Reviewing Current Guidance for the ‘R’ of Replacement and Rethinking it with the ‘Replacement Checklist’

Abstract

Research involving the use of animals follows the Three Rs principles of replacement, reduction and refinement. Based on the principle of replacement, UK and EU legislation requires that technologies or alternative approaches directly replacing or avoiding the use of animals in experiments must be used wherever scientifically possible. However, replacement is often not thoroughly considered, and failures in the existing system of checks and balances are widespread. Existing guidance and advice on searching for and identifying alternative approaches and replacement techniques is confusing and misleading, and this contributes to the lack of knowledge and confidence in addressing replacement and the structural and procedural barriers around it. In this paper, we propose simple improvements to existing processes and a basic practical checklist, to help researchers identify and assess scientifically satisfactory replacement approaches. This tool will also support members of funding review panels, Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies (AWERBs), Animal Welfare Bodies (AWBs), Animal Ethics Committees, and those editing and reviewing scientific journals in their scrutiny of applications, applicants and publications — particularly with regard to the use of alternative approaches and how these potential approaches were explored.