WELCOME 2026- EU3Rnet

Another 3R resource just gone life! This net connects 3Rs resources from the countries with national 3R centers. Please have a look. The membership list is very impressive...and who knows? You might find something just for you!

3Rs Principles Put into Practice

This is a Free event that will help to keep your CPD hours. The topic is 3Rs principles put into Practice: animals and alternatives, given in 2 parts

 Please use this link for registration.

In Part 1 - “Animal Models, 3R Principles, and Alternative In Vitro Models,” Giuliano Grignaschi, Head of the Animal Welfare Office at the University of Milan, will explore the implementation of the 3Rs—Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement—in compliance with European Directive 63/2010. He will discuss the ongoing necessity of using live animals in certain scientific procedures while emphasizing the importance of systematically applying the 3Rs throughout the entire research process. This session will highlight strategies to ensure high standards of animal welfare, including prioritizing alternative methods such as invertebrates and non-animal techniques whenever feasible.

In Part 2 - "How Can We Best Design Pharmacological Experiments to Produce Reliable Data While Complying with the 3Rs” - Fabrizio Gardoni, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Milan, will address the challenges of designing robust pharmacological experiments that align with the 3Rs principles. His presentation will cover best practices for optimizing experimental design through power analysis, employing innovative alternatives like in vitro models and organ-on-chip systems, and enhancing reproducibility via standardized protocols and open data sharing. Additionally, he will discuss refinement approaches that minimize animal suffering and the integration of cutting-edge technologies—including artificial intelligence and machine learning—to improve data reliability while upholding ethical responsibility.

Together, these complementary presentations provide a comprehensive overview of how the 3Rs can be effectively incorporated into scientific research, balancing the pursuit of knowledge with the highest standards of animal welfare. Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of ethical research practices and innovative alternatives in the life sciences

HPRA REGULATORY UPDATE JUNE 25

Just reminding you that...as usual all regulatory updates are uploaded on the corresponding folder on SharePoint. Please have a good look at it.  APPLICATION FORMS HAVE BEEN UPDATED!!!! Please check them out before completing...you will save yourself some trouble!

I would also like to highlight in this regulatory update, the section on the "3Rs webinars and Training Events" See links below:

• Preclinical Rethinking
• 3Rs in musculoskeletal research
• From Neurons to Networks: Human Stem cell-based models....
• The Tea time Journey - Shaping the future of lab animal monitoring
• Art of reproducing experimental surgery in rodents
• EUROoCS: Organ on a Chip Summer School
• Responsible Research in Action
• CLAST: College of Laboratory Animal Science and Technology

HPRA 1st REGULATORY UPDATE of 2025

HPRA UPDATES:

 The HPRA has a brand new website, I will let you judge if you find it better or worse than the previous one!

While you are getting use to it, it might be worth considering to bookmark two URLs the "Make a Submission" and the "Regulation". The former send you to applications and forms and the latter to guidance documents.

Also note that the level of non compliances has increased and unfortunately they were mainly detected on inspections. Note that those are factors considered in the Establishment Risk Assessment (apologies for the use of this couple of words!!!)

There is a 3-day course of experimental design that will award each attendant 18 CPD points!!! Anybody tempted???

Please have a look at the regulatory update already uploaded on the LAPBRU USERS library on sharepoint. there are loads of CPD ideas and options listed in it.

ETPLAS

 

The Educational and Training Platform for Laboratory Animals is a non-profit European organization dedicated to raising and harmonizing education & training standards in Laboratory Animal Science.  A link to their website is on the side bar.

The HPRA supports the CPD hours allocation that Spanish Authorities have awarded to the EU Modules available on this site. 

Christmas Update from the HPRA

      🎄 Christmas Update: Most Relevant Items:🎄🎄🎄

• The IA new fees (€320.00/registration/ annum) apply from the 2nd of January 2024 onwards
• The use of lab animals continues the decreasing trend according to the most recent annual returns.
• The collection of annual statistical returns will commence soon and the HPRA urges you to avoid unnecessary errors on submission.
• New forms have been published:

Renewal and amendment of Project

NTPS

Guide to refusals and appeals

• Refining Stereotaxic Surgery: several papers of interest have been included in the update to the HPRA would expect those standards of a justification os to why they cannot be applied.
• Check out other useful links

 

...TO ALL USERS OF GA-ANIMALS

This is of interest to all researchers using GA Animals,  such as Athymic nudes, NSGs and Db/DB mice among others, to fund out if you need a project authorisation or not when using them. Note that the EU has published another guide on the use and maintenance of genetically lateral animals. This flowchart provides a good synopsis though please read the August2023 regulatory update available on SharePoint LAPBRU USERS > REFERENCES-SOPS-3RS > EC GUIDES.