rosie.keenan@ucl.ac.uk We fi rst acclimatise the animals by using plain jelly (Figure 1).At the SWC we use flavoured jelly (Hartleys™strawberry flavour)mixed with Metacam as an alternative to injectable Metacam for themice and rats after they have surgery.The jelly is low cost and easy to order. We first discussed with our NVS on how this may work, and the correct dosages needed andthen once we rolled it out, we emailed the potential users and got themessage around.We first acclimatise the animals by using plain jelly (Figure 1).Figure 1 plain jelly syringeThis is because mice are neophobic and this helps them get used tothe new substance. We do this by putting plain jelly onto the floor oftheir home cage a few days before their scheduled surgery. After thesurgery the mice are given Metacam jelly to help with any pain theymay feel (Figure 2).Figure 1. Plain jelly syringe.At the SWC we use flavoured jelly (Hartleys™strawberry flavour)mixed with Metacam as an alternative to injectable Metacam for themice and rats after they have surgery.The jelly is low cost and easy to order. We first discussed with our NVS on how this may work, and the correct dosages needed andthen once we rolled it out, we emailed the potential users and got themessage around.We first acclimatise the animals by using plain jelly (Figure 1).Figure 1 plain jelly syringeThis is because mice are neophobic and this helps them get used tothe new substance. We do this by putting plain jelly onto the floor oftheir home cage a few days before their scheduled surgery. After thesurgery the mice are given Metacam jelly to help with any pain theymay feel (Figure 2).Figure 2. Metacam jelly syringe.This is because mice are neophobic and this helps themget used to the new substance. We do this by putting plain jelly onto the fl oor of their home cage a few days before their scheduled surgery. After the surgery the mice are given Metacam jelly to help with any pain they may feel (Figure 2).Currently this can only be done for animals that are singly housed as they need the correct dose of pain relief.Bacon fl avoured Meloxicam tablets – RatsWe also use bacon fl avoured tablets that contain Meloxicam(RatMD’s™). Similar with the jelly a placebo tablet is given a few days before so the animal will get used to the tablet texture and taste. This tablet is placed on the cage fl oor for the rats to consume.

240Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Burrito holdThe burrito hold is used as a handling practice to avoid using the scruffi ng restraint. We use this method to provide mice with an oral administration of a drug, themice are wrapped in a clean cloth with their heads comingout of the top. This is often used if animals are group housed so we can make sure the mice have the correct dosage each. The mice feel secure in the cloth and it allows the user to have a good restraint (Figure 4).AcknowledgementsSWC NRF Team (Aaron Donaldson, Amy Lynch, AmyVeness, Chris Power, Eleni Amaniti, Matilda McClenaghan, Niamh Barlow, Sian Murphy, Sandra Stojkovska, Tina O’Mahony, Luke O’Hara). Research groups at the SWC (Branco lab, Margrie lab, Stephenson-Jones lab, Duan lab,Erlich lab, Akrami lab, O’keefe lab, Burgess lab, Hofer lab, Mrsic Flogel lab.Figure 2 Metacam jelly syringe Currently this can only be done for animals that are singly housed as they need the correct dose of pain relief. Bacon flavoured Meloxicam tablets -Rats We also use bacon flavoured tablets that contain Meloxicam (RatMD’s™). Similar with the jelly a placebo tablet is given a few days before so the animal will get used to the tablet texture and taste. This tablet is placed on the cage floor for the rats to consume. Figure 3 Meloxicam tablets – average dose is 1 x 5gm tablet per rat Burrito hold The burrito hold is used as a handling practice to avoid using the scruffing restraint. We use this method to provide mice with an oral administration of a drug, the mice are wrapped in a clean cloth with Figure 3. Meloxicam tablets – average dose is 1 x 5gm tablet per rat.their heads coming out of the top. This is often used if animals are group housed so we can make sure the mice have the correct dosage each. The mice feel secure in the cloth and it allows the user to have a good restraint (Figure 4). Figure 4 burrito hold on a mouse Acknowledgements SWC NRF Team (Aaron Donaldson, Amy Lynch, Amy Veness, Chris Power, Eleni Amaniti, Matilda McClenaghan, Niamh Barlow, Sian Murphy, Sandra Stojkovska, Tina O’Mahony, Luke O’Hara). Research Figure 4. Burrito hold on a mouse.Poster Presentations

COME AND CELEBRATE THE IAT’S 75THANNIVERSARY YEAR WITH US2025 is a JOINT meeting with LAVA To discuss any aspect of Congress or if you have any questions for the Congress Committee, please contact us at congress@iat.org.uk DELEGATE REGISTRATION*CLOSES FRIDAY 21STFEBRUARY Check for updates www.iat.org.uk SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME AVAILABLEPROVISIONAL AT A GLANCEto view on the Congress website by registered delegates KEVIN DOLAN MEMORIAL LECTUREWe are excited to announce a very popular and entertaining Guest Speaker – more to followTHERE’S STILL TIME TO SUBMIT A POSTER DISPLAY Submissions will be accepted UNTIL 31STJANUARYOur 75thAnniversary GALA Dinner with live music is NOT to be missed Places are limited so book early!The largest Trade Exhibition of its kind in the UK will also take place - see all our Industry can offer with the latest innovations and developments*accommodation and travel are not included in the delegate packages, information is available after you have registeredThe three “Call for …” announcements are rolled out in this issue of the Bulletin showing

Mental Health AwarenessWhat is Compassion Fatigue?It’s a type of mental pain that presents as an emotional and physical exhaustion that causes us to reduce our capacity to empathise or feel compassion for animals and for other peopleSo why are Animal Technicians, Vets and Researchers affected?lIt’s the exposure to potential animal suffering, often death of the animal and sacrificing excess stock.lFrequently having to deal with ethical dilemmas – moral stress, or moral injury, are primary contributors to compassion fatigueWhen you are caring for animals, you need to remember totake care of yourself and your own mental wellbeingHere are a few ideasAre you an IAT member and feel that you would benefit from speaking to a trained mental health first aider? There are a group of people that would be happy to chat:Scan the QRC or Click here to request contact with a MHFA Institute ofAnimal TechnologyCOUNCILEDI GroupBE HEALTHYtake some exercise that you enjoyBE MINDFUL OF YOUenjoy what you like to do - walking, listening to your favourite musicBE HONESTtalk to people about your feelingsBE PROUDof the scientific breakthroughs you may have contributed toBE POSITIVEand thankfulHow are youFEELING?ESTABLISHCLEARBOUNDARIESBE AWARE OF WHAT’S NORMAL FOR YOUBE KIND TO YOURSELFiat.org.uk