A model for inter-institutional 3Rs co-operation – sharing in vivo research resources

With the broad goal of reducing and replacing research animal use where possible, MedImmune entered into an inter-institutional agreement to make ferret trachea tissue available to a neighboring academic institution so as to enable them to carry out vital in vitro research work without having to obtain additional live animals. Over the course of 3 years, MedImmune provided the Cystic Fibrosis Research library with over 200 ferret tracheas which enabled them to work, without further use of live animals, in a major area of unmet medical need. Key to this successful effort were communication within the laboratory animal science community and more rare but essential: the institutional recognition of the 3Rs in ethical research beyond one’s own walls and the willingness to engage in a collaborative process to reduce and refine animal use where possible. V-6-406 A model for inter-institutional 3Rs co-operation – sharing in vivo research resources R. Broome 1, A. Navarro 1, G. Kemble 1 and J. Wine 2 1MedImmune, Mountain View, USA; 2Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA