Animal experimentation
Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee (CEEA)
The Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee (CEEA) is a subcommittee of the CERec responsible for the welfare of experimental animals and has other scientific purposes, including teaching, and the projects undertaken in facilities using experimental animals at the UAB.
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To advise staff members who are dealing with animals about animal welfare issues in relation to acquisition, accommodation, care and use.
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To advise staff on technical and scientific progress in terms of the application of the 3RSs (replacement, reduction and refinement).
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To advise on animal relocation or adoption regimes.
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To establish and review internal operational processes regarding the control, communication and monitoring of information related to animal welfare.
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To evaluate the projects presented in accordance with ethical and legal requirements (5/1995/Generalitat de Catalunya, 214/1997/Generalitat de Catalunya, Royal Decree 53/2013, 86/609/EEC, 91/628/EEC and 92/65/EEC, Directive 2010/63/EU), while considering:
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the suitability of the project,
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measures to eliminate pain, suffering or distress as much as possible,
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the use of humanitarian euthanasia methods
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the preparation and training of staff participating in the project
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Monitoring projects while considering the impact on the animals used.
All UAB staff involved in the research must make every effort to minimise both the number of animal studies and the stress caused to animals during procedures.
For this purpose, the principle of the "three rs" (replace, reduce and refine) is applied to the design and execution of experiments. Thus, the number of animals used in each experiment is reduced to the minimum required (reduction); the execution of experiments and manipulation of animals is optimised so that animals suffer as little stress as possible (refinement); and, if possible, animal experiments are replaced by alternative methods (substitution).
This application goes beyond the original interpretation, more focused on the application of the "three rs" only in the context of the choice of methods and techniques. Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes extends refinement to also cover all animal husbandry and care, i.e. to ensure refinement during stabling, breeding and care even if the animal is not going through a scientific procedure. At the UAB, in all procedures all animals for scientific purposes are cared for by experienced veterinarians and qualified caregivers.
Committed to the application of the "three rs", the UAB also disseminates and promotes the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) guidelines among its researchers. These guidelines were developed as part of an initiative by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) to improve the design, analysis and dissemination of animal research, thus maximising published information and minimising unnecessary studies.
The conviction that information about the use of animals for experimentation and other scientific or educational purposes is a key tool for understanding not only the benefits, but also the harms and limitations involved in this type of research, motivated the Federation of Spanish Scientific Associations (COSCE) to create the "COSCE Proposal".
The UAB supports and adheres to this transparency agreement on the use of animals in scientific experimentation, which states that this information must be realistic both in terms of the description of the results and in the impact on animal welfare and the potential ethical considerations that this practice entails.
Based on this firm conviction, the UAB publishes statistical information on the use of animals on this website, which includes both information on the real severity of the procedures, as well as on the number of animals and species used in experimental procedures in which animals are used for experimentation and other scientific or teaching purposes for which researchers from our university and other associated centres are responsible.
Since it is a member of the COSCE agreement, this committee is also a member of the European Animal Research Association (EARA), which defends the interests of biomedical research and health development in Europe. It informs, educates and unifies animal research and promotes transparent debate.