Cutting down on animals for research -Alternatives-?

A recent news published in Science.org suggests that many Scientific Facilities are faced with the dramatic situation to stop ongoing animal research projects and terminate large numbers of laboratory animals due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why is that?

Well, as simple as it sounds, we have all to #StayHome for the obvious reason that we are at the moment the best deterrent for #Covid19 spreading while winning time to get a cure.

What are the consequences? The importance of relevant models

That important animal models that can be used to develop cure such for instance the K18-hACE2 mouse from Jackson Lab that is the ONLY mouse model that responds to SARS-Cov-1 infection. A recent article reports a protocol of how to produce the mouse line (https://experiments.springernature.com/articles/10.1007/978-1-0716-0211-9_13) as well as The New York Times, suggesting that this would be the only mouse model for testing in SARS-Cov-2 (Covid19). Unfortunately, after the SARS emergency, the mouse model has been shut down and cryoprotected. Now with an urgent need (see article below) of the model, researchers have to wait and most precious time is lost.

Can viable technologies help -at least in part- to reduce staff workload for animals care and help #StayHome? If so, how?

The simple and short answer is YES.

Consider (some) how the work is done now in animal facility and let split it into subpoints by repurposing a modified picture of an article published in the Balance.com here (web-link in the picture):

a) Supplying food and water

Certainly, you can go in daily to maintain the same amount of food and water in all cages. But what if you are rushing and forget the bottle (if automatic watering system (AWS) is not available) or to provide food to get your job done?

Technology can support you with sensing the presence below of certain level of food and water.

How? Learn it below:

Too much water? What now?

If you have AWS or bottles, the chance that a water is spilling from a bottle or for AWS system deliver water might be there. Therefore, having a technology that through objective measurement of water moisture into the cage can reliably tell that something wrong is happening and also in real-time deliver the information to you (as e-mail) is going to be beneficial.

b) Cleaning and disinfecting cage

Cleaning cage, is part of the cage change process, is one of the most time-consuming approaches in any animal facility. Therefore, it affects the entire workload from dirty to clean side and logistics.

Is it always needed? The answer is obviously NO.

Most facilities do perform weekly cage change because of convention but also because also because the welfare of the animal can be better checked than basic daily visual inspection. However, new evidences suggest this procedure could be potentially stressful for the animals as well negatively impact breeding performance of animals.

Additionally, three points have to be taken into consideration:

1) Only one person in those times, at least in Germany, might have access to the animal facility at the time to perform daily task and the employees might rotate (with a daily plan).

2) Not all animals need cage change at the same time. If aided by technological support such as by the Digital Ventilated Cage (DVC?), cage change frequency can be reduced by up to 40%-50%, check #3.2 presentation in a recent forum hosted by Tecniplast S.p.A. last September 2019.

3) Important mouse lines will most likely be kept, at least unmated, because science otherwise will be heavily affected (as aforementioned Covid Mouse).

Therefore, if you had a technology that through calendar and availability objectively would indicate a necessary cage change as well as food and water replenishment, will you use it? The answer would be, from my perspective, YES! - However, it must be affordable and scalable because it should apply to the entire vivarium.

c) Analyze data and report

-Guess what, because you have such a smart technology you could also use it to evaluate whether the animal activity is abnormal (especially during the night) and in the next morning get alarmed if something was “Out-of-Norm” compared to previous baseline.

- If something deviant is detected, the DVC? system will automatically generate a “Health Check Task” and will assign it, according to availability (presence on calendar), to the right person that will complete the task.

- All Daily Tasks and Alarms will be automatically tracked and reported.

- Additionally, the DVC? system will provide a real time status of cage position and generate an automated census report (where needed).

- Many routines can be re-standardized to reduce costs and sustain research once things can be normalized. This is highly beneficial not only under specific circumstances such as the current corona crisis.

As a conclusion, we would like to hear your thoughts about whether we should still support science with Technologies even under extreme conditions.

Sign with your name if you want to support science and research!

In my view ethically it is at least necessary to continue important ongoing projects. If you want more information of what I refer to check the website:

Stefano Gaburro, PhD, Digilab Scientific Director, Tecniplast S.p.A., Italy

Giorgio Rosati, M.Sc., Senior Product Manager Digilab, Tecniplast S.p.A., Italy