#Get on Board: Be Open about Animal Research Day: Charité 3R – Replace | Reduce | Refine - Charité

Film offers insights into scientific animal husbandry at Charité

For the third time, the European Assosiation of Animal Science (EARA) invites European research institutions to join today's action day "BE OPEN about Animal Research Day".

This year, the Charité is participating with a new video "Laboratory Animal Husbandry at the Charité". Among other scientific methods, scientists at Charité use animals to investigate how diseases develop, how they progress and how they can be treated effectively. But how is the keeping of these animals organized? Which animal species are used as laboratory animals? And which professional groups ensure that the animals are kept in a manner appropriate to their species?

The new film presents animal husbandry and its work areas at three Charité campuses and offers anyone interested an insight into the everyday lives of the employees responsible for the animals and the conditions under which these animals are kept. The different focuses of the locations are reflected in the film: For example, at Campus Berlin Buch, the focus is on breeding mice. At the animal husbandry facility at Campus Charité Mitte, visitors gain an insight into the conditions under which laboratory rodents are kept and the ways in which animal welfare can be improved. At Campus Virchow-Klinikum, the film reports on large animal husbandry and shows the direct relation to the clinic and the benefits for humans.

The well-being of the animals is ensured by experienced and well-trained animal caretakers and veterinarians, also in their function as animal welfare officers, as well as many other employees of the Research Institutes for Experimental Medicine (FEM). This is because valuable scientific findings can only be obtained in animal experiments with animals that live in conditions that are as stress-free as possible and in animal husbandry that is appropriate to the species.

"We cannot do without animal experiments if we see the best possible care for our patients as our top priority. Responsible treatment of our animals is not only ethically required, but also part of our corporate strategy," emphasizes Prof. Joachim Spranger, Dean of the Charité. He adds: "At the same time, however, it is important to conduct targeted research into alternatives, to develop them and to increasingly use them in research, diagnostics and therapy. After all, anyone who conducts research with animals is at the same time obligated to look for alternatives and do everything possible to reduce the burden on laboratory animals as much as possible."

To drive this development at Charité, Charité 3^R was founded in 2018 to actively promote the 3Rs principle in biomedical research. Through Charité 3^R, a wide range of activities in each of the three areas Replace, Reduce and Refine are specifically promoted in research and teaching within the Charité. Researchers and animal welfare officers work together to find ways to reduce the overall number of laboratory animals, to make the experiments that cannot be replaced as effective as possible, and to constantly rethink the methods used.

Learn about the diversity of 3Rs research at Charité in our research stories and find out about other activities of Charité in the field of animal experimental research on our new page Research with Animals.