January 2021 : simplebooklet.com

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EDITOR*Carole Wilsonbulletineditor@iat.org.ukASSISTANT EDITOR*Paul Barwoodbulletinassistant@iat.org.ukADVERTISEMENTMANAGERSPRCAssociates Ltdmail@prcassoc.co.ukPublished monthly by theInstitute of AnimalTechnology*Registered Office:5South ParadeSummertownOxfordOX2 7JLISSN 0263-2861For enquiries other thanBulletin related contact:IATADMINISTRATOR*admin@iat.org.ukor 0800 085 4380BulletinFinal copy date forAugust Bulletin23rdJuneThe opinions expressed in theBulletin do not necessarily reflectthose of the Editor or theInstitute.CONTENTSDear Readers 5___________________________________CLAST information 6-7___________________________________Welcome to MySociety –8-11The IATMembershipDatabase___________________________________BING and Branch Reps –14-15first joint meeting___________________________________AS-ET News 16-18___________________________________Diary Dates 19___________________________________Vol57No1January 2021CONTENTSFinalcopydateforMarch Bulletin23rdJanuaryDear Readers 5Congress Announcement 6Graham Morrissey Retires 7Equality and Diversity 8-9AS-ET News 12-14Animal Sentience and 15-28ResearchWest Middlesex Branch 29AnnouncementChristmas Emoji Quiz 30answersScience Council 31AnnouncementCruelty Free and Animal 32-35RightsDiary Dates 39IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 3 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 5Happy New Year –wweellccoommee ttoo 22002211,, let ushope it turns out bbeetttteerr tthhan 2020!Some newwss ttostart with, you may have noticed inDecemmbbeeer’sBulletin –- Connngress 2021 will be heldvirtuuaaalllly this year –see paggge6for information. Thatiss ttthhhegood news, unfortunately for all of us hopingtttoattend the West Middleeesex Branch Annual TechSymposium this has had tooobe cancelled, again asyou may haveseenlast mooonth –ifnot page 29 forinformation. Let’shope weeecan all be together and not virtually in 202222.Iusually like to start the NNNew Year with articles designeeedto make usall think and this year is nooodifferent. We have agreat aaarticlebyElla OOO’Shaughnessy discussing sentience. I think we can all agrrree that everythingwe do as AnimalTechniciaaans and Technologggists is underrrpinned by thebelief that the animals weeecare for are sentient. Ella exppplains to us whhhatis meant by thatterm and how we apply that understanding to theuse of animals in research. I think this is anamazingarttticle describingsomething that is both prooofound and difﬁcult to describeeloquently,even perhaps to ourselves. Iknow Istruggle sometimesssand Iam alsoaware that some people dddonot feel ﬁsh are sentient, I think they arepersonally but I wonder, wwwhere you drawthe line? See pages 15-28 ffforElla’s very thought-provokkking piece.As well as food for thoughhht, sentiencecan be acontrovvversial subject,many people do notagreeeeon what it is and the levelatwhichspeciessshhhaaavvveeeiiittt...IIIwwwooouuulllddd llliiikkkeeetttooodddrrraaaawwwyyyooouuurrraaatttttteeennntttiiiooonnntttoooaaannn aaarrrtttiiicccllleeeewwwhhhiiiccchhhIIIhhhaaadddto think longand hard about publishing. See pages 32 – 35 for apieceeetttracking the history of the antivivisection movement. Although theseggrrooouuupppssscccaaammmpppaaaiiigggnnnaaagggaaaiiinnnssstttcccrrruuueeellltttyyy, aaagggaaaiiinnnssseeennntttiiieeennnccceeehhhaaassstttooobbbeeettthhheeeaaatttttthhheeeheaarrt of their argument.Ihope thhiiss month’sBulletin provides you with food for thouugghht,Dear ReadersCaroleHappy Reading!IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 5 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 7Graham Morrissey RetirementItiswith amixture of sadness and joythat Iwish to inform IATmembers ofthe retirement of Graham from his postas Director of the BSF at The University ofManchester.Sadness because we have worked togetherand been mates for over 40 years, havingboth started in the animal unit as teenagersin the late 1970’s. Joy because he and Gailare retiring to their home in Ambleside inthe beautiful English Lake District.Graham started his career at The Universityin 1979 as atrainee Animal Techniciangaining his IATCertiﬁcate and Membership.He went on to obtain aDegree and MSc inNeuroscience with Pedro Lowenstein’slabwhilst also working fulltime in the animalunit.His dedication and hard work, coupled with asense of humour,saw himappointed as successor to Terry Priest on his retirement 5years ago to hiscurrent post as Director of the facility.Working with Nicky Windows, they revived the dormant Cheshire branch of theIAT, now renamed the North West Branch, building up athriving active group.After the University became asignatory to The Concordat on Openness inAnimal Research, Graham has been instrumental in moving this forward atManchester,making the openness agenda central to what we do and winningawards for the animal research website and 360 degree video tour of ourfacility.Graham will be greatly missed by all his staffand colleagues at Manchester.Iamsure all his friends in the IATwill join me to wish Graham and Gail alongand happy retirement.Mike Simonsen JacksonIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 7 19/01/2021 11:07

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8PovertyIATLAUNCHESEQUALITYAND DIVERSITYGenderRaceSexual Orient ationDiscriminationAgeReligionorBeliefDisabilityEthnicityFairAnti-oppressive practiceFairYouthWorkSexValuesEmpowermentLegislationDifferenc eSocietyEqualRightsStatusOpportunitiesClassBeliefsEducationNOBODYISTHE SAMEBUTEVERYONE IS EQUALInstitute of Animal TechnologyAdvancing and promotingexcellence in the careand welfare of animals in scienceEnsuring policies,procedures and processes don’tdiscriminateEducation-equal accesstoopportunitiesCreatinganinclusive culturefor allwww.iat.org.uk/equalityGROUPIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 8IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 8 19/01/2021 11:0719/01/2021 11:07

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9Each month during 2021, the IATEquality and Diversity Groupaims to promote 1ofthe protected characteristicsThis month,Let’sTalk about …Racism, and how to end racism in the workplaceTherehave been recent deep rooted issues of racism within our societies –brought into sharp focusthrough the Black Lives Matters Movement. Actions to tackle racism such as footballers walking offpitches, anti racism marches, protests and the promotion of anti racism behaviour by leading ﬁguressuch as José Mourinho, have been fully supported but how can we tackle racism in the workplaceand within our everyday lives?‘It is not enough to say you are not racist, you have to be anti racist’ (CIPD 2020)Racism has detrimental impacts on many workers and manifests itself in many ways, such as:l verbal abusel employees being denied training or promotionl racist comments and jokesl bullying and harassmentl physical violencel being singled out and treated differentlyThe impact of racism on mental health, general wellbeing and performance at work has devastatingconsequences.Racismhas no place in oursociety.Wemust all play our part in ensuring that prejudiceisstamped outand organisations should be promoting diverseand supportive cultures of respect andfairnessfor all.But how can we do this within our organisation?- Ensure that your organisation has astrong equality,diversity and dignity policy that explicitlyincludes zero tolerance of racism.- Diversifying the talent pool and championing inclusive workplaces.- Creating safe open spaces where people can talk openly,together,asprofessionals.- Create spaces where individuals feel safe and can discuss their own issues should any arise, inconﬁdence and with support.- Have bold and honest conversations with your team.- Implement support systems that enable everyone to meet their full potential.- Take action regarding bullying and harassment.- Communicate messages on a2-way basis regarding anti racist policies and practises.- Commit to sustained action and willingness to change.- Be nice, kind and treat others as you would like to be treated.As we move into 2021, let’shope we can all contribute to the ﬁght to wipe out racism at all levelsEquality and Diversity GroupReferences: Chartered Institute for Personnel Development (2020), TUC –Isracism real report (2017)Let’s Talk About …Racism, and how to end racism in the workplaceMental HealthAwarenessInstitute ofAnimal TechnologyCOUNCILIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 9IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 9 19/01/2021 11:0719/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 15To WhatLevel of Sentience Must an Animal ReachBeforeWeHaveaMoral Obligation to ProtectThem When Conducting Animal Research?This essay will explore the concept of sentience and how this should betaken into consideration when deciding what is lawfully and ethicallyright in terms of animal experimentation. The use of animals inresearch can be dated back to the 17th century,with William Harvey’searlyexperiments on blood circulation (Understanding Animal Research, n.d). Lawsregarding animal testing in the UK have continually changed and developedovertime alongside developments in animal testing and they continue to doso, beginning with the 1876 Cruelty to Animals Act. This was the ﬁrst lawto explicitly reference animal research and required researchers to obtainalicence from the Home Ofﬁce in order to conduct experiments (Speakingof Research, n.d). This law was revised and extended by the 1986 Animals(Scientiﬁc Procedures) Act (ASPA), which requires the potential beneﬁts ofexperimenting on animals to be weighed up against the harm and sufferingcaused to them. It also requires three separate licences to be obtained inorder to begin an experiment. A‘personal licence’ which authorises anindividual to carry out aprocedure on animals, a‘project licence’ whichauthorises aspeciﬁc experiment and set of procedures to be carried out,and an ‘establishment licence’ which authorises aspeciﬁc building to carryout animal experimentation on its grounds (Home Ofﬁce, 2014). The UKalso adheres to the Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals usedfor scientiﬁc purposes, which aims to ‘protect animals in scientiﬁc research,with the ﬁnal aim of replacing all animal research with non-animal methods’(European Animal Research Association, 2010). This Directive made it alegal requirement for researchers to implement the three R’s(replacement,reduction, and reﬁnement) in order to reduce animal suffering to aminimum.The cumulative effect of these laws and the subsequent amendments made tothem over time make UK laws on animal testing some of the most stringent inthe world.Iwill focus speciﬁcally on animal research and current legislation in theUK, along with animal sentience and how this can be recognised. It willalso evaluate how the presence of sentience in aspecies affects the ethicalimplications of using them in animal testing. The 2017 Animal Welfare(Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Draft Bill (Department forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2017) does not explicitly deﬁne theterm sentient, so the Oxford English Dictionary deﬁnition is taken, ‘able toperceive or feel things’ (Sentience. (n.d.). Oxford English Dictionary). However,IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 15 19/01/2021 11:07

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Bulletin16 • January 2021in the Understanding Animal Research (UAR) Draft Animal Welfare BillInquiry (Understanding Animal Research, n.d.b.), UAR proposes an alternativedeﬁnition:‘the ability of an animal not only to attempt to escape from an adverseenvironment, but also to learn to take informed decisions based onits environment and, if treated adversely,todemonstrate adversephysiological changes and behavioural suffering’This provides aclearer deﬁnition which is more observable and measurablethan the common deﬁnition, making it more appropriate for the nature of thisessay.The idea of sentience in animals has been acontentious topic of debate forcenturies among behavioural scientists and philosophers. The 17th centuryphilosopher René Descartes believed that ‘animals are without feeling orawareness of any kind’ (Smith, N. K., 1952) and described them as machinesor ‘automata’ from which all behaviours and motions ‘originate from thecorporeal and mechanical principle’ (Cottingham, J., 1978). Descartes arguedthat although animals were able to respond to stimulus, this was simply abiological mechanism in order to avoid damage to themselves, not aconsciousprocess or an expression of suffering. For example, similarly to how ahumanwill reﬂexively and unconsciously withdraw from aﬂame, an animal maystruggle to escape when in an adverse situation, but this does not necessarilyimply suffering. Additionally,Weintraub states that the leaves of the plantmimosa pudica may curl in when exposed to external stimulus in order toprotect itself from harm, but the plant does not contain the physiologicalor neurological structures and mechanisms necessary to experience pain oremotion, and therefore cannot be sentient (Weintraub, M., 1952).More recently,inNovember 2017, MP’svoted not to include aclause thatwould recognise animals as sentient in the EU Withdrawal Bill (Revesz,R., 2017), showing that although legislation on the rights of animals hasdeveloped greatly since the 17th century,there remains alarge populationof people who do not recognise animals as sentient beings. An animal thatlacks sentience, which cannot feel pain or emotion and exists purely throughinstinctive biological mechanisms, was likened by Descartes to an object suchas acuckoo clock or awatch, which moves entirely based on mechanicalprocesses, rather than adeeper ability to think or have amind. This beliefseems to imply that ethically ‘killing apuppy is no worse than spilling coffeeon acomputer’ (Kaldas, S., 2015) and that humans are absolved of any moralresponsibility towards animals. Taken in the context of animal researchand the responsibility humans have towards the animals that are used inIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 16 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 17experimentation, aCartesian ideology would express that as animals are notsentient and humans have no responsibility towards them, any use of animalsin research is similar to the use of an object or amachine and that therefore noethical considerations are necessary.However,there is much disagreement with the notion that animals arenot sentient and many studies have been undertaken with the purposeof researching animal sentience and establishing whether or not it exists,with many seeming to suggest that sentience is present across arange ofspecies. There has been much contention around the validity of any suchstudies, as sentience is concerned with an individual’sown thoughts, feelingsand emotions, aconcept that is difﬁcult to measure, as it cannot be fullyunderstood solely through the scope of biological processes. Although theability to communicate with humans effectively using language has beenobserved in some primates, for example the gorilla Koko, who demonstrated‘impressive language-like abilities’ (Bonvillian, J. D. &Patterson, F. G. P. ,1997)and was able to ask and answer questions through the use of sign language,this has not currently been observed in species other than gorillas andchimpanzees. The inability of other species to speak or communicate effectivelywith humans, along with the difﬁculty in quantifying sentience, means thatmany scientists view the research regarding sentience as ‘anthropomorphicassumptions’ (Proctor,H., 2012) of questionable credibility.Itcould be arguedhowever,that this is an issue shared in the ﬁeld of psychology,researchersoften rely solely on participants to express their emotions clearly andaccurately,ormake assumptions about the mental state of aperson withoutthem expressing this themselves. This shows that although there are limitsto the understanding of sentience that should be kept in mind, these do notmake the entire ﬁeld inherently invalid or dismissible.There are several studies that evaluate behavioural patterns observed in animalsthat seem to indicate the capacity for emotion and the possession of sentience.For example, one focused on the emotional and physiological changes of goatswhen in four different situations: ‘(1) control (no external stimulus, neutral); (2)anticipation of afood reward (positive); (3) food-related frustration (negative);(4) isolation away from conspeciﬁcs (negative)’ .Researchers used severalmethods to establish the response of the goats to each of these situations,including heart rate, ear orientation, and number of calls along with thefundamental frequencies and energy distribution of these calls. From monitoringthese physiological processes, researchers ‘found several clear,reliable indicatorsof arousal and valence’ The presence of arousal (bodily excitation) and valence(negative or positive) shows that goats are able to respond to stimuli bothphysically and emotionally and possess the ability to feel both positive andnegative emotions in different situations (Briefer,E.F., 2015).IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 17 19/01/2021 11:07

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Bulletin18 • January 2021This ability is shown again in astudy conducted in France, in which researchersobserved the emotional responses and ability to learn demonstrated by 184horses from 22 separate riding schools. The researchers were able to concludethat horses are able to experience emotions such as anxiety and fear (Hoole,J., 2017). Another study conducted in 2009 observed agroup of sheep andhow they responded to several different situations. These were designed toevaluate their physiological response to variations in suddenness, familiarity,predictability,pleasantness, consistency with expectations, control and socialnorms in order to determine their emotional response to each situation. Theresearchers used several methods to determine this, including ear orientation,heart rate, heart rate variability,frequency of bleating and posture. Fromthese physiological processes, researchers were able to reach the conclusionthat ‘Sheep seem able to experience awide range of emotions, includingfear,anger,rage, despair,boredom, disgust, and happiness’. They were ableto determine that not only are sheep able to show an emotional response tostimuli, but are also able to experience the ‘feeling’ component of emotions(Veissier,I.etal., 2009).These studies provide evidence that suggests the presence of sentience inanimals and they are reinforced further by studies that comment on theneurological biology that is believed to determine sentience. In July 2012,a‘prominent international group of cognitive neuroscientists,neuropharmacologists, neurophysiologists, neuroanatomists and computationalneuroscientists’ signed the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness, adocument which stated that:‘convergent evidence indicates that non-human animals have theneuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates ofconscious states along with the capacity to exhibit intentional behaviours’(Low,P.etal., 2012).This statement suggests that the biological systems present in humans whichdetermine the ability to feel emotions are not unique and that certainsubcortical neural networks that regulate this ability to feel are present inseveral other species and are crucial for generating emotional responses inthese animals. This is highlighted further by research conducted by neurologistAntonio Damasio, who determined that the brains primary emotion systemswere ‘within the hypothalamus, an area called the basal forebrain just abovethe chin, the brainstem and other limbic areas including the amygdala’ (Boyle,E., 2009). Several of these areas are present across various species. For example,all vertebrates possess an amygdala, an area which is known to mediate fearin animals, although there are small differences in how cell groups operate.Additionally,there is also aregion in the mid-cortex of ﬁsh brains, which appearsIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 18 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 19to be homologous to the amygdala. The possession of these brain regions acrossthese species seems to indicate the potential to feel pain and suffering and lendssupport to the conclusion that these species are sentient beings.This essay aims to evaluate the level of sentience that can be observed inanimals and to draw aline at which animal researchers have amoral obligationtowards when conducting animal experimentation.Given the behavioural, physiological and neurological characteristics observedin mammals, it is ‘reasonable to believe that mammals feel pain’ (Shriver,A.,2006, p.6). However,one subject that is the topic of much debate is the ideathat ﬁsh are sentient and able to feel pain and suffering. Brian Key,headof the Brain Growth and Regeneration Lab at the University of Queenslandargues that the structure of ﬁsh brains does not support the biologicalrequirements that are understood to be necessary for the ability to feel pain.He states that ‘ﬁsh lack the parcellation of the nervous system into distinctregions with architectures capable of performing pain-related computations’(Key,B., 2016, p.14). He asserts that without these structures, ﬁsh have nocapability for suffering, and argues that there are no other regions of the brainaside from these that are indicative of pain. Additionally,ithas been suggestedthat alow number of Cﬁbre nociceptors (the most common type in humans,responsible for detecting stimulus and relaying asignal to the central nervoussystem that results in the experience of pain) present in ﬁsh means that theydo not have they physical capability to experience pain (Rose, J., 2012). Thissupports the conclusion that ﬁsh are not sentient creatures, as the capacity tofeel pain is necessary for the presence of sentience.However,although asmall proportion of Cﬁbre nociceptors are present inﬁsh, these are not the only nociceptors that are responsible for pain signalling,as ﬁsh have been found to have ahigher proportion of A-delta ﬁbres thanC- ﬁbres (Sneddon, L. U., 2003). The differences between these two types ofﬁbres and their physiological functions have led some scientists to assert thatA-delta ﬁbres are responsible for reﬂexive escape and avoidance responsesand do not indicate that ﬁsh can experience pain (Rose, J. et al., 2012).Sneddon, however,argues an alternative perspective, stating that ‘troutelectrophysiological studies show clearly that trout A-delta ﬁbres act in thesame way as mammalian Cﬁbres’ (Sneddon, L. U., 2015). This suggests thatA-delta ﬁbres in ﬁsh produce asimilar physiological response to externalstimulus, and would seem to indicate that ﬁsh experience pain in away that issomewhat similar and comparable to mammalian pain.This ability to experience pain has been observed in various studies. Forexample, in one study anoxious chemical was applied to the lips of rainbowIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 19 19/01/2021 11:07

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Bulletin20 • January 2021trout, and the behavioural mechanisms of the ﬁsh were observed in order toconclude whether this chemical had elicited apain response. The researchersobserved that those treated with the chemical performed anomalousbehaviours and ventilation rate increased almost doubly whereas in thecontrols it increased only 30%. They also found that administering morphineto the treated individuals signiﬁcantly reduced these responses and thatmorphine appears to act as an analgesic in rainbow trout (Sneddon, L. U.,2003). This study further supports the idea that ﬁsh are capable of experiencingpain, and are not just acting reﬂexively to protect themselves from harm,which lends further support to the argument that ﬁsh are sentient.It is much harder to determine whether sentience is present in invertebratessuch as insects. Although many species display behavioural and physiologicalindications that they respond to noxious stimuli, it is difﬁcult to determinewhether this nociception is simply abiological mechanism to avoid adverseconditions, or if there is adeeper ability to experience pain (Smith, J. A., 1991).Insects usually do not show physical indications of suffering, and will oftenshow no response even when acutely injured. For example, alocust continuesfeeding while being eaten by amantis, ahalf-dissected ﬂy continues to ﬂy into feed and an insect walking on acrushed tarsus continues applying it to thesubstrate with undiminished force. This shows that even when experiencingsevere tissue damage, many insects will continue to carry out normalbehaviours, showing no behavioural or physiological response that wouldseem to indicate the ability to feel pain. Additionally,the ‘relatively simpleorganisation’ of the insect nervous system suggests that insects may not havethe physical structures necessary to experience pain in away comparable tohuman pain. This seems to suggest that insects are unable to experience painto the extent that has been observed in mammals and other vertebrates andmay imply that insects are not sentient beings, or are sentient to amuch lesserextent than vertebrates (Eisemann, H. et al., 1984). However,research on thesubject of invertebrate sentience is limited and there is not yet adeveloped orcomprehensive understanding of invertebrate pain and this must be taken intoconsideration when attempting to determine the level of sentience present ininvertebrates.Given that sentience is observable across arange of different species, manyof which are used frequently for animal research purposes in the UK, thereare ethical considerations that must be taken into account when testing onthese animals in order to protect them appropriately from both physical andemotional distress. Animals have been used in research for hundreds of yearsand have made many signiﬁcant contributions towards the ﬁeld of medicine,extending and furthering the quality of life for millions of people across theworld. When commenting on the ethics of animal research, it is importantIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 20 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 21to weigh these beneﬁts to society against the harm caused to the animalsinvolved in this research.It can be argued that it is never morally acceptable to experiment on animals,as there are several alternative methods available that are currently beingused in research. For example, the use of in vitro cell cultures, which are cellcultures grown in an artiﬁcial environment such as atest tube, cell cultureﬂask, petri dish or multi-well plate. Almost any human or animal cell can begrown in alaboratory and advances in 3D cell-culture models have resultedin the development of ‘organs on chips’, which ‘support tissue differentiationand recapitulate the tissue–tissue interfaces, spatiotemporal chemical gradientsand mechanical microenvironments of living organs’ (Huh, D. et al., 2011).These cultures can be used to study cell function, drug development, diseasemodelling and the production of biological compounds, effectively replacingthe animals that would otherwise be used in these studies. Additionally,asthe cells used to produce these cultures can be taken from individual patients,these cultures are signiﬁcant in the ﬁeld of personalised medicine, and can bemore accurate than animal models, as they better replicate the human body.These cell models are also cheaper,faster,easier to molecularly manipulateand more reproducible than animal (Alternatives to Animal Research. Accessed19.3.2019)and it can be argued that this means there is no practical or moralreasoning behind the continued use of animals in research.Other alternatives to animal models include advanced computer simulations.Advances in simulation technology mean that more complex and sophisticatedmodels are constantly being developed. These computer simulations allowaspects of the human body to be replicated, and act as an accurate model inresearch. Additionally,these can be used to test under conditions that wouldotherwise be difﬁcult or impossible to replicate in alaboratory,orfor testingprocedures that are too expensive or impractical (Research Defence Society &Coalition for Medical Progress. 2007).However,itcan be argued that the idea that current alternatives could entirelyreplace animals in research is a‘myth’. The argument that these alternativesare complemented by,and rely on animal research to be useful and effective(Speaking of Research n.d., accessed 2019). For example, computer modelsneed to be able to replicate the complexity of the human or animal bodyand in order to reproduce this physiology,animal testing is necessary to ﬁrstgain an understanding of this physiology.Furthermore, computer simulationsare limited by their processing power.For instance, asimulation of half amouse brain was run on the supercomputer BlueGene L, which could only berun for 10 seconds at aspeed 10 times slower than amouse’sbrain due tothe complexity of the simulation. The researchers stated that ‘although theIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 21 19/01/2021 11:07

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Bulletin22 • January 2021simulation shared some similarities with amouse’smental make-up in terms ofnerves and connections, it lacked the structures seen in real mice brains’ (BBCNews., 2007). This shows that although acomplex model of some biologicalstructures in an animal is possible, these require high processing power,whichis only possible through the use of supercomputers. These are expensive andinaccessible to the majority of scientists and when used are inefﬁcient andunable to replicate the complexity of an animal, therefore making them anunsuitable alternative to animal research.Speaking of Research (n.d.) also argues that an in vitro model is not anaccurate representation of ahuman body.Asaninvitro cell culture does nothave acirculatory system, nervous system or many other features of ahumanor animal body,itisunable to function in away comparable to ahuman oranimal. Therefore, although it is able to structurally reproduce an area ofthe body,itisnot able to accurately reproduce the function of this structure,and therefore cannot be used as an accurate model to predict the effects ofdrugs or disease on an organism. This suggests that in vitro cell cultures arenot asuitable alternative that can replicate the complexity of an animal andtherefore animals are still necessary for use in research. In addition, from ananimal welfare perspective, (National Research Council ,1999) although invitro methods reduce the use of mice in antibody-production, they also requirethe use of foetal bovine serum (FBS), which is collected via aclosed-system. Thisis usually carried out at the slaughterhouse, which some could argue is aby-product of the meat industry and therefore not directly attributed to animalresearch. However,itdoes contribute to the use of animals and from someperspectives may not be considered an acceptable alternative. In vitro methodsare less accurate and sophisticated models than awhole animal model, and sothis method could be argued to be unsuitable replacements for animals, bothethically and practically.The role animal research has played in improving health and treatment hasbeen invaluable, and in 2006, the Royal Society released astatement thatclaimed ‘virtually every medical achievement in the past century has dependeddirectly or indirectly on research using animals’ (The Royal Society., 2006). Onemedical advancement that was discovered through animal research is the useof corticosteroids to speed up lung development. Research using sheep andrabbits established that corticosteroids caused surfactants to be produced,which lubricate the lungs, improving breathing and reducing the risk of severerespiratory problems. This research allowed corticosteroids to be administeredto premature babies with underdeveloped lungs at birth and one studyconcluded that this ‘dramatically reduced respiratory distress in babies bornat 26-32 weeks from 75% to just 8% (National Research Council (US) 1999).Additional research performed on rabbits and cows led to the developmentIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 22 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 23of animal-based surfactants. The use of these in human babies improved thesurvival rate of babies born over 12 weeks premature from 50% to 90%. Theuse of surfactants derived from animal research has signiﬁcantly lowered themortality rate in babies more than 12 weeks premature and it can be arguedthat the short-term harm caused to the animals involved in this research isoutweighed by the long-term beneﬁts of the drugs produced from them,which will continue to be administered and prevent the mortality of prematurechildren.Another medical advancement achieved through the use of animals in researchis the development of medication to treat human immunodeﬁciency virus(HIV). HIV is aretrovirus that integrates its genes into the host cells, enablingthe virus to bypass the immune system and remain in the host throughouttheir lifetime. In order to develop asuccessful treatment, researchers usedmacaque monkeys, as they are susceptible to asimilar virus to HIV,simianimmunodeﬁciency virus (SIV) (Rausch, D. M. et al., 1999). The use of thesemacaque monkeys in research allowed research into the effects of SIV,alongwith what changes occur in the body in the initial few weeks after ﬁrstexposure. This lead to the discovery that the number of T-cells present in thegut of an infected macaque decline rapidly to half the number observed ininfection-free macaques (Veazey,R.S.etal., 1998). This research was able tobe applied to humans and led to the development of anti-retroviral therapy.These drugs prevent HIV from reproducing, which allows the immune systemto recover,and people taking anti-retroviral drugs now have alife expectancythat is ‘near-normal’ (NHS., 2017), asigniﬁcant improvement from the meansurvival time of 8-10 years after exposure when the disease is left untreated(Sabin C. A., 2013). In 2017, an estimated 36.9 people were living with HIV,including 1.8 million children (Avert., 2018). If made available, anti-retroviraldrugs could prevent millions of premature deaths worldwide, in addition tothe millions of lives it has already saved. Given the huge scale of the beneﬁtsto society and the continued extension of life-expectancy of millions of peopleinto the future, it could be argued that the beneﬁts outweigh the costs, andthe use of animals in developing these drugs was justiﬁed.Animal research has also been acrucial component in the development ofseveral vaccines. For example, meningitis is adisease that can result in death,amputation or organ damage, reducing quality of life for those affected.Through the use of mice in animal research, avaccine has been developed,and instances of infection have seen afall. Additionally,forty years of researchinvolving mice and monkeys resulted in the development of apolio vaccine,which has saved millions of lives (Research Defence Society &Coalition forMedical Progress, 2007). The polio virus attacks the nerves in the spine and thebase of the brain, causing paralysis that can be fatal, often leaving survivorsIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 23 19/01/2021 11:07

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Bulletin24 • January 2021with permanent deformities. The number of cases of polio in the UK felldramatically when this vaccination was introduced in 1955, and not asinglecase of polio has been recorded in the UK since 1984 (NHS, n.d.). Several othervaccines have been developed through the use of animal research, and thishas signiﬁcantly reduced mortality from these diseases worldwide, along withincreasing the quality of life by reducing the number of lifelong complicationsexperienced by the survivor of these diseases.To summarise, it is difﬁcult to determine whether or not an animal can berecognised as sentient and to set aboundary as to which species deserveprotections in animal research and which do not. For example, insects displayno behavioural or physiological response that would seem to indicate anability to feel pain (Eisemann, H. et al., 1984). Taking the UAR deﬁnition, asthey do not ‘demonstrate adverse physiological changes and behaviouralsuffering’ (Understanding Animal Research., n.d.a.), this would suggestthat insects cannot be considered sentient beings. However,research intosentience in vertebrates is limited, and it is inappropriate to come to reliableconclusions with insufﬁcient evidence to support them. Therefore, it isimpossible to draw the line at insects, as there is no deﬁnitive proof that theyare not sentient.Furthermore, research into mammals and ﬁsh would seem to suggest thatall vertebrates possess to some extent, sentience. However,itisdifﬁcult todetermine to what level aspecies is sentient. For example, some may arguethat due to biological differences, ﬁsh are sentient to alesser extent thanmammals (Boyle, E.,2009). However,this may not necessarily be true, as thestructural differences between ﬁsh and mammals may suggest that bothgroups experience sentience in avery different way.Taking this into account,it is difﬁcult to compare the two and come to aconclusion on who possessesahigher level of sentience. In addition, it is difﬁcult to deﬁne what moralobligation we have towards animals when conducting animal research. Forexample, an insect seemingly absence of sentience would support aCartesianbelief that animal are ‘automata’ (Smith, N. K., 1952), similar to an objector machine and that we have no moral obligation to protect them whenconducting animal research. However,ananimal such as asheep (Veissier,I.etal., 2009) that clearly displays sentience and the ability to display awide rangeof emotions, must be considered differently from an ethical standpoint.It could be argued that due to the availability of ‘alternatives’ to animalresearch, experimenting on asentient being such as asheep is morallyunjustiﬁable under any circumstances. However,taking into account thatthese ‘alternatives’ are often limited in complexity and unable to accuratelyreplicate an animal model, an alternative perspective would suggest that dueIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 24 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 25to the historical advancements that have been achieved through the use ofanimal research, the beneﬁts to wider society and the potential for futuredevelopment outweigh the harm that may be caused to the animals involved.In conclusion, it is clear that some species do possess sentience to agreat extentand others to alesser extent. From amoral perspective, many areas of researchrely heavily on the use of animals and animal research has been shown to bebeneﬁcial to society in the past. Therefore, the use of animals in research isjustiﬁable to some extent and the level of sentience present in aspecies shouldbe taken into account and reﬂected in legislation regarding what protectionsshould be afforded to them when used for experimentation.Ella O’ShaughnessyBibliographyWorks cited:Avert. (2018). Global HIVand AIDS statistics.Available from: https://www.avert.org/global-hiv-and-aids-statistics [Accessed 30th March 2019]BBC News. (2007). Mouse brain simulated on computer. BBC News.[online]Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6600965.stm [Accessed23rd March 2019]Bonvillian, J. D. &Patterson, F. G. P. (1997). Sign Language Acquisition and theDevelopment of Meaning in aLowland Gorilla. Advances in Psychology.122,181-219. Available at: http://www.koko.org/sites/default/ﬁles/root/pdfs/1997_Advances_in_Psychology.pdf [Accessed 10th March 2019]Boyle, E. (2009). Neuroscience and Animal Sentience.Available from:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.573.1658&rep=rep1&type=pdf [Accessed 10th March 2019]Briefer,E.F.(2015). Emotions in goats: mapping physiological, behavioural andvocal proﬁles. Animal Behaviour.99, 131-143. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.11.002Burrell, B. D. (2017). Comparative biology of pain: What invertebrates can tell usabout how nociception works. Journal of Neurophysiology.117 (4), 1461-1473. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00600.2016Cottingham, J. (1978). ‘A Brute to the Brutes?’: Descartes’ Treatment ofAnimals. Philosophy,53(206), 551-559. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3749880 [Accessed 25th February 2019]IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 25 19/01/2021 11:07

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Bulletin26 • January 2021Cruelty Free International. (n.d.) Alternatives to animal testing.Available from:https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/why-we-do-it/alternatives-animal-testing [Accessed 17th March 2019]Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. (2017) Draft AnimalWelfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill 2017.London, TheStationary Ofﬁce.Eisemann, H. et al. (1984). Do insects feel pain? —Abiological view. Cellularand Molecular Life Sciences. 40 (2), 164-167. Available from: DOI: 10.1007/BF01963580European Animal Research Association. (2010) Animal research law in the EU:Directive 2010/63.Available from: http://eara.eu/en/animal-research/eu-animal-research-law-directive-2010-63/ [Accessed 25th February 2019]Home Ofﬁce (2014). Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (ScientiﬁcProcedures) Act 1986. London, The Stationery Ofﬁce.Hoole, J. (2017). Here’swhat the science says about animal sentience.Availablefrom: http://theconversation.com/heres-what-the-science-says-about-animal-sentience-88047 [Accessed 25th February 2019]Huh, D. et al. (2011).From 3D cell culture to organs-on-chips. Trends in Cell Biology.21 (12), 745-754. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2011. 09.005Kaldas, S. (2015). Descartes vs. Cudworth on the Moral Worth of Animals.Philosophy Now.(108), 28-31. Available from: https://www.academia.edu/12569252/Descartes_vs._Cudworth_on_the_Moral_Worth_of_Animals[Accessed 25th February 2019]Key,B.(2016) Why ﬁsh do not feel pain. Animal Sentience 3(1). 1-17. Availableat: https://animalstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=animsent [Accessed 10th March 2019]Low,P.etal. (2012). The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness.Paperpresented to Francis Crick Memorial Conference, Cambridge, 7th July.Available from: http://fcmconference.org/img/CambridgeDeclarationOnConsciousness.pdf [Accessed 25th February 2019]National Anti-Vivisection Society.(n.d.) Alternatives to Animal Research.Available from: https://www.navs.org/what-we-do/keep-you-informed/science-corner/alternatives/alternatives-to-animal-research/#.XKH4-_ZFzVI [Accessed17th March 2019]National Research Council (US) Committee on Methods of Producing MonoclonalAntibodies. (1999). Monoclonal Antibody Production. National AcademiesPress (US). 4, 22-24.Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK100200/ [Accessed 27th March 2019]NHS. (n.d.). Polio.Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polio/ [Accessed30th March 2019]NHS. (2017). Life expectancy for people with HIV now ‘near normal’. Availablefrom: https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-health/life-expectancy-for-people-with-hiv-now-near-normal/ [Accessed 30th March 2019]IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 26 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 27Proctor, H. (2012). Animal Sentience: Where Are We and Where Are We Heading?.Animals.2(4), 628–639. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani2040628Rausch, D. M. et al. (1999). The SIV-infected rhesus monkey model for HIV-associated dementia and implications for neurological disease. Journal ofLeukoctye Biology. 65 (4), 466-474.Research Defence Society &Coalition for Medical Progress. (2007). MedicalAdvances and Animal Research: The Contribution of Animal Science to theMedical Revolution: Some Case Histories. London, RDS. [online] Availablefrom: http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/ﬁles/7214/1041/0599/medical-advances-and.pdf [Accessed 15th March 2019]Revesz, R. (2017). MPs refuse to recognise that animals feel pain or emotionin Brexit bill vote. The Independent.[online] Availablefrom:https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-bill-latest-animal-sentience-cannot-feel-pain-emotion-vote-mps-agree-eu-withdrawal-bill-a8064676.html [Accessed 25th February 2019]Rose, J. et al. (2012). Can ﬁsh really feel pain? Fish and Fisheries.15(1), 97-133.Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12010Sabin C. A. (2013). Do people with HIV infection have anormal life expectancyin the era of combination antiretroviral therapy?. BMC medicine.11(251).Available from: doi:10.1186/1741-7015-11-251Sentience. (n.d.). Oxford English Dictionary.Available at: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/deﬁnition/sentient [Accessed 24th February 2019]Shriver,A.(2006) Minding Mammals. Philosophical Psychology.19(4), 433-442.Available from: DOI: 10.1080/09515080600726385Smith, N. K. (1952). New Studies in the Philosophy of Descartes: Descartes asPioneer.London, Macmillan.Smith, J. A. (1991). AQuestion of Pain in Invertebrates. Institute for LaboratoryAnimal Research Journal.33(1-2), 25–31. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.33.1-2.25Sneddon, L. U. (2003). The evidence for pain in ﬁsh: the use of morphine as ananalgesic. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.83(2), 153-162. Available from:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(03)00113-8Sneddon, L. U. (2015). Pain in aquatic animals. Journal of Experimental Biology.218 (7), 967-976. Available from: doi: 10.1242/jeb.088823Speaking of Research. (n.d.a) Animal Research Regulations in the UK.Availablefrom: https://speakingofresearch.com/facts/animal-research-regulations-in-the-uk/ [Accessed 24th February 2019]Speaking of Research. (n.d.b) Do “Alternatives” Exist? Available from:https://speakingofresearch.com/extremism-undone/alternatives/ [Accessed17th March 2019]The Royal Society.(2006). Statement of the Royal Society’sposition on the useof animals in research.Available from: https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/publications/2015/animals-in-research/ [Accessed 15th March 2019]IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 27 19/01/2021 11:07

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Bulletin28 • January 2021Understanding Animal Research. (n.d.a) Draft Animal Welfare Bill inquiry.Available from: http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/ﬁles/7915/1869/4298/UAR_response_to_DEFRA.pdf Accessed [25th February 2019]Understanding Animal Research.(n.d.b) History of animalresearch.Available from:http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/resources/animal-research-essay-resources/history-of-animal-research/ [Accessed 24th February 2019]Veazey,R.S.etal. (1998). Gastrointestinal tract as amajor site of CD4+ Tcelldepletion and viral replication in SIV infection. Science.280 (5362), 427-431.Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9545219 [Accessed30th March 2019]Veissier,I.etal. (2009). Animals’ emotions: Studies in sheep using appraisaltheories. Animal welfare.18(4), 347-354. Available from:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230851712_Animals’_emotions_Studies_in_sheep_using_appraisal_theories [Accessed 25th February 2019]Weintraub, M. (1952). Leaf Movements in Mimosa pudica L. The New Phytologist,50(3), 357-382. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 2429097 [Accessed10th March 2019]IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 28 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 29IATWest Middlesex BranchAnnual Technician SymposiumWWeare sorry to announce that, due to the current climateand other factors, the 2021 symposium will not go ahead.The committee would like to thank all of our friends andcolleagues who have supported this event during past yearsand would like to assure you that we are looking ahead to2022 when we hope things will be back on track. We wishall fellow animal technologists and our trade colleagues wellduring these unprecedented times, and hope to see you allagain soon.West Middlesex Branch committeeIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 29 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 31Technician Commitmentannounces CollaborationFund for2021Thenew TechnicianCommitment CollaborationFundlaunches from 7thDecember2020, fundingprojects to support thesustainability,recognition,development &visibilityofthe technicalworkforce.From itsinception the Technician Commitmenthasbeen acollaborativeendeavour. This ethos hasbeen echoed andreflectedinthe biannualsignatoryeventsand thenumberofcollaborativepartnerships that have arisen as aresultofthe Technician Commitment in thepastthree years.To furthersupport this culture, theTechnician Commitment SignatoryBoard are pleased to launchthenew Technician Commitment CollaborationFund.TheCollaborationFund is asmall grants schemewhichprovidesfunding to Technician CommitmentSignatory Institutionstopump, prime andenablecollaborativeprojectswithexternalpartners toadvancethe aims of theTechnician Commitment.Theschemeisopentoall Technician Commitment Signatory institutions andfunding is awarded on acompetitive basis. TheSteeringBoard invites submissionsinthe range of £100 -£2000 to supportthecreation of collaborativeopportunities.Examplesmay include,but are notlimited to:joint workshops,shared training, developmentofshared materials,facilitationofworkplacements/exchangesandseminars/conferencestyledactivity.Theapplicationwindowrunsfrom7thDecember 2020 -15thFebruary2021, andsuccessfulprojectsshould be deliveredbetween 1stMarch2021and 31stDecember 2021.Find outmoreabout theeligibilitycriteria, scope and applicationprocessofthe fund here.TheTechnician Commitment teamare very happy to discussideas forthe collaborationfund to helpshapeapplications.Toget supportindevelopingyourideas,orwould likemoreinformation,pleasegetintouch with us.For more information, please contact:carly.dellar@gatsby.orgIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 31 19/01/2021 11:07

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Bulletin32 • January 2021Cruelty Free and Animal RightsThe UK has astrong history of animal welfare, was theﬁrst countryglobally to pass protective animal legislation andisthe home of oneof the ﬁrst animal welfare groups, the RSPCA.Groups likethis haveheld sway in public opinion and have successfully lobbied the government tochange legislation in favourofanimalprotection.The ﬁrst legislation was passed in 1822 and followed by the more restrictiveCruelty to AnimalsAct in 1835.But by the late 19th century,there was achange in focus for some of the animal welfare groups, who had deepconcerns on the unregulated animals being used in research. These groupsfashioned themselves as anti-vivisectionists, aterm that today carries alotof weight and baggage. Like those who pushed for theaforementionedlegislation, they were typically people whowerealready involved in othertypes of social reform.One of the ﬁrst groups was founded by an Irish suffragist, Frances PowerCobbe. The group, known as the oddly acronymed SPLAV(Society for theProtection of Animals Liable to Vivisection) formed in 1875. For those whoremember their PiL courses, this wasjust before the amendment for theinclusion of vivisection into the Cruelty to Animals Act in 1876.This was notacoincidence and is credited to Cobbe and those who worked with her.After afew name changes, the group changedits name to the NationalAnti-Vivisection Society.In1898, the NAVS changed its tack. Although itkept amission to see sciencebeing conducted without the useofanimals,they were also content with pushing forany sort of positive change thatcould be gained. This causedCobbe to leave the group as she still held toonly ending the use of animals. Instead, she formed the British Union for theAbolition of Vivisection, or BUAV, in Bristol in the same year.The newly formedBUAVsaw the need to abolish any use of animals inresearch andset about lobbying the government for morechange.Their mission was:‘To keep unalterably before its members and the public the fundamentalprinciple of their warfare with scientiﬁc cruelty, namely, that it is agreat Sin –which canonlybeopposed effectively when opposedabsolutely, and without attempts at delusive comprises of any kind.’IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 32 19/01/2021 11:07

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 33Not only did the early members of the BUAVcampaign to abolish the use ofanimals in all forms of research, they also campaigned against any form ofapplicable medical treatments that resulted. Most notably,theywere anti-vaccinations during the outbreak of WWI due to the role of animal models,which lead to aloss of public support. Nationalism had taken the country byhold and most forms of speaking out againstthose aiding the troops wereseen as unpatriotic at best, or treasonous at worst.After the War, they worked together with the National CanineDefenceLeague to pressure Parliament to accept the Dogs (Protection) Bill, whichwould see the end of theuse of dogs in research. This was one of manyunsuccessful bills brought before Parliament in the early20th century,asdogsthen, as now,wereseenasspecial animals. Many antivivisectionists used dogsas asymbol of their goal, including BUAV, who adorned their literature withthe painting ADistinguished Member of the Humane Society,depicting aNewfoundland dog lounging.Another change that occurred in the early 20th century was the loss of theleader,Cobbe. Known as asocial reformer,her group, as well as others like it,were generally associated with that sphere. However,her successor,DrWalterHawden, was ascientist, trained in pharmacology.Scientists were now joiningantivivisection groups, adding more credence to their arguments that the useof animals was unnecessary.Despite this scientiﬁc support, any large scale success wasn’tfound until thelast few decades of the 20th century.BUAVjoined the global lobby for theabolishment of the LD50 testing requirement. This test, the lethal dose test,would result in the death of 50% of the animals dosed and was required as atoxicity test. With decades long lobbying against this test, an amendment in1997 saw its ban in the UK, with some exceptions.The same amendment held another success story: cosmetic testing. The banhad been an international, inter-organisation effort. The BUAV, alongwithotherantivivisection groups, created the European Coalition to End AnimalExperiments (ECEAE). Theinternational effort pushed for EU member statesto end all testing of cosmetics, including individual ingredients. This campaignis one of the largest for banning ‘animal testing’ in modern day.AsCobbeand Hawden had looked to endthe use of dogs in science, now the ECEAElooked to end cosmetic testing. Pictures of ﬂuffy bunnies appeared on bagsand advertisements, all in apush to get public support. Areportfrom theUK’sRoyal Commission in 1994 recommended this push from the ECEAE toban cosmetic testing. The full ban occurred in 2013, although there wereIAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 33 19/01/2021 11:07

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Bulletin34 • January 2021many goal posts in placebefore this date, such as the ban of ﬁnished producttesting in 2004 and the ban of marketing products tested on animals in 1998.The ﬂuffy bunnies, or leaping bunny,from the cosmetics campaign made alasting impression. It has now been immortalised as the symbol for anyEU/UKproduct that has not been involved in animal testing. Any product with thislogo is recognised by the global Humane Cosmetics and Household ProductsStandards.The BUAVcontinued this campaign by collaborating with an Americanantivivisection group in 2012. Despite an international growth of chaptersin the mid 1950s, it was during this collaboration that the BUAVchangedtheir name to the well chosen Cruelty Free Internationaltorepresent theirinternational reach. Thisistheir name still.The push for legislative change is along ﬁght and one that is joined by manyanimal rights and welfare groups and the RSPCA is the notable exampleof this. Unlike groups like these, CFI partakes in inﬁltrations or undercoverinvestigations, of animal laboratories in order to expose what they view asanimal abuse to the public.One such investigation occurred in 1998 in Cambridge. ACFI operativeworked in anon-human primate lab researching Parkinson’sand recordedhow the primates were left unattended overnight post-surgery.BUAVbrought the case to court and made the information public. Although theﬁnal decision was that the ﬁndings were mostly in line with the authorisedprogramme of work, the Home Ofﬁce did, in the end, look at changingseverity limits.In 2014, an investigation occurred again in Cambridge, this time concerningdogs. The resulting recordings showed post-mortem work, injections andblood sampling and mainly focused on young dogs. Despite the intentionsof the investigation, the lab was not found to have breached anylegalrestrictions.In 2012, another investigation was undertaken in Imperial College. Perhapsone of the most painful investigations undertaken by animal rights inrecent history for animal technologists, this one brought sanctions to theuniversity and some of those who worked there. The recordings madeappeared to ﬁnd technicians uncertain of what authorisations were in placeand theuse of incorrect euthanasia techniques. This resulted in amorestringent focus on culture of care and ensuring that everyone is aware oflegal authorisations.IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 34 19/01/2021 11:08

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 35In all of their work over more than acentury, CFI have stayed true to theoriginal mission statement and work towards the total abolishment ofanimals used in research. In their investigations, many of the touted horriﬁcincidents fell within the authorised severity limits from the Home Ofﬁce. Inthe UK, many of the failings they have highlighted fall more into aculture ofcare issue, aconcept thatthe chair of CFI has admitted to. Their overall aimhas not wavered: procure public favour in order to change legislation andremove animals from laboratories.Unlike many other antivivisection groups active today and in the past, CrueltyFree have remained nonviolent. Other groups, such as the Animal LiberationFront have hidden explosives and sent letter bombs, resulting in injuries.Most of the work done by Cruelty Free throughout the centuries has beencampaigning Parliament, garnering public support and inﬁltrating laboratories.Karen DunfordPost Mortem Team Leader£32,557 | Weybridge, SurreyAPHA works to safeguard animal and plant health for the benet of people, the environment and theeconomy. As aCivilServant we willoffer25days annual leave increasing to 30 days at 5years’service,apension scheme, on-site restaurant and parking, specialised training, teamand individualrewards.Summaryofthe RoleResourceful and exible applicant soughttodeliverspecialist animal handling andeuthanasia, necropsyandtissuesamplingin a dynamic high containment postmortemenvironment to support statutoryanimaldiseasesurveillance andresearch andsupportoutbreak response,The roleisbasedwithin the PathologyandAnimalScience Department and requires organization of staff, facilities and resources to ensurethedelivery of animal euthanasia andnecropsy procedureswithin ourlarge animalhigh containmentpostmortem facility in order to meet rapidlyevolving researchand diagnostic prioritiesStaff willberequired to work rostered weekends, Bank Holidays and occasionalevenings for which youwillreceive appropriate payment. Out of hours workmay be required in theevent of an incident.Youwill be expected to have the necessary CTC security clearance forthe work of the post. You willneed to comply with anumber of healthprotocols and wearprotectiveclothingand respiratory protectiveequipment as required.To apply please visitwww.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk quotingref:89376.Closing date: 31 January 2021.IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 35 19/01/2021 11:08

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Project Licence Portfolio ManagerABOUT RXCELERATEThe RxCelerate group is an out-sourced drug development platform and is one of the fastest growingcompanies in the UK. We are currently looking to recruit an Animals in Science Project LicencePortfolio Manager to oversee and facilitate the management of RxCelerate’s Personal ProcedureLicences (PPLs) and to support other PPL holders within the organisation. This role sits within thepreclinical biology division, which is a growing team of scientists with differing and complementary levelsof expertise in many different in vivo techniques and clinical disease areas. Our in vivo scientists specialisein working with clients to develop bespoke preclinical animal models that are fit for purpose, translateto the human clinical disease and that answer specific research objectives.THE ROLEAt present RxCelerate have two service PPLs, which focus on diseases with an inflammatorycomponent and bleeding disorders respectively. Each PPL has a diverse range of supporting protocolsspanning many techniques and procedures. However, as we expand and our research areas diversifyand grow it has become apparent that we now need to establish a portfolio of licences. The ProjectLicence Portfolio Manager is expected to oversee RxCelerate’s group of PPLs, and in collaborationwith in vivo Scientists amend, write new and renew current PPLs as required. The post holder isexpected to be fully conversant in the Home Office guidance on how to carry out scientific researchand testing using animals and how to apply for a licence using ASPeL. Ideally, they will have held a PPLpreviously and been part of an ethical review process. The candidate is expected to be a methodicalworker with keen attention to detail and have the ability to translate their understanding of the drugdiscovery process for a broad range of disease areas into working project licences. Since RxCelerateoffers a dynamic and exciting working environment this role will provide variety in the projectsundertaken, as part of a supportive and collaborative multidisciplinary company.Main Responsibilities• Be custodian of all PPLs held at RxCelerate.• Oversee and work closely with other PPL holders to ensure compliance.• Chairthe internal Project Support Team and take responsibility to amend, renew and writenew PPLs as required, whilst adhering to deadlines.• Keep up to date with current Home Office guidance and Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act(ASPA) on how to carry out scientific research and testing using animals and disseminateinformation to others.• Uphold the principles of the 3Rs in everything we do.• In collaboration with the Preclinical Director and Preclinical Team Managers, maintainawareness of all experimental work carried out.IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 36IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 36 19/01/2021 11:0819/01/2021 11:08

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• Proactively identify and collate information on potential animal models and any refinements forthose currently in use.• Manage the completion of retrospective reviews and Home Office returns and any otherregulatory requirements.Skills/RequirementsEssential• Extensive knowledge of, and experience in adhering to, Home Office guidance and ASPA onthe use of animals in scientific research.• Extensive practical experience in writing and applying for PPLs (or the equivalent).• Knowledge of PPL standard conditions.• Knowledge of PIL standard conditions.• Highly organised and self-motivated.• High ethical standards with experience of applying the 3Rs.• Good understanding of the ethical review process.• Meticulous attention to detail.• Strong communication skills.• Proven ability to work collaboratively and as part of a team.• Ability to multitask and work across multiple projects simultaneously.• Excellent level of computer literacy.• Ability to work flexibly.Desirable• An active or recently revoked Home Office PIL.• Hands-on experience of working with animal models of clinical disease.• Previously held a PPL.SalaryThis role based in Cambridge and is offered as full or part-time to suit the candidate. RxCelerate offersa competitive salary with an annual bonus scheme and company benefits package.Application processWhen applying for this role, please include a cover letter outlining how you meet the competenciesdescribed above. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and curriculum vitae in PDF formatto careers@rxcelerate.com by Friday 5thFebruary.EnquiriesTo discuss this post, please contact careers@rxcelerate.com.IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 37IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 37 19/01/2021 11:0819/01/2021 11:08

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BulletinJanuary 2021 • 39Front cover: Primate Photo: Courtesy Alan PalmerDIARY DatesEvents/Dates subject to change due to the current quarantinesituation and possible ongoing restrictions.27 JanuaryNC3RsTickling Rats for ImprovedWelfareOnlineDetails:https://nc3rs.org.uk/events/nc3rs-webinar-tickling-rats-improved-welfare2-3 FebruaryFondazione Guido BernardiniWhat should you know aboutyour rodent facility?OnlineDetails:https://www.fondazioneguidobernardini.org/en/programs/online-course-what-should-you-know-about-your-rodent-facility.html23 FebruaryRSPCAFocus on FishOnlineDetails:https://focusonﬁsh.co.uk24 FebruaryHitchhikers guide to yourestablishmentOnlineDetails:info@lasa.co.uk24 FebruaryLASA and BritishPharmacological SocietyExploring the status of animalmodels of psychiatric disorders –their validity and scope forsuccessful translationOnlineDetails:https://meetings.bps.ac.uk/bpsevents/frontend/reg/tRegisterEmailNew.csp?pageID=25848&eventID=47&tempPersonID=362429-25 MarchIATCongressOnlineDetails: Page 6IAT JAN21 BULLETIN20.indd 39 19/01/2021 11:08

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