Labanimal

The October episode of 3 Minute 3rs, brought to you by the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban). Papers 1. Modelling human hepato-biliary-pancreatic organogenesis from the foregut–midgut boundary https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1598-0 2. Automated Platform for Long-Term Culture and High-Content Phenotyping of Single C. elegans Worms https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-50920-8 3. Analysis of vertebrate vision in a 384-well imaging system. Thorn RJ. Sci Rep. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31562366 Transcript [LA] Organoids are three dimensional structures derived from human cells. Unlike traditional cell cultures that are grown flat on petri dishes, multicellular organoids can offer researchers a little extra physiological context. But, an organoid of one organ still exists in isolation. A new paper published last month in the journal Nature starts to put some organoids together. The team, led by Takanori

The September episode of 3 Minute 3rs, brought to you by the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) Papers behind the pod: 1. http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/371/1/15.long 2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001216061830006X 3. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-11259-w [NC3Rs] Accurate measurements of drug and metabolite concentrations in the blood are vital to estimate exposure to the target in humans and animals during drug development. Zebrafish larvae are increasingly used for pharmacological research, but measurements of blood drug concentrations in these small animals have been technically challenging. A team at Leiden University have developed a method for nanoscale blood sampling from the posterior cardinal vein of zebrafish larvae at five days post fertilisation. A median volume of 1.12 nL of blood can be collected from each embryo and samples pooled to form a single replicate, which can

The August episode of 3-Minute 3Rs. Papers: 1. https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/7/eaaw4099 2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31026040 3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31343844 [LA] Nociception is the sense that tells animals they are encountering a potentially damaging stimulus. In people, we call it pain. Most pain research is done with rodents, but nociception is pretty well conserved beyond mammals. That includes invertebrates, such as the fruit fly. Some work has been done in larval drosophila, but larvae exist in a transient state; any quote unquote pain is therefore transient too. To study longer lasting changes in nociception, University of Sydney researcher Greg Neely recent;y described his lab’s efforts to develop an adult fly model. They took advantage of the fly’s natural aversion to surface temperatures above 42 degrees Celsius, and show that after peripheral injury-in this case, a leg amputation-the flys thermal sensitivity changes in a chronic manner. Looking deeper, they

The July episode of 3-Minute 3Rs from the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org), the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) Papers; 1. https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/5/eaav6528 2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44705-2 3. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-45464-w [NC3Rs] Colorectal cancer is particularly hard to treat, and only 11% of patients whose tumours have metastasised survive five years after diagnosis. Mouse models that incorporate patient tissue are widely used in drug discovery, but they’re both expensive and time consuming, and often don’t fully represent human disease. A team at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, led by Erdem Bangi, developed a screening platform using Drosophila to test potential therapies for a patient whose cancer had proved resistant to treatment. The team identified nine genes that were driving the progression of the disease, so they modified orthologs of these genes in the flies. They were able to

The June episode of 3-Minute 3Rs from the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org), the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) Papers; 1. https://bit.ly/2UH4hZt 2. https://go.nature.com/2W5CIea 3. https://bit.ly/2Fi4td4 [LA] On the road to the clinic, immunocompromised mice transplanted with patient-derived xenografts have been a frequent step for testing a drug’s efficacy and safety. However, there may soon be fisher options afoot that might help replace some of those mice. Writing in the June issue of the journal Cell, David Langenau and colleagues describe an adult zebrafish xenograft model, into which they successfully engrafted several different solid pediatric tumors. Larval versions had existed before, but an adult model offers a few notable advantages. Bigger fish can bear a larger tumor burden for a longer period of time than the small fry. Adults can be orally gavaged, meaning researchers can know exactly how much of a drug they are getting. And with acclimatio

The May episode of 3-Minute 3Rs from the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org), the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) Papers: 1. https://bit.ly/2vYuUPR 2. https://go.nature.com/2w2tzre 3. https://go.nature.com/2VEjEHz [NA3RC] Early mortality of pups in breeding colonies can reach upwards of 50% or higher depending upon the strain. While high pup mortality is often considered "normal", it instead may be indicative of an underestimated animal welfare issue that requires attention. Leidinger and colleagues investigate the influence of environmental enrichment as one way to mitigate early pup mortality rates. Enrichment, with nesting material and a shelter, protected against early mortality. Survival rates of pups born into enriched environments were more than double that of pups born into impoverished environments. The impoverished environment also had a negative impact on the developmental course of the remaining pups. Enrichment, among many potential benefits, may h

This is the April episode of 3-Minute 3Rs, brought to you by the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org), the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) Source papers: 1. Characterizing Sources of Variability in Zebrafish Embryo Screening Protocols. https://bit.ly/2VP8njP 2. Effective chair training methods for neuroscience research involving rhesus macaques. https://bit.ly/2V7NOSv 3. AutonoMouse. https://bit.ly/2VP8tbb. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d7ctvj953M [NA3RsC] The zebrafish embryo, considered to experience little or no pain or distress, has been investigated as a humane replacement to the adult fish and adopted for chemical characterization and hazard assessments. The Systematic Evaluation of the Application of Zebrafish in Toxicology (SEAZIT) initiative was developed by the NTP NICEATM to address inconsistent test guidelines and identify sources of variability for zebrafish embryo-based assays. The goals included gathering input from zebrafish investigato

This is the March episode of 3-Minute 3Rs, brought to you by the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org, the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) The papers behind the pod: 1. Progressive Motor Neuron Pathology and the Role of Astrocytes in a Human Stem Cell Model of VCP-Related ALS. https://bit.ly/2uiF64X 2. A critical evaluation of TRPA1-mediated locomotor behavior in zebrafish as a screening tool for novel anti-nociceptive drug discovery. https://go.nature.com/2Cu7u8C 3. No-touch measurements of vital signs in small conscious animals. https://bit.ly/2WdN5Mw [NC3Rs] A team led by Dr Rickie Patani has developed a human-derived model of ALS that could bring us a step closer to treating the disease effectively while avoiding the use of animals altogether. Animal models are widely used to study ALS, also known as motor neurone disease, but current therapies can only slow its progression – and even then, the effect is modest. Instead, Dr Patani's team, based at UCL and the

This is the February episode of 3-Minute 3Rs, brought to you by the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org, the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) The papers behind the pod: 1. 3D-printed Wash Station with Integrated Anesthesia Delivery Manifold for High-throughput Depilation of Laboratory Mice. https://bit.ly/2IpGrAP 2. DeepSqueak: a deep learning-based system for detection and analysis of ultrasonic vocalizations .https://go.nature.com/2tupSJK 3. Super-Mendelian inheritance mediated by CRISPR–Cas9 in the female mouse germline. https://go.nature.com/2RgnoYw [NA3RsC] Depilation (hair removal) is needed for many procedures done with laboratory mice, including surgery and imaging. Commercial depilatory creams are a safe, efficacious, and often-used method to achieve this hair removal. However, the use of these creams tends to be messy and time consuming, and wide procedural variation exists between laboratories. Furthermore, mice are generally under anesthesia during dep

This is the January episode of 3-Minute 3Rs, brought to you by the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org, the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) The papers behind the pod: 1. An Atypical Parvovirus Drives Chronic Tubulointerstitial Nephropathy and Kidney Fibrosis https://bit.ly/2FA6dPA 2. Remote Welfare Monitoring of Rodents Using Thermal Imaging https://bit.ly/2suGlgm 3. No experimental evidence of stress-induced hyperthermia in zebrafish (Danio rerio)https://bit.ly/2Db8m2P [NA3RsC] Chronic kidney disease results from fibrosis of the kidney parenchyma due to a variety of inciting factors. Existing models of tubulointerstitial nephropathy and fibrosis involves administration of nephrotoxic compounds or surgical interventions, but these models often fail to recapitulate the chronic, insidious nature of fibrotic disease. In a recent publication from the October 4, 2018 issue of Cell, Ben Roediger and his colleagues at the University of Sidney Australia observed a high

It's the December episode of 3-Minute 3Rs, brought to you by , the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org) and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) The papers behind the pod: 1. Optimizing the design of population-based patient-derived tumor xenograft studies to better predict clinical response https://bit.ly/2GwGJ7N 2. An In Vitro Model of Hematotoxicity https://bit.ly/2Ezgaw3 3. Found In Translation https://go.nature.com/2UVJ0g6 [NC3Rs] Every cancerous tumor is different and treating two tumors with the same drug may result in two very different outcomes, which contributes to the high failure rate during cancer drug discovery. One experiment type gaining interest to model this tumor heterogeneity is screening a population of patient-derived tumor xenograft models, or PDX models. However, there is little guidance available for these experiments. This risks poor experimental design that could result in a study being under or overpowered. Both these scenarios waste animal

It's the November episode of 3-Minute 3Rs, brought to you by Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban), the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk) & the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org) The papers behind the pod: 1. Sixteen diverse laboratory mouse reference genomes define strain-specific haplotypes and novel functional loci. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0223-8 2. Effects of Cage Enrichment on Behavior, Welfare and Outcome Variability in Female Mice https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00232/full 3. Effects of Music Enrichment on Individually Housed Male New Zealand White Rabbits. https://doi.org/10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-17-000153 Transcript: [NC3Rs] When the complete mouse genome sequence was first published 16 years ago, it was a breakthrough that sped up many scientific discoveries and improved our understanding of genetics. But, given the large collection and variety of mouse strains available, it is very important to recognise and understand the differences between them. Th

Welcome to the October episode of 3-Minute 3Rs, brought to you by Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban, the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk) & the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org) Here are the papers behind the pod: 1. Generation of Tumor-Reactive T Cells by Co-culture of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes and Tumor Organoids. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(18)30903-6 2. Mymou: A low-cost, wireless touchscreen system for automated training of nonhuman primates. https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758%2Fs13428-018-1109-5 3. Practical rat tickling: Determining an efficient and effective dosage of heterospecific play. https://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(18)30255-7/fulltext Transcript: [LA] Organoids are three-dimensional tissue cultures that resemble more complicated structures. They're promising alternatives to animal models for studying diseases and for testing potential treatments. But tissues grown in a dish lack an immune system. That's a critical component for pr

Welcome to the September episode of 3-Minute 3Rs, brought to you by Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban), the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk) & the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org) Here are the papers behind the pod: 1. Assessing animal affect: an automated and self-initiated judgment bias task based on natural investigative behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30571-x 2. Comparison of serial blood collection by facial vein and retrobulbar methods in C57BL/6 mice. https://doi.org/10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-17-000134 3. Can grimace scales estimate the pain status in horses and mice? A statistical approach to identify a classifier. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200339 Transcript: [LA]...Your valence, that is, whether you’re feeling positive or negative, can influence your judgment. There’s evidence that animals are no different, and how an animal responds to an ambiguous cue could a way to gauge their affective state and refine their welfare. But testing for judgment biases can be time

You're listening to the August edition of 3 Minute 3Rs, brought to you this month by the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) This month, we'll be talking about non-primate alternatives to study polio, aging & frailty indexes, and training rats with out water restriction. The papers behind the pod: * Replacement of primary monkey kidney cells by L20B cell line in the test for effective inactivation of inactivated poliovirus vaccine: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166093417306006 * Senolytics improve physical function and increase lifespan in old age: http://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-018-0092-9 * A Comparison of Two Mouse Frailty Assessment Tools: https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/72/7/904/3854927 * Training Rats Using Water Rewards Without Water Restriction: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00084/full  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and o

You're listening to the July edition of 3 Minute 3Rs, brought to you this month by the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org), Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban) and the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk). This month, we'll be talking about refining mouse anesthesia, replacing mice with zebrafish for studying human hematopoetic stem cells, and validating genome-edited mouse lines. The papers behind the pod: * Effects of Ketamine Compared with Urethane Anesthesia on Vestibular Sensory Evoked Potentials and Systemic Physiology in Mice: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/aalas/jaalas/2018/00000057/00000003/art00007;jsessionid=2je0i010idu59.x-ic-live-03 * A method for transplantation of human HSCs into zebrafish, to replace humanised murine transplantation models :https://f1000research.com/articles/7-594/v1 * Application of long single-stranded DNA donors in genome editing: generation and validation of mouse mutants: https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-018-0530-7  See acast

You're listening to the June edition of 3 Minute 3Rs, brought to you this month by Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban), the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk) and the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org). We're highlighting Drosophila as a microbiome model, organotypic brain culture slices for Alzheimer's research, and anesthesia for African clawed frogs. The papers behind the pod: * The Drosophila model for microbiome research: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41684-018-0065-0 * Preparation of organotypic brain slice cultures for the study of Alzheimer’s disease: https://f1000research.com/articles/7-592/v1 * Comparison of Etomidate, Benzocaine, and MS222 Anesthesia with and without Subsequent Flunixin Meglumine Analgesia in African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis): http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/aalas/jaalas/2018/00000057/00000002/art00013  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to 3-minute 3Rs for May 2018! in this podcast, we're discussing enrichment, anesthesia for cephalopods, and reproducibility across labs. The papers behind the pod: Laboratory mouse housing conditions can be improved using common environmental enrichment without compromising data: http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2005019 In Vivo Recording of Neural and Behavioral Correlates of Anesthesia Induction, Reversal, and Euthanasia in Cephalopod Molluscs: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00109/full Reproducibility of preclinical animal research improves with heterogeneity of study samples: http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2003693 And be sure to visit www.nature.com/laban and www.nc3rs.org.uk for more information about your hosts today.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to 3-minute 3Rs! In this podcast, we're discussing 'dirty' mice, automating pain assessments, and refining endpoints with telemetry data. The papers behind the pod: News Feature: What happens when lab animals go wild: http://www.pnas.org/content/115/13/3196 A deep neural network to assess spontaneous pain from mouse facial expressions: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1744806918763658 Using Telemetry Data to Refine Endpoints for New Zealand White Rabbits Challenged with Bacillus anthracis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29256375  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this month's podcast, we're highlighting the papers recognized by the NC3Rs International Prize, with topics including in silico modeling to predict cardiac drug toxicity, a novel experimental design to reduce variability, and affimers as an alternative to antibodies Read more about the Prize and the research here: https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/3rsprizewinners  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.