Policy driven changes in animal research practices: mapping researchers' attitudes towards animal-free innovations using the Netherlands as an example

Perceptions of 3R implementation in European animal research: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-synthesis of barriers and facilitators

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine how the scientific community in Europe that is involved with research with animals perceives and experiences the implementation of 3R (Replace, Reduce, Refine).

METHODS

A systematic search of the literature published in the past ten years was performed in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Publications were screened for eligibility using a priori inclusion criteria, and only empirical evidence (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodologies) was retained. Quantitative survey items were investigated by conducting a meta-analysis, and the qualitative data was summarized using an inductive meta-synthetic approach. Included publications were assessed using the Quality Assessment for Diverse Studies tool.

RESULTS

17 publications were included (eight quantitative, seven qualitative, two mixed-methods). The meta-analysis revealed that scientists are skeptical about achieving replacement, even if they believe that 3R improve the quality of experimental results. They are optimistic concerning the impact of 3R on research costs and innovation, and see education as highly valuable for the implementation of 3R. The meta-synthesis revealed four barriers (systemic dynamics, reification process, practical issues, insufficient knowledge) and four facilitators (efficient use of animals, caring for animals, regulatory uptake, supportive workplace environment).

CONCLUSION

These findings show actionable levers at the local and systemic levels, and may inform regulators and institutions in their 3R policies.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The protocol was registered into the PROSPERO database under the number CRD42023395769.

Challenging Future Generations: A Qualitative Study of Students' Attitudes toward the Transition to Animal-Free Innovations in Education and Research

In 2016, the Dutch government declared its commitment to phasing out animal experiments by 2025. Although a high number of animal experiments are still performed and the 2025 target will not be met, the commitment remains. Efforts are being made to identify levers that might foster the transition to animal-free science. Education has been found to play a key role in the future of animal-free science and young generations are increasingly seen as key stakeholders. However, their attitudes toward the transition to animal-free innovations have not been investigated. The present article focuses on the values and beliefs held by students, who in 2022, participated in the course 'Replacing Animal Testing' (RAT) Challenge, organized by a consortium of Dutch universities. Contextually, students' motivations to follow the course were investigated. The research was based on a qualitative study, including semi-structured interviews and a literature review. Our analysis of the findings revealed that students feel aligned with the social, ethical, and scientific reasons that support the transition to animal-free innovations. Moreover, the participants identified a series of regulatory, educational, cultural, and political obstacles to the transition that align with those identified in recent literature. From the discussion of these findings, we extrapolated six fundamental challenges that need to be addressed to foster the transition to animal-free science in an acceptable and responsible way.

Direct visualization of emergent metastatic features within an ex vivo model of the tumor microenvironment

Preventing tumor cells from acquiring metastatic properties would significantly reduce cancer mortality ^1-5 . However, due to the complex nature of this process, it remains one of the most poorly understood and untreatable aspects of cancer ^6-8 . Ischemia and hypoxia in solid tumors are requisite in metastasis formation - conditions that arise far from functional blood vessels and deep within tumor tissues ^9,10 . These secluded locations impede the observation of pre-metastatic tumor cells and their interactions with stromal cells, which are also critical in the initiation of this process ^11,12 . Thus, the initiation of metastasis has been incredibly difficult to model in the lab and to observe in vivo . We present an ex vivo model of the tumor microenvironment, called 3MIC, which overcomes these experimental challenges and enables the observation of ischemic tumor cells in their native 3D context with high spatial and temporal resolutions. The 3MIC recreates ischemic conditions in the tumor microenvironment and facilitates the co-culture of different cell types. Using live microscopy, we showed that ischemia, but not hypoxia alone, increases the motility and invasive properties of cells derived from primary tumors. These changes are phenotypic and can occur without clonal selection. We directly observed how interactions with stromal cells such as macrophages increased tumor invasion in conjunction with the effects of an ischemic microenvironment. Finally, we tested the effects of chemotherapy drugs under different metabolic microenvironments and found that ischemic tumor cells are more resistant to paclitaxel, possibly due to a metabolic resistance mechanism. Overall, the 3MIC is a cost-effective system that allows for the dissection of the complexity of the tumor microenvironment and direct observation of the emergence of metastasis, as well as the testing of treatments that may halt this process.

Phase-In to Phase-Out—Targeted, Inclusive Strategies Are Needed to Enable Full Replacement of Animal Use in the European Union

Simple Summary

In the European Union (and elsewhere), the overall use of animals in laboratories has failed to undergo any significant decline, despite six decades of purported adherence to the “3Rs” principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement. In the EU, the 1986 adoption of a legal requirement to use scientific methods not entailing the use of live animals, rising public opinion against the use of animals and the almost exponential rise in development and application of non-animal new approach methodologies (NAMs) signals a readiness to end animal testing. Indeed, the European Parliament recently carried an almost unanimous vote to adopt an action plan to phase out the use of animals in research and testing. This article explores what is needed to make this action plan a success, considering all stakeholders and their needs.

Abstract

In September 2021, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution to phase out animal use for research, testing, and education, through the adoption of an action plan. Here we explore the opportunity that the action plan could offer in developing a more holistic outlook for fundamental and biomedical research, which accounts for around 70% of all animal use for scientific purposes in the EU. We specifically focus on biomedical research to consider how mapping scientific advances to patient needs, taking into account the ambitious health policies of the EU, would facilitate the development of non-animal strategies to deliver safe and effective medicines, for example. We consider what is needed to help accelerate the move away from animal use, taking account of all stakeholders and setting ambitious but realistic targets for the total replacement of animals. Importantly, we envisage this as a ‘phase-in’ approach, encouraging the use of human-relevant NAMs, enabling their development and application across research (with applications for toxicology testing). We make recommendations for three pillars of activity, inspired by similar efforts for making the shift to renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions, and point out where investment—both financial and personnel—may be needed.

The MEMIC: An ex vivo system to model the complexity of the tumor microenvironment

There is an urgent need for accurate, scalable and cost-efficient models of the tumor microenvironment. Here, we detail how to fabricate and use the metabolic microenvironment chamber (MEMIC) – a 3D-printed ex vivo model of intratumoral heterogeneity. A major driver of the cellular and molecular diversity in tumors is accessibility to the blood stream. Whereas perivascular tumor cells have direct access to oxygen and nutrients, cells further from the vasculature must survive under progressively more ischemic environments. The MEMIC simulates this differential access to nutrients, allow co-culturing any number of cell types, and it is optimized for live imaging and other microscopy-based analyses. Owing to a modular design and full experimental control, the MEMIC provides insights into the tumor microenvironment that would be difficult to obtain via other methods. As proof of principle, we show that cells sense gradual changes in metabolite concentration leading to predictable molecular and cellular spatial patterns. We propose the MEMIC as a complement to standard in vitro and in vivo experiments, diversifying the tools available to accurately model, perturb and monitor the tumor microenvironment.

Editor's choice: We present how to fabricate the MEMIC, an experimental model of the tumor microenvironment, describing proof-of-principle experiments and providing image analysis tools that are helpful when using this system.