July 2022 : simplebooklet.com

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___________________________________Vol58No7July 2022CONTENTSFinalcopydateforAugust Bulletin23rdJulyYour Council Needs You4Dear Readers 5Council Meeting Minutes 7-11My First Year on IATCouncil13-16North West Branch Poster Day18-25Industry News:TUK Take on Tough Mudder28-29AS-ET 30-31Dispatches 32-34NC3Rs News35BranchAnnouncements 36-37Situations Vacant 38Is this your Congress Rafﬂe Ticket 38Diary Dates 39IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 3IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 3 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin4 • July 2022If the answer to the above two questions is yes then listen up:The Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) is actively seeking new Council members, so whetheryou are interested in welfare initiatives, communications, education and training or just wantto have asay, then why not get more involved in your professional body and join Council?Our Mission: Advancing and promoting excellencein the care and welfare of animals in researchAre you currently afull Member or Fellow of the Institute with two years’consecutive membership, who wants to make adifference?Do you want to be involved in developing the future of the Institute ofAnimal Technology?Visit our website www.iat.org.uk for further informationInstitute ofAnimal TechnologyYOUR COUNCILNEEDS YOU!Why bother?•the opportunity to shape the future•great networking and personal development opportunities•choose the area that interests you on Council and join that group•expenses are paid to attend Council meetings•discounted Congress attendance•the Council Election form is simple to completeStill unsure?Contact us and we can talk you through the process, provide moreinformation about Council activities and groups or you can visit the IATwebsite members’ section.You would need to be proposed and seconded by either two Membersor Fellows of the Institute or nominated by aBranch. The IAT canassist with this too, if you have any difficulties.Interested?Nomination forms should be completed online from the IAT websiteusing this link http://iatforms.org.uk/view.php?id=16312When the form is submitted it is sent to the IAT Administrator(admin@iat.org.uk).The closing date for nominations is Friday 4th November 2022.Simon CummingHonorary SecretaryIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 4IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 4 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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DDeeaarr RReeaaddeerrssCCaarroolleeKKeeeepp RReeaaddiinngg!!BulletinJuly 2022 • 5Ithinkthisissssuuee ooff tthheBBulllletiinspeeaakkss mmooreaboutus,theTeecchhnniiciiansandTechnologiststhanitdoesaboutaannyythingelse.TheﬁrrsstttarticleIwanttodrawyourattentiontoisRobbiinnnLabesse’s ﬁrstyearonnnCouncil(pages13–16).Iffooounditverythoughtprooovoking,myexperienceooofjoiningCouncilwasveryyysimilartohis–Itoo,hadheardthestoriesofnoootbeingexpectedtosayanything for weeksormonths.However,myexperiencewasneverlikettthatandItotallyagreewithhissentiment‘youwillonlygetoutwhatttyouputin’.IwouldliketojjjoinRobininencouragingeveryonetoppparticipateandthe“YourCouuuncilNeedsYou”posterhereferstoisbackagain–opposite.Itisverytruuue–wereallydoneedyou,especiallyifyoubelievethat Council does nooot representyourvvviiieeewwwsssiiinnn aaawwwaaayyyyyyooouuuwwwooouuulllddd llllliiikkkeeetttooo hhheeeaaarrrttthhheeemmmvvvoooiiiccceeeddd.WehaveaCouncilmeetingggthismonth,whichwillbeahybridevent,someofuswillbethereinpersonandothersattendinggggbbbyyyZZZoooooommm.OOOttthhheeerrreventshavealsogonedowwwnthisroute–acoupleofspeeeakersattendedCongressvirtuallybutIhavvvefounditgreattoreturntoface-to-facemeetingsanditfeltgoodgggettingonthetraintoattendddtheNorthWestBranchPosterDay(18–25))).Althoughtheweatherwasbad,itwasagranddayandgoodtoseeeepeopleinperson.Mycongraaatulationstoall theposterprizewinners,ofwhhhichPaulBarwood,ourdeputttyeditor,wasone!Lastly,IwanttotellyouDispatches is back(pages 32 – 4440)andnotethessshooortttpppieeeccceeeintttheeereeeaaabbbooouuutttTeeeccchniccciaaanCCCooommitttmeeenttt.Iuuurrrgeyou to havealookat the worktheyare doing,Iwillbe writinganarttticle on thislatertthhhisyear,asitissomethingIhavebeeninvolvedwithannndfollowingforrrsoommmeeetttiiimmmeee...IIItttiiisssaaannniiinnniiitttiiiaaatttiiivvveeetttooohhhiiiggghhhllliiiggghhhtttttthhheeeiiimmmpppooorrrtttaaannnccceeeeooofffttteeeccchhhnnniiicccaaalllsssttaaffandd ssttrrivestomakeusmorevisibleandpushinstitutionstounderssttaandtheimpoorrtanceofourskills.Somethingwhich,duringmycareeerr II hhavesometimess ffooundwantingbutissomethingwecanchange–– jjuustgetinvolved!IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 5IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 5 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 7211thCouncil Meeting of the Institute ofAnimal TechnologyHeld as hybrid on 11thMay 2022 at 13.00 hoursThe May Council meeting is the ﬁrst meeting of Council following the AGM. Itis when new members join for the ﬁrst time and when roles for the coming yearare decided.This year Council welcomed Ken Applebee back after atwo-year absence.Toby Sanders was welcomed as anew Council member and Tina O’Mahonywelcomed as afull Council member,having previously been aco-opted member.Council roles were nominated and elected as follows:Linda Horan CEO/Chair of CouncilGlyn Fisher Vice Chair of CouncilSimon Cumming Honorary SecretaryGlyn Fisher Honorary TreasurerJas Barley Chair of IATEditorial Board and Editor of ATWCarole Wilson Bulletin EditorNicky Gent Chair of Animal Welfare GroupAdrian Woodhouse Chair of Communications GroupKally Booth Branch Liaison Committee OfﬁcerAlan Graham Chair Congress CommitteeSteven Cubitt Chair Board of Educational PolicyKen ApplebeeChair Registration and Accreditation Board (inc. CPD)Allan Thornhill Website and Electronic Media CoordinatorHaley Daniels Chair Equity,Diversity and Inclusion GroupRobin Labesse EFAT RepresentativeIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 7IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 7 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin8 • July 2022ASRU Change ProgrammeThe IAThave written to the Minister of State for Home Affairs, BaronessWilliams of Trafford raising concerns with the ASRU Change Programme.Arepresentative has been invited to attend ameeting with the Minister and anupdate will be issued following the meeting.Will Reynolds attended Congress 2022 to give an update and IATmemberssubmitted questions to him. Will did not answer all of the questions and so hasnow been asked to supply responses to be published in the Bulletin.MIATand FIATapplicationsThe list of names of those who have applied to be awarded Membership of theInstitute of Animal Technology (MIAT) and Fellowship of the Institute of AnimalTechnology (FIAT) status need to go before IATCouncil, as they are subject toformal election.Council were delighted to elect the following members as MIAT:Amy Boyle UCL, Institute of OphthalmologyStephen Reynolds University College DublinJoanne Melloy King’sCollege LondonJoseph Pennock University of ManchesterJosephine Ruggles DSTLKyle O’Sullivan UCLMichaela Lee Queen Mary University LondonLucy Langford-Jackson UCLAmy Grifﬁn University of OxfordCheryl Yalden King’sCollege LondonLewis Young King’sCollege LondonLuisa De Rosa Francis Crick InstituteCouncil were also delighted to elect to FIAT:Lisa Watson Agri-Food and Biosciences InstituteFrancesca Flack Sanger InstituteAnia Sobczak Babraham InstituteIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 8IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 8 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 9Congratulations to all new MIATand FIATmembers of theInstituteApplications for election to MIATand FIATare put to Council twice ayear forapproval. Applications can be made via mySociety.MIATrecognises the achievement of those who have completed:• Level 3Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and Technology• have aminimum of 3years’ relevant experience in Animal Technology• they must also complete the Practical Animal Handling and HealthModule (if not previously completed)Members of the IATwill be entitled to use the letters MIATafter their names –https://iateducation.co.uk/FIATrecognises those who have achieved:• aBachelor’sdegree (BSc) in Laboratory Animal Technology or ahigherdegree in Animal Technology• have at least 5years’ relevant experience in Animal Technology• they must also complete the Practical Animal Handling and HealthModule (if not previously completed)Fellows of the IATwill be entitled to use the letters FIATafter their names –https://iateducation.co.uk/Nature’sSAFETullis Matson from Nature’sSAFE gave the Kevin Dolan Memorial Lecture atCongress 2022. It was afascinating insight into saving species from extinction andif you missed the lecture, you could ﬁnd out more at www.natures-safe.comThe IATmade adonation which has been used to cryopreserve tissue samplesof the Mountain Chicken Frog, also known as the Giant Ditch Frog, acriticallyendangered amphibian, found only on the islands of Monserrat and Dominicain the East Caribbean Sea. It is named for its large size and the fact that it wasonce alocal delicacy,supposedly tasting like chicken.European Animal Research Association (EARA)The IATare now ofﬁcial members of EARA, acommunications and advocacyorganisation, representing both public and private institutions in thebiomedical sector in Europe. Its mission is to inform people about the continuedneed for and beneﬁts of the humane use of animals in scientiﬁc research byproviding accurate and evidence-based information. Youcan ﬁnd out moreabout EARA on their website – www.eara.euIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 9IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 9 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin10 • July 2022ACaring CareerThe IATCaring Career brochure has been revised and republished. It is availableto download from the IATwebsite. If you require any hard copies, pleasecontact the IATAdministrator.Andrew Blake Tribute Award(ABTA)Entries are once again being invited for the ABTA. New guidelines are beingdrawn up for submissions and these will be available on the IATwebsite.IATBranchesThe Branch grants have now been paid to those Branches who submitted theiraccounts on time and in line with the Branch rules.The Branch Reps meetings and BING (Branch Innovation and NetworkingGroup) have now been combined into one new group –the Branch LiaisonCommittee. The group held its ﬁrst face-to-face meeting in June.The Branch Rafﬂe at Congress raised over £700 for the DEC UkrainianHumanitarian Appeal. Council made this up to £1000. Thanks went to the NorthEast Branch who organised the rafﬂe.Animal Technology and Welfare(ATW)It appears that there are some IATmembers who are not aware that the Journalis still being published. ATWispublished three times ayear,inApril, August andDecember.Inorder to encourage article submissions, the decision was made tomake ATWOpen Access. This means that it is freely available as an e-book viathe IATwebsite. The link will take you to adedicated webpage, where you cansee all the latest issues. Alternatively you can go directly to www.atwjournal.comThe ATWeditor is always looking for articles for publication, so if you haveanything, or know someone who has, please get in touch with the editor –atweditor@iat.org.uk.IATBulletinAs with ATW, the Bulletin editor is always grateful to receive copy for theBulletin. If you have any reports which may be of interest to other members,please get in touch with the editor – bulletineditor@iat.org.ukIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 10IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 10 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 11European Federation of Animal Technology (EFAT)Members of the IATare attending the FELASA meeting in Marseille in June.Several members are involved in running asession on Training and Educationfor Animal Technicians in Europe. IATrepresentatives of EFAT are also hosting ameeting for EFAT to encourage participation by other countries.Congress 2022Congress 2022 had been avery successful event, with everyone happy to bereturning to amore normal face-to-face meeting. The feedback survey hadbeen very favourable, with the exception of the venue food. This had alreadybeen noted and will be followed up on with the venue.Animals in Science –Education Trust (AS-ET)It was reported that Prof Sir Richard Gardner has stepped down as aTrusteeof AS-ET.Hehad been Chair of the Board of Trustees and has been involved inAS-ET since its creation in 2010. AS-ET were delighted to announce that AllanThornhill has agreed to become aTrustee.The next IATCouncil meeting will be held in July 2022, as ahybrid meeting.IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 11IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 11 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 13My First Year on IATCouncilWhy did Ijoin?Idecided to join the IATCouncil after adiscussion with members of my localBranch. To put it politely the discussion was along the lines of “Council is not intouch with their membership”. At the time, Idid not fully agree with that viewbut certainly understood where it was coming from. In life, you can complainfrom the side-lines or join in and try to help. As it happened, shortly after thisdiscussion, the IATadvertised the yearly recruitment for Council.Council can consist of up to twenty-four members and athird need to berenewed every three years. This meansthat there are eight seats to ﬁll everyyear.Eight Council members will cometo the end of their tenure but, of course,can reapply.Ifthere are more than eightapplicants, then an election takes place.It is then up to the IATmembership todecide who represents our community atCouncil. After avery friendly conversationwith the IATHonorary secretary,SimonCumming, Idecided to throw my namein the hat at the end of 2020. What is theworst thing that could happen? Ithoughtat the time that it might be difﬁcult to beselected against colleagues who had beenon Council for many years. To my surpriseIgot in.Getting Started:Ireceived the good news from Simon in December and was told that pendingapproval at the March 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM), Iwould thenbecome aCouncil member.From that point, Simon spent alot of time andeffort ensuring Ihad agood start and we had afew Zoom meetings to fullyunderstand what my strengths and interests were. It was great to get involved,especially where the IATcould use me, but also in aplace Icould enjoy andbe passionate about what Iwould do. For me this was joining the Board ofEducation. Until the AGM ofﬁcially agreed to my nomination, Iwas able toIf the answer to the above two questions is yes then listen up:The Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) is actively seeking new Council members, so whetheryou are interested in welfare initiatives, communications, education and training or just wantto have asay,then why not get more involved in your professional body and join Council?Our Mission: Advancing and promoting excellencein the care and welfare of animals in researchAre you currently afull Member or Fellow of the Institute with two years’consecutive membership, who wants to make adifference?Do you want to be involved in developing the future of the Institute ofAnimal Technology?Visit our website www.iat.org.uk for further informationInstitute ofAnimal TechnologyYOUR COUNCILNEEDS YOU!Why bother?•the opportunity to shape the future•great networking and personal development opportunities•choose the area that interests you on Council and join that group•expenses are paid to attend Council meetings•discounted Congress attendance•the Council Election form is simple to completeStill unsure?Contact us and we can talk you through the process, provide moreinformation about Council activities and groups or you can visit the IATwebsite members’ section.You would need to be proposed and seconded by either two Membersor Fellows of the Institute or nominated by aBranch. The IAT canassist with this too, if you have any difficulties.Interested?Nomination forms should be completed online from the IAT websiteusing this link http://iatforms.org.uk/view.php?id=16312When the form is submitted it is sent to the IAT Administrator(admin@iat.org.uk).The closing date for nominations is Friday 5th November 2021.Simon CummingHonorary SecretaryIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 13IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 13 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin14 • July 2022prepare myself by reading our Code of Conduct, Articles of Association and avery helpful welcome guide containing useful information, history and contacts.Youcan never put too much effort into onboarding and Imust admit, manyworkplaces could learn from IATCouncil’seffort in this way.Maybe like me, you have heard old stories about Council. One of my favouriteones is: being expected not to say anything for the ﬁrst few meetings or years.Idonot know if this was ever true. What Iknow is this was not my experienceat all, as during my ﬁrst Council meeting, on Zoom, Ifelt the atmosphere tobe collegiate. While Iprobably stepped on afew toes, or missed backgroundinformation on occasion, Iwas never made to feel bad for it.What do we do on Council?The beneﬁt of being part of agroup of twenty-four is that everyone bringssomething different to the table. Therefore, Council covers awide varietyof actions, for example, we work on communication, with our colleagues,members or not, as well as with the authorities. The IATisvery efﬁcient indiscussing arising matters with the regulators and other organisations suchas the RSCPAand the NC3Rs. We have built those relationships over timeand deeply value them. Our purpose is to advance knowledge and promoteexcellence in the care and welfare of animals in science and to enhance thestandards and status of those professionally engaged in the care, welfareand use of animals. Unsurprisingly,wework on animal welfare and creatingguidance useful to the community.Weaccredit NACWO courses, RAnTechapplication and IATcourses. Education is at the core of the IAT, with the aimIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 14IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 14 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 15to support everyone regardless of previous experience. There is something foreveryone. We regularly review syllabus and content to match the communityand regulators’ requirements. It is important to support members withmatters such as diversity,equality and mental health and to that end, weorganised regular virtual coffee and catch-up meetings during the recentpandemic. There is more to discuss than Ihave the space to describe here, butif you are curious, you can always contact Council at iat6262@gmail.com.Ifthere is something you think we should do, please let us know.What was it like for me?Iﬁrst got involved with the IATBoard of Education. We meetweekly for an hour or so to touchbase on our projects and assigntasks. Ihave enjoyed workingwith agreat group on reviewingthe syllabus and working on newones and there is some excitingnews to come in this department.There is also alot of backgroundwork to stay compliant withOfqual, see http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofqualas the IATacts as an accreditor.IATEducation does not deliver coursesbut accredits them, thus ensuringfairness for all students regardlessof the provider they use. Moreinformation can be found onhttps://iateducation.co.ukAt my ﬁrst Council meeting, we discussed member numbers and whether theIATwas delivering what they desired. The most passionate of us formed asub-group to pursue this. We started by combining with the Equality and DiversityGroup to create ajoint survey.Wewanted to understand the requirement ofthe community instead of guessing. IATCouncil is here to serve you, not theother way around and thank you to everyone who contributed. While thesurvey is closed, we are always keen to hear from our colleagues, so if youwant anything from the IAT, do get in touch. From the survey,several wisheswere identiﬁed. It was clear that members wished to have more exchangesIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 15IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 15 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin16 • July 2022with peers and to receive education. Some of this is already covered by IATEducation, Council and formidable local Branches. We decided to carry oncreating more and we are currently working on monthly webinars, which willbe achance to learn and exchange ideas, following apresentation. We wereinspired by Branches who have successfully taken this approach during the lastfew years. By the way,Ihope you join your Branch events, as they are fantastic.If you need to know more about them, you can ﬁnd contact information onthe main IATwebsite which appears under here –for Members, subsectionBranches.Those who have met me and heard me speak, know that Iamoriginally fromFrance. They will not be surprised to know that Ihave also an interest in thetraining and recognition of technicians across Europe. Thanks to the IATIwasable to join the European Federation of Animal Technologists (EFAT)http//www.efat.org.EFAT’saims are like the IAT’sand centre aroundharmonisation of training and representation with Institutions such as theEuropean Commission. Ihave deeply enjoyed building relationships withcolleagues across Europe and many are desperate to have an equivalent of theIATorIAT education in their own country.EFATisbeing very active, again withexciting projects around translation of educational material, which you shouldhear more about soon. If you have colleagues in Europe who would like to getinvolved, we would love to hear from them.So would Irecommend joining Council?It is important to say that no one on Council is paid for their contribution,everything is voluntary.Most of us do it in addition to our own day jobs.However,this is highly rewarding and joining Council gives you the opportunityto really contribute to the future of Animal Technology,inaway that worksfor you. It is also agreat learning experience and the chance to exchangeideas with fascinating colleagues within the IATand partners such as the RoyalSociety of Biology.Aswith everything you get out what you put in, but Councilis always keen to integrate fresh ideas: so yes Iwould highly recommendapplying to join Council. Conveniently,the next application window is soon,so if you have been MIATorFIATfor two years, Ihope to see you at Councilmeeting soon!Reporter: Robin LabasseIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 16IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 16 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 17Retirementand futureTLC plansFrom aveterinarynurse back in the1980s to managing directorofThe Learning Curve(TLC) spanning over fortyyears in the animal care and welfareﬁeld, it is time to take astepback,take abreather,reﬂectonthe greattimes andhand over to Angela to take the companyforward.During my fortyyears Ihavehad the privilege of acquiring my MScinAnimal Technology,tobearecipientoftheAAALACInternational Fellowship Award(during stormSandy whereIwas imprisoned in ahotel foraweek!) in 2012,as well as severalotherprestigious awards foranimal welfare.My love of animals has alwaysbeen atop priorityup-until and including the presentday.Mydogs,chickens,tortoisesand Koi carpkeepmebusy and my experiences with most species over the yearshas done me proud,Iwould like tosayabig thankyou to“Toupee”myfavouritemarmoset, Jasper my favouritecat andall the other animals Ihavehadthe pleasureofworking with.Ihavehad averyfulﬁlling career,acareer thatmost people wouldenvyand worked with extraordinarypeople alongthe way, Ihavelearnt alot and hopefully expressed andpassed on my high ethical views on animal welfare.It will be hardtoleave behind the greatpeople who have shaped our industry, who work tirelessly forchangeandthose who have spentmanyyears in the Animal Welfareﬁeld.Moving forward, my colleague Angela Kerton will be takingthe reins from the 1st August, pushing the companyinnewdirections,and working with ateam thatIhaveput togetherthatcomplementeach other and collectively make the companywhatitistoday. So,thank youall foryour hardworkasithasbeen apleasuretoworkwith youand includes Kate,Carol,Gill,Ian, Fiona, Karen, Dave, Teresa, Carol2,Lorrayne -Iwill still bepaying your wages and expenses so Iwillcontinue to be in thebackground(!).To my colleagues in the InstituteofAnimal Technology,Iwouldlike to express my sincerethanks, the RoyalSocietyofBiology and Scottish Accreditation Boardfor their accreditation, and to allthe employers thathad faith in us to delivertheir training and qualiﬁcations.My jewel in the crownismyassociation with the Named Animal Care andWelfareOﬃcers(NACWOs) through theirtraining with TLCtothe grand job they nowdoand theresponsibilitythey have –well done and good luck.Ihope to see youall in thefutureasyou will notget ridofmethateasily,Iwill be looking at your advances inlaboratoryanimal scienceand welfare, youare the futureand without youtimestands still.With my best wishesMartin Heath MScFRSBFIATFIScT RAnTech PTLLSManaging DirectorWe have yourfutureatheartThree generations of Heath’s,Martin, Brendan and babyTravisAngelathAnniversaryIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 17IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 17 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin18 • July 2022IATNorth West Branch Poster Day 2022Itwas agrey and drizzly day in Manchester –not agood start for the ﬁrst faceto face meeting in nearly 3years! But even the overcast skies of Manchestercould not dampen our enthusiasm for learning, networking and just havingagood old fashoned chat! We had agood turn out of over 80 delegates and awhopping 21 posters! Not to mention the 12 trade stands, whose sponsorshipmade it all possible. It was absolutely fabulous to see everyone’shard work andsmiling faces!The afternoon started offwith registration (making sure attendees got afreerafﬂe ticket and agoodie box from Datesand!) and coffee whilst everyonewas busying themselves setting up their posters or having acatch up withcolleagues. After this we all settled in to listen to the talks given by ourIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 18IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 18 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 19fantastic presenters. First up was Nicola Foster from the NC3Rs –she gave us aninsight into the workings of this organisation, what it was all about and howit can help each of us develop and implement the 3Rs in our workplaces. Afterthat it was John Waters from IATCouncil –telling us all what it means to be amember,what the IATcan do for you and the opportunities that he has hadin his career.Presentations were ﬁnished offbythe lovely ladies from AS-ET –giving us abrief outline of who they are and what they do. All in all, some verygood talks and Ihave received some very positive feedback from the attendeesto say they really enjoyed the presentations and all took alot of informationaway with them.Lunch arrived at this point, giving everyone another chance to mingle. Shortlyafter this it was time to go and see what the trade stands had to offer and notjust the free pens! There is much to be learned from the trade attendees, theseare often ex-Animal Technicians themselves and are amine of informationabout the latest advances in Animal Welfare and how we can implement themIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 19IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 19 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 21Thankfully,Ihad called upon two educated and highly distinguished colleaguesto do the judging on my behalf, but they couldn’tmake it, so Iasked Nicola andJohn if they would not mind stepping in! Even so, they found it really difﬁcultto decide which was the best and needless to say the deliberations took awhile!John was really impressed with all of the posters and the willingness of everyoneto talk him through them. Each poster deserved to win in its own right, butthere could only be one winner and they had to choose who it was! Ultimately,the winner was chosen because it was felt that this reseach would have awiderimpact. The majority of us use rats and mice as models for our experiments andto be able to handle them effectively can only be agood thing!IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 21IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 21 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin22 • July 2022First prize went to Julia Bartlett from the University of Bristol. Her (and hercollaborators) poster on ‘Reﬁnement of handling and dosing methods for ratsand mice’ won her the expenses paid trip to AALAS later this year.Many scientiﬁc procedures involving animals require the administration ofsubstances. This almost always requires the animal to be restrained which isknown to cause stress. This research group has developed and implementedseveral techniques to reduce stress caused during substance administration. Ratherthan oral gavage, voluntary ingestion of test substances in palatable solutions wasused. Although this approach will not be compatible with all test substances, thismethod offers both welfare and scientiﬁc beneﬁts that could reduce variabilitybetween subjects and improve quality and reproducibility of scientiﬁc studies.IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 22IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 22 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 23Second place went to Paul Barwood from University College London for hisposter on ‘Reﬁnement of water quality in Zebraﬁsh pair breeding’ He waspresented with an Amazon Voucher for £100.Pair breeding of Zebraﬁsh is essential for in-vivo research. This practise isroutinely carried out in small transparent breeding boxes with no water ﬂow orﬁltration. These breeding boxes typically contain less than 1litre of water whichincrease the potential for ﬂuctuations in water quality,whilst the absence ofﬁltration means that toxic waste products accumulate. This can impact breedingperformance. This trial assessed how water quality and breeding performanceare impacted by feeding ﬁsh at different times prior to the transfer to thebreeding boxes and adapting abreeding box to have ﬂow through water.IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 23IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 23 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin28 • July 2022INDUSTRYNEWSTUK take on Tough Mudder!! (again!)Following the success of aTecniplast team taking on the Tough Mudderevent last year (funds raised for Northamptonshire Young Carers), agroup of us here at TUK decided we were brave/mad enough to sign upagain and this time we took on the 15km London West Tough Mudder coursein Henley.The event took place in May and we trained hardbeforehand to make sure we were ready.It took us agruelling 5hours to complete whichhad 30 obstacles, ranging from icecold plungebaths, 3story high rope a-framesto climb and anelectric shock obstacle! It was avery hilly courseand obviously extremely muddy as you wouldexpect.The brave group of lads and lasses putthemselves through this to raise funds for thecharity,British-Ukrainian Aid, dedicated tosupporting those refugees suffering from thewar and humanitarian crisis ongoing in theIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 28IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 28 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin32 • July 2022Dispatches...Can Anyone Help?Myname is Anna Williams, IamProfessor of Forensic Science atUniversity of Central Lancashire. Igave the Kevin Dolan Memoriallecture for the IATCongress in 2019, so Iamfamiliar to everyone.Ihave aPhD student who is trying to do research into the effect of commondrugs on the skeleton and she is trying to get hold of (any) bone or teethfrom animals (mice/rats/larger animals) who have been exposed to anycommon drug (legal/illegal drugs/ medication/ alcohol/ nicotine etc) andfor whom there is amedical history.Wewere hoping that it might bepossible to ask if there are any IATmembers who might let us have theanimal carcasses and medical histories once they have ﬁnished with theirexperiments/tests, instead of disposing of them. We are happy to complywith any ethical restrictions/requirements they might have, and happy totravel to pick up animal remains or arrange for them to be couriered toPreston.If anyone would be willing tocollaborate/help with this request, Iwould bevery happy to discuss it further.Thank you very much in advance.Best wishes,AnnaProfessor Anna Williams MA (Oxon) MSc PhD PGCLTAHE MCSFS FICPEM FRAIProfessor of Forensic ScienceManager of the Lancashire Forensic Science AcademySchool of Natural SciencesUniversity of Central LancashirePrestonPR1 2HETelephone: 01772 416209Email: AWilliams34@uclan.ac.ukIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 32IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 32 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 33MonkeypoxMonkeypox is arare viral infection, thought to be spread by rodentsand caught from infected wild animals predominantly in central andwestern Africa. Monkeypox does not spread easily between peopleand over 50s are likely to have immunity due to Smallpox vaccination.Monkeypox can be caught by ﬂuid transfer,touching infected animals orpeople and touching items usedby someone infectedwith thevirus. The illness is usually mildand it can take up to 3weeksfor symptoms to appear afterinfection.Symptoms can last upto 4weeks and include ahightemperature, headache, muscleaches, swollen glands andexhaustion (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/monkeypox).Cases of monkeypox haverecently been conﬁrmed inmore than 10 non-endemiccountries. The risk is lowfor most people, with amoderate risk for people withmultiple sexual partners. TheEuropean Centre for DiseasePrevention and Control adviseclose contacts of monkeypoxcases to self-monitor for thedevelopment of symptoms andto defer from blood, organsor bone marrow donations for aminimum of 21 days after the last day ofexposure. Current advice from the UK Health Security Agency is for anyonewho suspects they have rashes or lesions on any part of their body to limittheir contact with others and contact NHS 111.Reporter: Paul BarwoodImage sourcing: Karen DunfordPPuubblliiccddoommaaiinn, vviiaaWWiikkiimmeeddiiaaCCoommmmoonnssCCDDCC//BBrriiaannWW.JJ. MMaahhyy, PPuubblliiccddoommaaiinn, vviiaaWWiikkiimmeeddiiaaCommonsIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 33IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 33 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin34 • July 2022Making changes for the betterFunding bodies across the world, including the National Institutes ofHealth in the US, have recognised the need for change. They nowexpect both sexes to be studied by default unless there is good reasonnot to https://www.ukri.org/news/use-of-both-sexes-to-be-default-in-laboratory-experimental-design/MRC changes will beintroduced over the course of 2022. MRC has openedaconsultation to hear from researchers about what they would need inorder to comply with the new requirements.To help, MRC and the National Centre for the Replacement, Reﬁnementand Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) will provide resources andguidance to assist researchers with experimental designReporter: Linda HoranTechnician CommitmentTechnician Commitment is auniversity and research institutioninitiative, led by asteering board of sector bodies, with support fromthe Science Council and Technicians Make It Happen campaign.The Commitmentaims to ensure visibility,recognition, career developmentand sustainability for technicians working in higher education and researchacross all disciplines and this week marks their ﬁve-year anniversary.Inthistime, @TechsCommit has grown to over 100 signatories and supporters oneof which is the IAT.https://www.technicians.org.uk/technician-commitmentIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 34IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 34 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 35Skinswabbing:refining genotyping ofsmall-bodiedfishesTheNC3Rs hascollaborated with expertstocreatearesource aimedatresearchersand technicians whowant to learn more aboutthe practicaland welfareaspects ofswitching from finclipping to skin swabbing. Theresource includes:▪ Commonlyasked questionsanswered in detail by experts in skin swabbingand laboratory fish welfare.▪ Atable comparingthe practicalaspects of finclipping and skin swabbing.▪ Askinswabbing protocol, peer-reviewedliterature,and videos to help youdevelop and implementaswabbing protocol in your ownfacility.▪ Adviceonrefininggenotyping procedures if youfacility is not yetreadytomake theswitchtoskinswabbing.www.nc3rs.org.uk/fishswabbingMinimising aggressionin group-housed miceTheNC3Rs hascreated anew resource providing recommendationsfor preventingand managing aggression between group-housedmice. Therecommendations focuson male mice and arebased on publishedliterature.Sources includethe NC3Rsmouseaggressionstudy,which analysed data from 137,580male mice that wascollectedbyanimaltechniciansacross44facilities.The resource also includesgeneralinformation that canbeapplied to both sexes, such as guidance on understandingsudden behaviouralchanges and monitoring aggression in mice.www.nc3rs.org.uk/mouse-aggressionIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 35IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 35 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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Bulletin36 • July 2022TheSH&SBranch isplanning atouroftheplanningTRIPLE fff BREWERYa tour of the BREWERYBREWERYfffat Four Marks (nearAlton)at Four Marks (near Alton)Hampshire.Hampshire. Followingthe tour,wewillFollowing the tour, retiretothe outdoorbarforbeer(s) andpizzaPlannedfor aSaturdayafternoon in July /AugustPlanned for a Saturday afternoon in July /August (date and time to be confirmed) Ticket £Planned for a Saturday afternoon in July /August Planned for a Saturday afternoon in July /August £5for(datemembers£confirmed)£10 forguests(oneguest permember)Formoredetails or to register attendanceplease contactmore details or to register attendance please contact Fran Whitmoreonfran.whitmore@pirbright.ac.ukFran Whitmore on fran.whitmore@pirbright.ac.ukFran Whitmore on fran.whitmore@pirbright.ac.ukIAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 36IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 36 05/07/2022 09:1505/07/2022 09:15

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BulletinJuly 2022 • 39Front cover: Technical Learning Courtesy: Congress CommitteeDIARY DatesTo View NowEfﬁcient management ofgeneticallyaltered mouse coloniesNC3Rs/Mary Lyons CentreTo view:https://vimeo.com/518501136/2fc46ddd3e?utm_campaign=March+2021&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdeliveryTo View NowEnvironmentalHealth Monitoring isa3Rs Replacement for Live SentinelRodentsNA3RsC 2021To view: https://www.na3rsc.org/health-monitoring/presentations/To View NowProcedures with CareTo view:https://researchanimaltraining.com/article-categories/procedures-with-care/13-14 July 2022Accredited Assessors CourseAbingdonDetails: Training@redkitevets.co.uk15 July 2022Northwest BranchSummer BBQSee page 3721 July 2022AWERB TrainingThe Learning CurveOnline–Details:Info@LearningCurveDevelopment.co.uk21 July 2022NC3Rs/MRCUsing Both Sexes in Animal ExperimentsJoint WebinarDetails: https://nc3rs.org.uk/events/nc3rs-mrc-joint-webinar-using-both-sexes-animal-experiments27 July 2022Named Information OfﬁcerThe Learning CurveOnline–Details:Info@LearningCurveDevelopment.co.ukDate to be conﬁrmedSurrey,Hampshireand Sussex BranchTour of Triple fff BrewerySee page 3626-27 SeptemberFlaireConsultantsAnaesthesia and perioperative careof laboratory rodents and rabbitsOnlineDetails: https://researchanimaltraining.com/anaesthesia-workshop-sept-2022/28-29 SeptemberFGBWhat should you know about yourrodent facility?OnlineDetails: https://www.fondazioneguidobernardini.org/en/programs/what-should-you-know-about-your-rodent-facility.html11 OctoberRed KiteNIO Training CourseTecniplast UKDetails: Training@redkitevets.co.uk21-25 November 2022FlaireConsultantsRecognition, prevention andalleviation of pain and distress inlaboratory animalsOnlineDetails: https://researchanimaltraining.com/pain-workshop-nov-2022/22-23 November 2022LASA ConferenceBirminghamDetails: https://www.lasa.co.uk/lasameetings/IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 39IAT BULLETIN JULY22.indd 39 05/07/2022 09:1605/07/2022 09:16

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