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The CMCiB contributes to a new e-book on researcher and animal safety

A new e-book published by the Journal Laboratory Equipment, called Safe and Effective Research in the Vivarium features a case study from the Centre for Comparative Medicine and Bioimage of the IGTP (CMCiB-IGTP). Staff from the CMCiB have provided expert advice on aspects of safety.

The freely available e-book provides comprehensive guidance for keeping researchers and animals safe in facilities designed for this type of research clearly explained in four straight-forward articles. The book covers correct protection measures for both the researchers and their subjects, a useful infographic on choosing the correct caging system, and ergonomic requirements and current trends in equipment. The final article was written by the freelance science writer Helen Kelly in conjunction with the staff of the CMCiB on safe practices in the animal laboratory.

"This is completely in line with our principles of 3R, and especially refinement of experiments using animals," says Sara Capdevilla, Technical Director of the CMCiB. "In the article our staff provide checklists and tips that ensure that the reality of working maintains the high safety levels of the protocols. After all, live animals are just that, and they can be unpredictable."

"Staff are trained on excellent protocols, but in the real world people get tired and at the moment everybody understands the difficulty of working in personal protective equipment. Most mistakes are caused by workload or training," says Rosa Maria Ampudia-Carrasco, Manager of the one of the specific pathogen free units Due to the number of specific protocols and frequent updates, Jorge Diaz-Pedroza, also a Manager of a Biosecurity Level 3 unit at the CMCiB recommends checklists and provides practical tips on avoiding safety breaches.

The CMCiB is a centre dedicated to comparative research based on the principals of 3R, this means refining experiments and reducing or replacing animals where possible. The centre uses advanced technology to achieve these ends, including bioimaging and particularly non-invasive bioimaging techniques and computerized and mathematical modelling. "For the animals we do have to use, safety and welfare are top priorities," confirms Capdevila. "We feel that our case study provides very clear and useful information, this is a must-read for our users because, in comparative research safety for all is paramount."

El benestar i el refinament en els processos de treball impacta directament en l'eficiència i la qualitat dels estudis experimentals i per tant en la qualitat de la recerca realitzada

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