Q&A about Use of Animals in Research and Education at the University of Michigan
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Why do U-M faculty conduct animal research?
The University of Michigan strongly supports the position that animal research has substantially improved the quality of life for both humans and animals. The treatment of many diseases have been successfully developed with contributions from research using animals. Joint replacement, organ transplantation, heart bypass surgery, and a wide variety of drug therapies have all been made possible through animal research. Further advances are in progress and will benefit from ongoing animal research. What kinds of animals are used in research?
Many different species have been employed in research on campus, including non-human primates, cats, dogs, chickens, sheep, frogs, guinea pigs, rats, zebra fish and mice. Mice comprise about 75 percent of the animals used in research. Zebra fish are second most common at about 18 percent. Rats make up about five percent, and all other animals combine for the remaining two percent.Where does the University get the animals that are used in research?
The University purchases animals for research from several vendors, which raise the animals specifically for use in research. For applicable species, the vendors are USDA licensed. In some cases, animals may come to the U-M from collaborating universities or might even be bred by U-M researchers.Who makes certain the animals receive proper care?
The faculty and staff of the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) provide guidance for the animal care and use program of the University. Most animals used in research are housed in ULAM-operated facilities and ULAM animal technicians provide husbandry care for those animals. In addition, ULAM provides veterinary care to all animals used on campus in research. ULAM also provides training courses for faculty and staff who need to use animals. The courses include everything from an orientation to all aspects of proper animal care and use in research to an array of species-specific and procedure-specific training classes.What kind of reviews are conducted of research plans which call for the use of animals?
No research involving animals may begin until a detailed description of the project (referred to as a "protocol") has been submitted for review and been approved by the University Committee on Use and Care of Animals (UCUCA). The committee checks that all personnel who will work with animals have received the proper training; reviews the goals, objectives and scientific benefits to make sure the project has merit; and checks that proper housing and care of the animals will be provided. If surgery is involved, the procedures are reviewed, including the proper use of anesthetics. Steps to reduce pain or discomfert of the animals must be described and approved, as well as justifications for the species and the number of animals proposed for the project. Standards for review and approval that guide the committee's decisions are provided in federal law.Is there support of alternatives to using animals in research?
The University of Michigan strongly supports the application of the "3Rs" to all research involving animals. The 3rs are Reduction, Refinement and Replacement, practices which have been applicable for several decades. The U.S. Deptartment of Agriculture Animal Welfare Information Center provides numerous references to use of alternatives to live animals in research.What happens to animals once they are no longer needed for research?
Some of the animals are adopted out. Most are euthanized in order to study their tissues and determine conclusions to the research protocol.
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