Abstract
A new guiding principles document from LASA Education Training and Ethics Section and the RSPCA Animals in Science Department
The aim…
Delivering – and assessing – the ethics learning outcomes in personal licensee (PIL) training courses is an important component of licensee training, but this has never been easy. There are now defined ‘ethics learning outcomes’ for module 2, but these do not go into detail about the aims of this aspect of the course, the topics to include or the approach to take. Students often have no background in ethics or do not understand what ‘ethics’ is (and is not). Furthermore, ethics is not ‘black and white’ and ethical dilemmas are open to personal interpretation. Students may also have beliefs and opinions that can be deeply rooted and dictated by culture (e.g. religious, national, regulatory, institutional) or the attitudes of their peers.
Never a group to resist a challenge, the LASA Education, Training and Ethics Section together with the Animals in Science Department of the RSPCA, took on the task of developing some guiding principles for delivering the ethics learning outcomes and are pleased that this publication is now finished and available.
The format…
The Guidance is divided into two parts. The first deals with general principles: the overall aim of ethics training; what ethics is in practice and why it is important; how it relates to the use of animals in research; and the principles underlying good practice in teaching this topic. It emphasises the benefits of ‘normalising’ ethics by showing how it pervades other aspects of science and life generally, focusing on the need for a relevant and practical approach that integrates ethics throughout the whole training course.
The Guidance also deals with some common misconceptions. For example, ethics is often just equated with implementing the 3Rs and improving animal welfare. However, although both of these issues concern the reduction of overall animal suffering and are thus a factor in ethical decision making, ethics encompasses a much wider set of considerations and reflection about what it is justifiable to do to animals in the name of science.
Part two focuses on the practical aspects of delivering the ethics learning outcomes. It is set out in table form with the key points to get across for each learning outcome set alongside ideas on how these could be delivered, emphasising the importance of illustrating the training with up to date and local examples wherever possible. There are some handy summary ‘dos and don’ts’, suggestions for development of training resources and opportunities for Continued Professional Development (CPD) (e.g. via the Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body (AWERB)).
The Guidance is available to download from both the LASA and RSPCA websites at: https://www.lasa.co.uk/current_publications/science.rspca.org.uk/-/other-papers-and-articles
Cryopreservation and assisted reproductive technologies in genetically altered animals – best practice, tips and tools
This virtual online meeting will be held on Monday 19 April 2021 to Thursday 22 April 2021 in the afternoons.
The LASA Animal Science (Transgenic) Section invites you to our third technical forum. This highly interactive meeting with a focus on the laboratory mouse will provide ample opportunity for learning, building your professional network and sharing best practice with others working in the field.
The meeting opens in the afternoon of Monday 19 April 2021 and will comprise four afternoon sessions between 14:00 and 16:15 each day. The sessions are structured to include a series of presentations by international experts in their respective fields, followed by opportunities for attendees to present and interact with colleagues and speakers.
Across all the sessions the following subjects will be covered:
Innovations and tips for cryopreservation; Assisted Reproductive Technology (In vitro fertilisation (IVF), Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)); Alternative uses for cryo and Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART); Transportation methods; Different species (mouse, rat, zebrafish, opossum, frog).
Confirmed speakers include:
Toru Takeo, Kumamoto University, Japan; Martin Fray, MRC Harwell, UK; Katharine Mankelow, Francis Crick Institute, UK; Michelle Stewart, MRC Harwell, UK; Rob Taft, The Jackson Laboratory, USA; Thomas Kolbe, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria; Sue Allen, MRC Harwell, UK; Cecilia Langhorne, Beatson Institute, UK; Jean Cozzi, Charles River, France; Brendan Doe, Cancer Research UK, Cambridge, UK; Sophie Wood, Francis Crick Institute, UK.
Visit https://www.lasa.co.uk/lasameetings/ to register online!
LASA Large Animal Research Network news
The LASA Large Animal Research Network have organised an excellent series of webinar lectures, covering a range of species relevant to the biomedical science community, in May 2021. The details are listed below:
11 May, Avian session; 18 May, Porcine session; 25 May, General livestock/Ruminant session.
Check the meetings section of the LASA website for more details of speakers and to register on line: https://www.lasa.co.uk/lasameetings/