Advisory reports: Indicators, management and utilisation of data for monitoring laboratory animal use and 3R alternatives
In the Netherlands, laboratory animals are used for a variety of purposes, being fundamental and applied research, regulatory testing and education. In addition, work is being done both directly and indirectly on the development and implementation of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement).
The development of 3R alternatives is often not an end in itself, but rather a byproduct of the research. This means that there is now a wealth of information on laboratory animal use and 3R alternatives available that spans many different areas of science but that is not always immediately visible.
In March 2015, the then State Secretary of Economic Affairs asked the NCad to provide advice on the management and use of the available information on animal experiments and 3R alternatives. Monitoring such developments can provide additional insight into events and trends, while also meeting society’s need for transparency and openness. Additionally, monitoring can contribute to a more informed choice of a research model, and thus the improvement of the research quality (based on lessons learned).
We were specifically asked to separate our advice into two parts, namely:
- The management and use of data on laboratory animal use and 3R alternatives; and
- The identification of any indicators that could contribute to a better understanding of facts and developments with respect to laboratory animal use and 3R alternatives, and which could be used for developing and steering of policy.
The first part of the advice was issued in October 2015. This first part advices on the systematic collection and availability of data, opportunities for utilizing the available data, and the accessibility of the data.
The second part of the advice was issued in March 2016. In this report, we further elaborated on the first advice in order to further substantiate its feasibility and bring focus to the data storage. We advise to establishing a data warehouse in phases, with the government taking the initiative by directly commissioning a national body to develop this data warehouse (the hardware). In the second phase, this data warehouse could be further developed into a general knowledge database, which will also contain research results and other data from the participating institutions.