Koordinationsfonds

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. André Bleich
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Biologie des Verhaltens und der Sinne
• Förderung: Förderung von 2017 bis 2022
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 321137804

Animal based research needs to strictly adhere to the 3R principle (replace, refine, reduce), not only for the ethical justification of the use of animals in science, but also to ensure the highest quality of data due to standardization. An immanent part of this principle is the grading of pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm animals experience during procedures. Therefore, this grading has become central in European and national regulations that have recently been revised. However, scientifically sound scales, as well as broadly accepted and in routine work applicable model specific measures to grade this discomfort are lacking. This deficit in the research landscape impacts both, ethical considerations as well as the quality of animal based research data. In addition, the discrepancy of current regulations and scientific knowledge momentarily hinders biomedical research that still requires testing hypotheses in animals. Therefore, the Research Unit SEVERITY ASSESSMENT aims at implementing relevant research projects and networks to overcome this situation. Insight is needed from various fields to gain model specific methods for assessing severity that can be applied in routine settings. These methods shall provide objective and gradable parameters that enable to correlate test results with severity grades, e.g. those defined by EU regulations. Existing methods are to be validated and have to be refined; new methods have to be developed. In this context, minimal or non-invasive surveillance and imaging approaches will be indispensable. Based on this knowledge, research models and procedures will be refined to minimize discomfort by identifying and approaching critical stress factors. As stress also contributes to variation, detecting these critical factors will also help to better standardize animal models and to enhance quality of research data based on animal experimentation. Lastly, recommendations for the grading of models and procedures according to official severity classifications will be published as an indispensable tool for scientists, authorities, and review boards.

• DFG-Verfahren: Forschungsgruppen
• Teilprojekt zu: FOR 2591: Severity assessment in animal-based research
• Mitverantwortlich: Professor Dr. René H. Tolba