APS Resource Book for the Design of Animal Exercise Protocols
The APS's Resource Book for the Design of Animal Exercise Protocols was published in February 2006. The Resource Book, which is available as a pdf file on the APS website, is intended for the use not only of physiologists but also of any scientist conducting exercise research. This project was funded by NIH's Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), and OLAW purchased 1500 copies that are being distributed to individuals upon request. Additional copies are available for sale from the APS store for $9.50. The APS announcement about publication of the Resource Book was carried on the OLAW listserv, on CompMed, and in the electronic newsletters of the Americans for Medical Progress and Foundation for Biomedical Research, which are disseminated widely in the research community. Announcements and sample copies of the book were sent to the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC); the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R); the NAS Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR); Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW); the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Review copies were sent to Lab Animal and Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Medicine.
Advocacy based upon the APS Position Statement and Rationale on the Use of Animals in Teaching
The APS Position Statement and Rationale on the Use of Animals in Teaching Statement grew out of sentiment in both the ACE and Education Committees that the Society should take a more active stance in light of ongoing efforts by animal rights activists to curtail the use of animals in medical and veterinary education. A task force was subsequently formed under the leadership of Rob Carroll with representatives of the ACE and Education Committees. The position statement was approved by Council in November 2004. However, APS delayed a public announcement of the new position statement so that it could be released when "The Evolving Role of Animal Laboratories in Physiology Instruction," was published in Advances in Physiology Education. These materials were disseminated in August 2005 to the National Association of Biology Teachers, National Science Teachers Association, AAMC, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, APHIS, OLAW, AAALAC, PRIM&R, and SCAW.
The value of having these resources available was highlighted in March 2006 when the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published an article that was critical of the Medical College of Wisconsin�s (MCW) physiology lab for medical students. The article quoted extensively from representatives of the Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). Representatives of MCW contacted the newspaper using the APS position statement and the article. The newspaper took an editorial position in support of the MCW dog lab.
Pain and Distress Management Issues
In January 2005, APS convened a working group to discuss regulatory issues related to pain and distress. One of the main themes that emerged was the need for our regulatory system to treat pain and distress as distinct entities. Those discussions ended up playing a role in NIH's decision to ask ILAR to update its 1992 report on recognition and alleviation of pain and distress in laboratory animals in two separate reports. The first part of the update will deal with distress and will be followed later by a report on pain. Although that was considered an important step, when the composition of the distress committee was announced, concerns were raised about the qualifications of certain members. A comment letter was drafted that outlined the scientific qualifications committee members ought to have and pointed out deficiencies with respect to certain members, who lacked the relevant background.
On April 10, 2006, the ILAR committee began its fact finding with a Workshop on Recognition of Distress in Laboratory Animals. Former ACE Chair J.R. Haywood was invited to make comments about the scientific challenges in developing a science-based definition of when stress becomes distress, recognizing distress in laboratory animals, and validating assessments of distress in laboratory animals. Andrew Rowan of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) was also invited to address the same topics. In his remarks Rowan announced that the HSUS is about to publish its own pain and distress report in furtherance of its Project 2020 to eliminate pain and distress in laboratory animals by that year.
To date, the APS has received an acknowledgement of the APS letter but no substantive response to its recommendations. However, we have heard unofficially that scientists with relevant expertise will be added to the ILAR committee roster. We may have further opportunities to make comments and recommendations concerning the substance of the report.
Public Outreach Partnership with SUBR
APS is partnering with States United for Biomedical Research (SUBR) in a new outreach program. SUBR is a consortium of state and regional associations that promote public support for biomedical research and the use of animals in research. The APS/SUBR Partnership is a pilot program to design, test and implement a physiologist speaker/public outreach project that includes public information on the humane use of animals in research, education and testing.
The partnership is unique in its design. The model includes on-site training for physiologists and other science professionals but it also includes: a) support from SUBR for development of on-site organizational structure to generate and track outreach opportunities and b) ongoing support to speakers and those individuals involved with the organizational structure.
SUBR is now in process of developing a speaker handbook to accompany the pilot training session in Iowa later this year (date yet to be determined). We anticipate training 10-15 physiologists/other science professionals in Iowa and providing ongoing support for 12 months from the date of the training session. This project will provide a good test environment for training in public outreach on animal welfare issues and how to deal with the public.
APS Participation in Animal Welfare Meetings
Current and former ACE Committee members regularly attend specialty meetings that deal with animal welfare oversight issues. For new members on the Committee, participation serves an important educational function because it introduces them to ongoing legislative and regulatory issues. Several such meetings occur each year to offer education and training for veterinarians, scientists, IACUC members, and other research facility staff. As part of our efforts to "improve the effectiveness of APS advocacy for public policy," it is a goal of the ACE Committee to take a leadership position on animal welfare issues. During the past year, committee members participated in the following meetings:
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Kevin Kregel, Linda Toth, Bill Talman and Alice Ra'anan: AAALAC Board of Trustees Meeting, Bethesda, MD, September 2005.
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Karie Scrogin: SCAW (Scientists Center for Animal Welfare) Meeting, San Antonio, TX, December 2005.
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Kevin Kregel, Alice Ra�anan, Linda Toth, and JR Haywood: PRIM&R (Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research) Meeting, Boston, MA, March 2006.
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Alice Ra'anan and Martin Frank: NABR conference, May 2006
EB Symposium 2007
The committee has submitted a request for a symposium slot at EB 2007 entitled "Alternatives Revisited: Scientific Perspectives." The goal of the symposium is to present a reconsideration of the notion of alternatives. Several speakers have been invited to discuss issues related to study design, highlighting the notion that good science often requires an interplay rather than a substitution of animal and non-animal models.