Reducing the use of laboratory animals in biomedical research: problems and possible solutions.

This is the report of the twenty-ninth of a series of workshops organised by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM). ECVAM’s main goal, as defined in 1993 by its Scientific Advisory Committee, is to promote the scientific and regulatory acceptance of alternative methods which are of importance to the biosciences and which reduce, refine or replace the use of laboratory animals. One of the first priorities set by ECVAM was the implementation of procedures which would enable it to become well-informed about the state-of-the-art of non-animal test development and validation, and the potential for the possible incorporation of alternative tests into regulatory procedures. It was decided that this would be best achieved by the organisation of ECVAM workshops on specific topics, at which small groups of invited experts would review the current status of various types of in vitro tests and their potential uses, and make recommendations about the best ways forward (1). In addition, other topics relevant to the Three Rs concept of alternatives to animal experimentation have been considered in several ECVAM workshops. This is a report of the first ECVAM workshop to be devoted exclusively to reduction as defined by Russell & Burch (2). The workshop on Reducing the Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical Research: Reducing the Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical Research: Problems and Possible Solutions