The participants learned about different models for testing in vitro, focusing on reproducibility, and exploring new non-animal models for getting closer to humans. The Training School shed light on the latest models for performing research in human diseases and health problems with less use of animals for experimentation.
Dr. Eva Jablonská (University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Czech Republic) had a great opportunity to spend more than two months (15.1.-22.3.2024) at the Dermatotoxicology Study Centre, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin. During the STSM granted by CA IMPROVE, she tested natural extracts from marine algae for photoprotective properties. Specifically, she irradiated human dermal fibroblasts with UV light and tested whether these extracts could prevent cellular damage.
Overall, the atmosphere at BfR was very welcoming and supportive. Additionally, the discussion about methods of genotoxicity testing were very fruitful.
Moreover, the grantee was fortunate to attend a three-day symposium on genotoxicity held by BfR, where quantitative approaches towards genotoxicity assessment were discussed.
On March 1 at 13:00 CET, the Career Development Workshop Series 2024 kick-off event, organized by the Young Researchers and Innovators Committee in collaboration with the Mentorship committee from COST Action IMPROVE, brought together expert speakers and approximately 20 participants from diverse backgrounds for an insightful exploration into career paths within the field of the 3Rs—replacement, Reduction, and Refinement.
The meeting featured distinguished speakers.
In the first place, Ioanna Sandvig delved into the nuances of selecting research interests, finding mentors, cultivating a unique research niche, and offering practical advice to aspiring researchers.
Winfried Neuhaus shared his own experiences on connecting the dots for an exemplary career path, providing valuable insights into navigating the professional landscape.
To finalize the journey, Maria Kitsara explored the significance of mobility during the Postdoc phase and crafting a diverse and competitive profile for the industry, inspiring attendees to pursue opportunities for growth and development.
A general discussion gathered concerns from the young researchers towards aspects like the uncertainty of their professional future but also the advice from the experts on how to deal with it.
The journey ended with the YRI committee expressing its satisfaction with the vibrant exchange of ideas and insights that took place, fostering a supportive environment for professional growth and networking.
The Career Development Workshop Series 2024 kick-off event marked the beginning of an exciting journey towards empowering young researchers and innovators to achieve their career aspirations.
For more information about upcoming events and initiatives, please write us.
Thanks to a dissemination conference grant, Sophie Schober was able to attend the 3Rdays 2023 InN Motion in Innsbruck (Austria) from December 5-7th 2023.
Two contributions (short talks) have been submitted and accepted:
Session 2: Refine Animal Interactions
Title: A re-usable open-source platform to upgrade rat cages
Session 3: 3R & Regulatory
Title: Ovariectomy in surplus female mice to generate cage mates for experimental males – a refinement to improve biomedical science (Co-Author)
The first presentation showed a newly developed cage platform for rat cages made by ISTA. This platform offers an additional level in standard cages and thus contributes to refinement of animal experiments.
The second presentation described the improvement of animal welfare in animals single-housed due to experiments by providing sterile cage buddies.
During the conference, Dr. Schober was involved in engaging discussions (animal welfare committee meeting, meeting of veterinarians specialized in laboratory animal science). Main topics have been the avoidance of surplus animals, the avoidance of the severity level “severe” in animal experiments as well as the education of veterinarians in Austria regarding lab animals and 3Rs.
All are central topics of the COST ACTION IMPROVE whose aims and work were disseminated at the Austrian 3Rs days.
Photo: Wilfried Posch
Winfried Neuhaus introduced the COST Action IMPROVE by giving a talk entitled "The COST Action Networking Activity IMPROVE" at the Austrian 3Rs Days in Innsbruck, Austria on 6.12.2023. The Austrian 3Rs Days from 5.-7.12.2023 was attended by about 200 international participants, who discussed novel methods and measures of each single R of the three 3Rs, Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal experiments.
Photo: JSAAE
The first large Training school with a focus on Dissemination took place at Università degli Studi di Milano in Milan (Italy) with expert trainers and trainees from 13th-15th of September 2023, directly before the Centro 3Rs meeting. The in total about 30 in-person and online participants attended courses on “Theory of Science Communication”, “Theory and Software for Video-Making”, Video Ideas and Analysis”, “Social Media”, “Use of Social media Channels”, “GDPR in Communication”, “Newsletters” and “Twitter Bio”. The Training school was very successful offering new knowledge and techniques which could be leveraged for the COST Action itself or for the different tasks in the daily life of the participants.
Photo: Arti Ahluwalia
Thanks to dissemination conference grants under Cost Action IMPROVE Arti Ahluwalia and Winfried Neuhaus attended the 12th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences (WC12) from August 27-31, 2023.
Arti Ahluwalia presented two lectures, one in the Symposium “Future of Multi-Scale Modelling and Simulation in Disease and Toxicology” (Title of the talk: Lab on a laptop: beyond the experimental model) and one in the Symposium “Implementing the 3Rs in Education under the theme Next-Gen Education” (Title of the talk: Centro 3R, mainstreaming replacement through pervasive 3R education). The first presentation described some of the virtual models developed in her lab. During her talk she put forward the proposal that in vitro models might be replaced by the “lab on a laptop”. Following the symposium, she was involved in engaging discussions on the value of in-silico models, analysing why they are not widely used and how to render them accessible to enable the implementation of viable and valid alternatives to animal experiments. This is a central theme in IMPROVE. In the second presentation she described the state of knowledge on the 3Rs at Italian universities before and after the Italian Centro 3R’s (www.centr3r.it) campaign of pervasive education at all levels. The results showed how education significantly increases the application of the 3Rs and promotes responsible research linked to WG4 Education of our COST Action.
Winfried Neuhaus gave a talk in the session "A World of 3Rs Centres: Unity in Diversity" entitled "The Rise of European 3Rs centres and their network EU3Rnet" focusing on the promotion of the COST Action IMPROVE as an outcome of the collaboration of the European 3R centres.
The WC12 congress was a dynamic and variegated event, providing a great opportunity to discuss the future of the 3Rs with scientists from all over the world, network with young researchers and leaders in the field, and to showcase Europe’s leadership in this area.
Dr. Maria Kitsara gave a talk about "Micro- and nanoengineered technologies for bio-applications: focus on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine" at the School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK on 9. August 2023. Emphasis was devoted to cardiac disease modelling and regenerative medicine using polymeric materials.