Labanimal

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