Ressources pour art. labo bulletin automne 2009

[hop 0]

From The Sunday Times
January 24, 2010


Live pigs blasted in terror attack experiments

LIVE pigs are being blown up with explosives at Porton Down, the government’s secret military research laboratory, to simulate the effect of terrorist attacks on civilian targets.

In a series of tests at the biological and chemical research centre in Wiltshire, 18 large pigs were wrapped in protective blankets before bombs were detonated a few feet away. The scientists allowed the pigs to bleed until almost a third of their blood was gone to see how long they could be kept alive.

MPs and animal welfare groups have questioned the use of live animals in the explosions, even though the pigs were anaesthetised throughout. None survived the experiments.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, said: “These are revolting and unnecessary experiments. Sadly, we are too familiar with the effects of terrorism. It is perfectly possible to find out things we don’t know without blowing up pigs to find out.”

Research papers, obtained by The Sunday Times, show that the experiments at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory were carried out because “blast injuries are an increasing problem, owing to the widespread terrorist threat”.

The blasts were meant to recreate the effect of an explosion in an enclosed space, such as the July 2005 attacks on the Underground and a double-decker bus in London, and had been designed to help medics control haemorrhaging from victims.

The pigs were wrapped in Kevlar blankets to protect them from minor bomb debris and placed less than three yards from the explosive. Before being blown up, they had tubes inserted into their blood vessels and bladders, and their spleens removed. A major blood vessel in the abdomen had a wire put into it so the vessel was lacerated during the blast.

Porton Down said the research programme would help British soldiers exposed to bombs in Afghanistan as well as potential civilian terror casualties. Up to 94% of critically injured victims of the 2004 Madrid train bombings were identified as suffering from “blast lung”, an injury that leaks over time.

A spokeswoman said that anecdotally there was already evidence that the research was helping to save lives.

“This work is part of our broad combat casualty care programme. Anecdotally, we are seeing evidence of people surviving because of this work,” she said.

Porton Down, originally set up to research chemical warfare during the first world war, uses a special breed of white pig that has skin resembling human flesh.

Scientists at the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection questioned the validity of the tests, saying that the effect on an anaesthetised pig of a bomb blast would “differ substantially from those of a conscious human being”.

A spokesman said: “We understand the need to deal with the human tragedy, of which sadly there are too many cases. However, we do not believe that mutilating pigs in these horrific experiments is the answer.”


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6999916.ece

[hop 0]

"Living Cadavers" Replace Living Animals in Surgery Training

The replacement of live animal models with alternatives is an encouraging recent trend in medical education. Where the use of live animals was once standard practice in medical school curricula, today 152 of America’s 159 medical schools (which include allopathic and osteopathic schools) have eliminated these methods in favor of more modern and effective alternatives.

One of the challenges specific to surgical training is the simulation of dynamic, living tissue. Available training models such as mannequins, computer models, virtual reality (VR), and ethically-sourced cadavers all offer valuable training opportunities, but (with the exception of some VR simulators) do not bleed, ooze or pulsate. A solution to that challenge has been developed by Dr. Emad Aboud, a neurosurgeon at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Elegant in its sheer simplicity, Aboud’s system involves connecting a human or an animal cadaver to a mechanical pump. Plastic tubing is spliced onto the major arteries and veins, and artificial blood is then pumped into the vessels to fill the specimen’s vascular tree. The other end of each vessel is coupled to a reservoir of "blood" (water mixed with food coloring works fine). The pump can be adjusted for both pulsation speed and pressure. Clear liquids can mimic cerebrospinal fluid when working with head and spine specimens.

Though not yet commercially available, the system has potential for widespread use owing to its flexibility and low cost. It has training application to all kinds of surgical procedures in all surgical fields, including endoscopic (e.g., bronchoscopy and colonoscopy) and endovascular (e.g., angiography, aneurysm repair) procedures; making and suturing incisions in skin or organs; dissecting soft, oozing tissues; ligation of severed vessels; vascular anastomosis (connecting two ends of a severed vessel); intestinal anastomosis; and transplantations. "Living Cadavers" can also be used to practice non-surgical techniques such as withdrawing blood and inserting central and arterial lines (used for obtaining cardiovascular measurements and long-term administration of medications).

Naturally, the method is equally applicable to animal cadavers. In fact, Aboud first tried the technique with a dead fox he removed from a roadside and later using a dog cadaver for laparoscopic and open surgical procedures. According to the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, nearly half of the nation’s 28 veterinary schools still conduct terminal surgeries on animals, and Aboud is now seeking to expand his model’s use in veterinary training. Ethical sources of animal cadavers include willed-body programs, animals who have died naturally or in accidents, and animals euthanized for medical reasons. Crucially, acquiring animal cadavers need never involve purpose-breeding or killing animals; thus, Class B dealers—who acquire animals from a variety of sources and then sell them to research institutions or veterinary schools—can and should be kept out of the loop.

Aboud’s model is in regular use at the University of Arkansas and has been featured at training workshops and courses in neurosurgery across the U.S., as well as Germany, Finland, Syria and the Netherlands. His team is ready and willing to help with setting up the system at other surgical training facilities. "It’s a win-win-win solution," says Aboud, "providing advanced training at low cost with the promise of further replacing animals in medical and veterinary training."

Contact information
Dr. Emad Aboud
Neurosurgery Department
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
4301 W. Markham St., Slot #507
Little Rock, AR 72205
eaboud@uams.edu

http://www.awionline.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/16211/pid/16201

[hop 0]

Vivisectors Find Another "Tool" in African Rodent

28/11/09

Squirting lemon juice on a cut would sting anyone, but Park said naked mole rats don't feel pain because they lack a neurotransmitter known as substance P. The discovery has opened up ideas for pain research.

Naked mole rats don't get cancer. They shrug off brushes with acid and age so well, some are older than the college-aged researchers handling them.

"They really are from Mars, I think," said Thomas Park, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Actually, they're from the horn of Africa. But naked mole rats are becoming more popular in research laboratories, where the seemingly invulnerable rodents have surprised scientists with their ability to live up to 30 years and their potential to offer insights into human health. They're being used to study everything from aging to cancer to strokes.

About 1,500 naked mole rats live in clear tanks connected by long tubes at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where researcher Rochelle Buffenstein nurtures the largest colony in the U.S. At least a half-dozen other universities also have colonies.

Nearly blind and hairless, the rodents resemble wrinkled spring rolls with tiny legs and buck teeth. They normally live in underground tunnels with a social structure comparable to bees. Buffenstein is studying their longevity.

Whereas laboratory mice live an average two years, naked mole rats can live up 30 years with little creaking in old age. Buffenstein said their bone quality doesn't start to diminish until they're about 24 years old.

They look fragile - several can fit into a palm, and it's possible to see beneath their pinkish skin - but naked mole rats are like tough, tube-shaped stuntmen.

Squirting lemon juice on a cut would sting anyone, but Park said naked mole rats don't feel pain because they lack a neurotransmitter known as substance P. The discovery has opened up ideas for pain research.

Park and researcher John Larson report in next month's journal NeuroReport that the brains of adult naked mole rats can withstand oxygen depravation for a half-hour or more. That knowledge could eventually help in stroke research, Park said.

Cancer? Buffenstein said the disease has never been found in the rodent.

A study published in October found their resistance may come from a gene called p16 that prevents cells from crowding together. Cancer occurs when cells grow uncontrollably.

Vera Gorbunova, an associate professor of biology at the University of Rochester who published the findings, said she hopes to have her own colony of mole rats to study by next summer.

"We shouldn't just be looking where it's easy to look," Gorbunova said. "We should be looking in species where we can find something ... instead of studying mice, which live relatively short lives."

As recently as the 1990s, Buffenstein said only she and one other group were really studying naked mole rats. Now she expects them to be common in laboratories by 2020.

"It takes time for people to realize that an animal has got a lot going for it," Buffenstein said.


www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-vivisectors.html

[hop 0]

Avalanche Experiments Stopped For Now Thanks to Massive International Criticism!

15/01/11


Scientists attempting to gain a clearer insight into how and why around 20% of avalanche victims survive for up to 2 hours under snow have had their experiment stopped due to public outcry at the animal cruelty involved

In a fire station near Vent in Tirol Austria researchers buried pigs alive in a mini self constructed avalanche and monitored the pigs’ slow death from a nearby tent . This procedure was carried out on an unfortunate 9 pigs before the public and animal welfare organizations were alerted. On the same day it was possible to get a halt called on the experiment continuing thanks to the immediate action of protesters and media coverage.

Protesters at the scene visited the Mayor on Friday morning to get his assurance that the experiments would not be allowed to continue, but in a surprising turn he fully supports the researchers and would have no hesitation in letting the experiments continue if and when the responsible university allows it. A surprising response given the international public outcry and the fact that his region is a tourist reliant skiing area.

In contrast to Mayor Schöpf the mountain rescue organization has distanced itself from the experiments commenting that they are unnecessary . Today the animal welfare organization Four Paws has been attempting to buy the remaining 20 pigs who would then be allowed to live out their natural lives at an Austrian sanctuary, but the farmer responsible for supplying the pigs for the experiments and scientist Dr Peter Paal are refusing to cooperate insisting that the pigs will be slaughtered for meat rather than letting Four Paws save them. The region’s tourist board as well as counselor Anton Steixner have also condemned the experiments. Now it remains to be seen whether the responsible university will permit Paal and his colleagues to continue at a later date.

Demonstrations at the scene and elsewhere

On the scene around 30 protesters demonstrated outside the local government offices and on the ski pists. In Graz animal campaigners made their own avalanche on the market square and buried a protester wearing a pig mask. Radio stations reported on the action throughout the day.

An after thought

It is encouraging to see that the fate of 29 pigs can cause an international outrage. But let’s not forget the countless millions of other animals used in research and reared for meat. They too are individuals with their own fate to be decided by us.


http://www.vgt.at/presse/news/2010/news20100115m_1_en.php

[hop 0]

Remplacement des expérimentations animales: des progrès


06/11/09


L e Partenariat européen pour la promotion des méthodes de substitution à l’expérimentation animale (EPAA) a été lancé en novembre 2005 par M. Günter Verheugen, vice-président de la Commission européenne, et par M. Janez Potočnik, commissaire à la science et à la recherche, en collaboration avec l’industrie européenne . À l’occasion d’une conférence organisée aujourd’hui à Bruxelles, l’industrie et la Commission souhaitent vivement poursuivre cette collaboration sans précédent visant à réduire au maximum les expérimentations animales afin d’éviter autant que possible toute souffrance inutile aux animaux (politique des «3 R»).

M. Günter Verheugen, vice-président de la Commission chargé des entreprises et de l ’industrie, et M. Janez Potočnik, commissaire chargé de la science et de la recherche, ont déclaré conjointement : «Le lancement de l’EPAA en 2005 reflétait notre ferme conviction qu’il convient de donner la priorité à la recherche de méthodes alternatives pour la réalisation des essais réglementaires afin d’améliorer la sécurité et la qualité de la vie humaine tout en occasionnant le minimum de souffrances aux animaux lors des expériences scientifiques. Nous avons en effet l’obligation morale d’éviter toute souffrance inutile aux animaux . En c onséquence, les responsables politiques et l’industrie se sont engagés dans un partenariat constructif dans le cadre duquel ils font tout ce qu’il est possible de faire pour mettre au point des méthodes qui permettent de réduire, de perfectionner et de remplacer les expérimentations animales. Notre vision commune a déjà produit des résultats tangibles.»

La recherche de méthodes alternatives est la clé de la politique de remplacement, de réduction et de perfectionnement des expérimentations animales (politique des «3 R»: Replacing, Reducing and Refining ). Tant la Commission européenne que l’industrie consacrent d’importantes ressources à la recherche et au développement (R&D) pour aligner les priorités et lancer des projets qui aboutiront à une réduction du nombre et à meilleure utilisation des expérimentations animales. Quelques exemples:

*Les entreprises de l’EPAA se sont volontairement engagées à fournir des données pour adapter une étude étendue sur une génération , mise au point à l’origine pour les produits phytosanitaires, afin de l’utiliser aussi dans d’autres secteurs, réduisant ainsi le nombre des animaux utilisés dans les études traditionnelles sur deux générations.
*De nouvelles méthodes innovantes sont développées pour fournir les données toxicologiques essentielles sans faire appel à des modèles animaux . Les travaux sur l’emploi de cellules souches, l’infochimie et la biologie des systèmes se poursuivent.
* Les bases de données de l ’EPAA assurent la promotion du partage intersectoriel de méthodes maison pour identifier les possibilités d’un transfert de technologies et cerner les lacunes des recherches actuelles. Il est ainsi possible de réduire les expérimentations animales.

Pour promouvoir l’adoption de méthodes alternatives dans la réglementation , la Commission européenne et les entreprises de l’EPAA ont élaboré des protocoles de coopération, défini des priorités pour la communication des données et préparé des recommandations pour accélérer la mise en place de la réglementation. En outre, des projets ont été lancés sur les thèmes suivants:

*Utilisation optimale et combinaison de données de sources différentes pour remplacer les expérimentations animales traditionnelles et promouvoir au niveau réglementaire des stratégies d’expérimentation intégrées .
*Procédures d’expérimentation innovantes en matière d’essais pour la libération de lots de vaccins, afin de remplacer si possible les essais in vivo par des essais in vitro .
*Moyens de promouvoir la coopération internationale sur les méthodes alternatives , sujet à l’ordre du jour du dialogue réglementaire de l’Union avec les partenaires commerciaux internationaux.

Au titre de son thème conducteur pour 2009, à savoir la diffusion des informations sur la politique des 3 R , l’EPAA a fait une étude de marché sur les besoins en information et les moyens de renforcer le dialogue entre régulateurs et responsables du développement de méthodes.

Pour plus d’informations:

Partenariat européen pour la promotion des méthodes de substitution à l ’expérimentation animale
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/epaa/index_en.htm
Recherche: Stratégies de substitution ayant reçu le soutien de l ’Union européenne
http://cordis.europa.eu/documents/documentlibrary/106691831EN6.pdf
CEVMA (Centre européen pour la validation des méthodes alternatives)
http://ecvam.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
TSAR (Système de détection de méthodes d’essai alternatives dans le contexte de la législation communautaire de la chimie )
http://tsar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/

http://europa.eu