ESLAV Newsletter Jan 2013 - SAVIR

ESLAV Newsletter – Jan. 2013
ESLAV Newsletter – January 2013
Dear ESLAV Members,
In keeping with the spirit of this special season of the year, we hope the content of this
newsletter will delight and amaze you and give birth to dreams of great possibilities for this new
year!
All members of the ESLAV Board send wishes to you and your families a Happy New Year!
The ESLAV Board
ESLAV Board Members –Liege , Belgium, October 2012 (from left to right) – prior the AGM:
Nicolas Dudoignon, Aurora Bronstad, Dasa Seveljevic-Jaran, Helmut Ehall, Delphine Denais-Lalieve, Katerina
Marinou, Massimiliano Bardotti, Jose Manuel Sanchez Morgado, Rony Kalman, Gwendolyn McCormick
ESLAV 2013 Membership
2013 ESLAV membership fee is 45 €.
Laboratory Animals subscription is also available for a special extra fee of 61 €
for ESLAV members, resulting in a combined total of 106 €.
You can pay these fees by credit card on our website (fully secure payment) or by bank transfer.
Online payment will be available once you'll have individually receive an email from the Treasurer including the automatic link to
your payment section.
Please contact the ESLAV Treasurer, Aurora Bronstad at treasurer@eslav.org if you have experienced any difficulties in utilizing
the links provided to you in your e-mail invoice statement.
Please contact Katerina Marinou (katmarinou@gmail.com / secretary@eslav.org) before January 14th, 2013 in case you would
like to subscribe for Laboratory Animals and did not already informed her.
Welcome to our New Board Member
We are happy to welcome on the ESLAV Board a new member: Marilyn Brown, following elections at the last AGM
(Massimiliano Bardotti was also elected as Board Member, but you already know him!)
Marilyn Brown is the new Ordinary Member recently elected (at the last AGM). She graduated from
Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine and also has a Masters in Science in
cardiopulmonary physiology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is Board certified by both
the American and European Colleges of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM and ECLAM).
She is currently responsible for animal welfare at Charles River sites globally.
Please send the Board members any news or information that you think might interest other members and we
will be glad to include it in future editions of the newsletter.
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ESLAV Newsletter – Jan. 2013
New ESLAV Board Member honored by AALAS
Dr. Marilyn J. Brown receives the 2012 AALAS Griffin Award
Dr. Marilyn J. Brown, Charles River Corporate Vice President, Global Animal Welfare and new
member of the ESLAV Board, received the 2012 AALAS Charles A. Griffin Award during the
Opening Session of the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Laboratory
Animal Science on November 4, 2012 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
The Griffin Award is AALAS’ oldest and most prestigious accolade. The award is given
annually in recognition of individuals who have demonstrated continuous ethical scientific
and/or technological advancements in humane experimentation or improved animal care
practices throughout their career.
International Recognition of Laboratory Animal Technicians
In 1999, AALAS’ Committee on Technician Awareness and Development created a national laboratory animal technician
week to recognize laboratory animal technicians for their essential contributions as members of the research team. Because
of its success, it was expanded in 2002 and renamed International Laboratory Animal Technician Week, allowing technicians
from around the world to participate in the event.
Since 2002, the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS) and AALAS have worked together to
acknowledge technicians for their roles in the biomedical/biological research field around the world. Since that time,
laboratory animal science organizations in Australia & New Zealand (ANZLAS), United States (AALAS), China (CALAS), Canada
(CALAS-ACSAL), Brazil (COBEA), United Kingdom (IAT), Japan (JALAS) and India (LASA India) have held formal and informal
events to recognize the contributions of laboratory animal technicians.
In 2013, the theme for this International recognition event will
be “Technicians, the building blocks of research.” Some examples
of what various organizations have done to recognize technicians
in previous years can be found at the following link:
http://www.aalas.org/resources/2012techweek.aspx.
BioConference Live Meeting - LAS
Laboratory Animal Science – February 13-14th, 2013
The Veterinary Bioscience Institute and LabRoots, Inc. are thrilled to announce the two-day international Laboratory
Animal Science (LAS) BioConference Live. This is the premier online-only conference focused on laboratory animal
medicine. The theme of this conference is Animal Well being and Welfare Science with three tracks; housing, enrichment
and pain/distress/pleasure. LAS BioConference Live will bring together scientists, veterinary technicians, veterinarians,
technical support staff, IACUC administrators and support staff, as well as training and compliance personnel from around
the world to learn about recent advances in the field of laboratory animal medicine. Never before has such a diverse group
of experts been able to participate in one, groundbreaking conference. This conference offers an amazing opportunity as it
is free to participants, and there will be no out-of-pocket expenses for travel. However, participants will still benefit from
interacting with a global community of like-minded colleagues, without leaving the comfort of their office or home.
Don’t forget to register:
http://vshow.on24.com/vshow/BCL2013LAS/registration/2728
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ESLAV Newsletter – Jan. 2013
Speaking up on the Important Role Animals Play in Biomedical Research
As animal rights and extremist groups continue to provide inaccurate information to the public and legislative bodies, it is
important that someone stand up and tell the public what is true. It is the opinion of the public that greatly influences
legislative bodies who in turn make laws that impact how and if the biomedical research community can continue to do
research that lead to innovative methods of improving the lives of millions of people and animals around the world.
The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has initiated a public campaign to create
transparency and inform the public on Animal Testing Perspectives. One component of this initiative was the creation of a
website/blog to facilitate dialogue with the public on the topic of animal use. A communications agency, ZN, will use various
tactics (Twitter activation, Google advertisement, ATP newsletter) to drive traffic to the page and get as much engagement
with the public as possible. You can log onto the website through the following link:
http://animaltestingperspectives.org/animal-research-studies-in-plain-words/.
Another site that also provides background on the positive contributions of the use of animals in research can be found at the
following link: http://www.animalresearchforlife.eu/.
EFPIA also invites you to share your opinions and join the debate on Twitter using the #EUanimalstudies hashtag and to
disseminate the information to external contacts who might be interested.
William Talman, MD, Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at the University of Iowa has also
written a very clear article directed at a very large segment of the public on the importance of
animals as biomedical research models. His article is public accessible in a blog post in the Huffington
Post. Take a look at it through the following link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-t-talman-md/animal-testing-medicine_b_2250283.html
Polls conducted in Italy earlier this year revealed that only about 37% of the Italian public
supported the use of animals in research. The results of a more recent poll conducted in UK
showed that there has also been a slight reduction in public support of use of animals in research
in that country as well. (http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/)
An alliance of professional organizations have taken a stance and issued a document to increase
transparency and improve communication with the public about the importance of animal
research. You can review this document through the following link:
http://www/understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/assets/documen/78573611-F 6D3-F6D0-
3D555C4B15E8AFAD/declaration-on-openn.pdf.
After visiting these websites and reading the posted comments, if you feel inspired to take a more active role in speaking up
about animal research, consider attending RedLab 13, a two-day communication and media training workshop that will be
given by Foundation for Biomedical Research May 14-15, 2013 at the Gaylord Convention Center & National Harbor near
Washington, D.C., USA. This total immersion experience promises to change the way you communicate for the rest of your
career! Due to the team interactions that will be involved, there will be only 200 spaces available for this workshop. If this
fits into your new year resolutions for 2013, register right away!
The workshop agenda and registration information can be found at:
http://www.fbresearch.org/uploadedFiles/FbResearch/Content/Media_Center/RedLab/FBR%20RedLab13%20brochure.pdf
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ESLAV Newsletter – Jan. 2013
Strategies for Implementing New EU Directive 2010/63
As part of the strategy to implement the EU Directive 2010/63, the European Commission established several expert
working groups in 2011 and 2012 for the purpose of developing common frameworks for: 1) statistical reporting, 2)
severity assessment and , 3) education and training requirements.
All Member States and main stakeholder organizations were invited to nominate experts to participate in the work.
Members of both ESLAV and ECLAM actively participated in these Expert Working Groups throughout the year.
The Statistical Reporting WG met several times in 2011. ESLAV-ECLAM designated expert was Anne-Dominique Degryse.
The outcome of these meetings was the adoption on 14/11/2012 of the Commission Implementing Decision establishing
a common format for the submission of the information pursuant to Directive 2010/63/EU.
You could find this document through the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:320:0033:0050:EN:PDF
The Education and Training Expert Working Group met 22-23 February 2012 and developed a consensus paper (still work
in progress) which is available for review through the following link:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/pdf/Education-Training%20Consensus.pdf. The principles of the
framework of this consensus document were endorsed by the National Competent Authorities for the implementation of
Directive 2010/63 EU at their meeting of 22-23 March 2012. ESLAV and ECLAM were represented by Ismene Dontas.
The Severity Assessment Expert Working Group started its work in 2011 and held two meetings (Dec 2011 and May 2012)
as well as discussions with Member States and received legal input from the Commission on the understanding of a
severity framework, its components, participants, working tools and methods. ESLAV-ECLAM experts were Anne-
Dominique Degryse and Hans Hedrich (for the meeting specifically dedicated to Genetically Altered animals). A final
consensus document was endorsed by the National Competent Authorities for the implementation of Directive 2010/63
EU during a meeting on 11-12 July 2012. The severity assessment consensus document can be viewed through the
following link:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/pdf/Consensus%20doc%20on%20severity%20assessment.pdf
The meeting on GA animals resulted in the following consensus document:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/pdf/Endorsed_consensus_doc.pdf
If the proposed severity assessment process is implemented effectively, the animals and all personnel involved in their
care and use will benefit from improved animal welfare and scientific validity and transparency. Good internal and
external communication on the severity assessment process and on the application of the Three Rs will afford even wider
benefits.
The Commission has also established an Expert Working Group specifically on Information on Alternative Methods and
the 3Rs Strategies. Nikos Kostomitsoupoulos was appointed as the ESLAV & ECLAM Expert on this EWG. The EWG held its
first meeting in Brussels, Belgium on November 29-30, 2012.
Please note that all these documents are guidance to assist the Member States and others affected by this Directive to
arrive at a common understanding of the provisions contained in the Directive.
And don’t forget to take a look at the
Transposition Scoreboard!
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab
_animals/transposition_en.htm
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ESLAV Newsletter – Jan. 2013
Results of ESLAV Boredom Busters Survey
A survey was sent out to ESLAV membership during the summer of 2012 for the purpose of allowing you to give input on
what should be done to make ESLAV a more dynamic organization. Here are the summarized results of what you said:
You want to provide a service to ESLAV:
• 36 % of the respondents would like to become ESLAV Board members
• 24% of the respondents would like to become an National Representative
• 61% of the respondents would like to serve on an Expert Working Group
Your views on creation of an ESLAV Membership Directory included
• 94% wanted access to the directory to be restricted to ESLAV members only
• 88% did not want paper copies of the directory
• 82% favor creating a new membership directory
• 78% did not want pictures of members to be included in the directory
• 72% wanted the directory to be linked through the ESLAV website
• 57% wanted the directory to include work addresses, telephone and fax numbers
Your views on the use of social media for professional networking
• 60% use Linked’n for professional networking
• 57% would actively participate in an ESLAV social media group if it were restricted to ESLAV members only
• 36% do not use social media, prefer face-to-face communication
• 15% use other media for professional networking
• 6% use Facebook for professional networking
Your thoughts on ESLAV Website
• 64% visit the current website less than once/month
• 34 % do not find much value in the current website
• 54% have difficulty navigating around the current website
• 79% have difficulty finding information on the website
• 82% think the information on the current website is not up-to-date
Things you want to see in a re-designed ESLAV website:
97% Veterinary Educational Resources
88% Links to ESLAV Meeting Information
83% Statements of ESLAV mission, values, ethics
79% Ethics Committee and Animal Welfare Resources
79% Activities of National Representatives in responsible
countries
79% Links to archived copies of ESLAV newsletter and Briefing
73% Membership information
70% Links to relevant activities and events
Comment: Would like links to veterinary education information
Comment: Would like ESLAV to facilitate online education on specific topics
67% Ability to pay ESLAV fees online through website
67% Resources for National Representatives
64% Job/Career Information
52% ECLAM Information
48% A searchable member directory on the website
33% Information accessible to the public
30% Information accessible to the press
27% Mobile phone applicability
97% of the respondents read Briefing and gave the following feedback on what they want in the future:
Reviews of new books (94%), News on legislation (94%), A calendar of upcoming events (94%), Reports of ESLAV National
Representatives (85%), Reports of scientific meetings (85%), Review articles (79%), Case reports (73%), Review articles of
previously published articles in non-english language (70%), Editorials from ESLAV and LAVA Presidents (70%), Scientific peer
review articles (45%), Editorials from other personalities (43%)
And more important 33% of the respondents would like to write articles for publication in Briefing on the various topics
(Training of Scientists, Setting up an Ethics Committee, Setting up a snake animal facility, Health Controls for Zebrafish,
Health Controls for Mice, Health Controls for Snakes, Clinical Cases/ Case Reports, Infectious disease, Genetics, Animal
Models in Cardiology, Housing Conditions and Refinement, General Care of Laboratory Animals, Gnotobiotics, Management
of Laboratory Animal Flora, Risk Assessment for Animal Welfare)
So, thanks for your input!!
And for those who volunteer, we wait for your participation to Briefing! B
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ESLAV Newsletter – Jan. 2013
Workshops and Meetings!
The American Biological Safety Association is sponsoring
2nd International Biosafety & Biocontainment Symposium, February 2-6, 2013
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria, Virginia, USA. http://arssymposium.absa.org/
Principles & Practices of Biosafety, February 24- March 1, 2013,
Embassy Suites Orlando, Lake Buena Vista South, Orlando, Florida, USA. http://www.absa.org/eduppb.html
Advanced Course in the Use of Swine in Biomedical Research
The advanced training course (lectures + labs) using swine will be conducted at the
Medical University of South Carolina, USA, Monday to Wednesday, February 4-6, 2013.
The course is applicable to veterinarians, technicians and investigators using porcine models.
Registration is limited and the course can be personalized for attendees.
For more detailed information email: swindlem@musc.edu or coxrd@musc.edu.
Registration forms and the course outline will be sent upon request. The course at MUSC will only be held annually in
February following this session. Individualized courses can be taught at your institution upon request.
11th Transgenic Technology Meeting
The purpose of this meeting is to foster communication and technology sharing, to enhance scientific research, to advance
the field of animal transgenesis, particularly as it applies to useful experimental models in biology, medicine and
biotechnology, representing the interests of scientists, technicians and graduate students working in the field of transgenic
technologies.
The meeting will be held in Guangzhou/Canton, P.R. China on 25-27 February 2013.
The meeting organizer is Prof. Ming Zhao (SMU).
More detailed information on the meeting and registration can be found at the following website: www.tt2013.org
The following series of courses will be presented by Fondazione Guido Bernardini in Milan in 2013.
More details for each course can be found at http://www.fondazioneguidobernardini.org.
1. Cleansing and Decontamination: Best Practices in Washing, Disinfection and Sterilization in the Laboratory Animal Facility,
February 6-8, 2013, Milan.
2. Organization and Procedures in the Modern Laboratory Animal Facility, March 19-22, 2013, Milan.
3. The Health Monitoring of Rodents and the Cage Level Environment in IVC Equipped Facilities, May 16-17, 2013, Milan
4. The Management of Genetically Modified Rodent Colonies, September 26-27, 2013, Milan.
5. Facility Planning, Logistics and Technological Solutions, November 14-15, 2013, Milan.
NJABR’s 3Rs Sharing Conference II:
“The Power and Potential of Refinement and Reduction”
This one-day meeting will be held on 27 February 2013 at the Palace at Somerset Park,
Somerset, NJ, USA for the purpose of bringing together scientists from multiple disciplines
to share precompetitive work that improves science by reducing, refining or replacing the
use of animals; improves the predictive power of preclinical models; and instills a culture of examining existing preclinical
models for improvements. This meeting will also include a poster session. If you are interested in attending this meeting,
please visit the event website at: www.njabr.org or contact the event organizer, Annette McCabe at mccabe@njabr.org.
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ESLAV Newsletter – Jan. 2013
Workshops and Meetings!
Joint 2013 IAT and LAVA Congress
“Techs and Vets—together we can make a difference”
This Congress will take place in the South of England on 12th-15th March, 2013.
It will focus on the implementation of the EU Directive into UK law and there will be a
“Named Persons’ Workshop” held on the opening Tuesday, 12th March. This will concentrate
on issues of the new Directive which affect the NACWO and NVS. There will also be papers,
posters and workshops on Wednesday 13th March and Thursday 14th March, aimed at promoting the
mutually respectful working relationship between animal care staff and veterinary surgeons. A Trade Exhibition Hall will also
be an integral part of this Congress, providing attendees opportunities to view and compare all the latest innovations and to
chat wit the major suppliers in our industry. Registration booking forms can be found at the IAT website:
http://www.iat.org.uk/congress.html.
The closing date for Congress bookings will be Sunday 24th February 2013.
12th FELASA-SECAL Congress, Barcelona, Spain, 10-13 June 2013
“Animal research: Better Science from Fewer Animals”
The Organizing Committee invites you come to this Congress which
will be held at the International Convention Center of Barcelona (CCIB)
on the Barcelona seafront.
You have an opportunity to participate in 35 sessions, 9 workshops and one satellite workshop covering three areas: “Health,
Welfare and Legal Issues,” “Animal Facility Management,” and “LAS Applied Research.” There will also be a large exhibition
hall where you can talk with companies about their latest equipment, technology and services. A variety of Interesting social
programs will also be held, giving you an opportunity to meet old colleagues and make new friends. Reduced registration
fees will be available until 28 February 2013.
Please visit this website for information on submission of abstracts for posters and oral presentations, social events and
registration information. http://www/felasa2013.eu/
15-16 September 2013
LAVA-ESLAV-ECLAM Joint Scientific Meeting
Cambridge, UK.
More information on programme will be available soon…
ICLAS Regional Fellowship Training Program
The European Regional Committee (ERC) of the International Council for
Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS) announces three training fellowship awards in
laboratory animal science.
These awards are available to individuals from European countries/areas in the process of
developing modern standards of animal care and use. The objective of the fellowships will be
to acquire new knowledge and/or technical competences in the care and use of laboratory animals.
This can be achieved in one of the host institutions or in an institution proposed by the applicant.
At least one fellowship will be awarded each year for each of the following levels listed below:
Technician Level
Animal Facility Manager/Animal Welfare Officer/Veterinarian Level
Animal User, Scientist Level
More information: http://iclas.org/committees/europe-regional-committee/regional-sponsorship-training-program
Please send the Board members any news or information that you think might interest other members and we
will be glad to include it in future editions of the newsletter.
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ESLAV Newsletter – Jan. 2013
Publications
Switzerland’s Federal Veterinary Office has published its 2nd Animal Welfare Report.
You can access the electronic version of the report via the following link:
http://www.bvet.admin.ch/dokumentation/00327/02466/04107/index.html?lang=en
Briefing, November 2012 (volume 16.2)
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/eslav/briefing_201206/index.php
Handbook of Laboratory Animal Management and Welfare,
4th Edition, Sarah Wolfensohn, Maggie Loyd. ISBN: 978-0-470-65549-8,
Available February 2013 from Wiley-Blackwell Publishers.
This bestseller has been an essential book for all those working with laboratory animals
since it was first published in 1994. This fourth edition retains all the classic features
that have made it a must-have reference including emphasis on best practice in order
to improve animal welfare. The contents have been thoroughly updated and reorganized
to make sure it is a really practical book for day-to-day use in the laboratory. The first
section of the book covers principles applicable to all species and technical staff working
with animals in the laboratory. Later chapters focus on specific species or groups of species.
New components of this edition includes: 1) Changes in European legislation and their
impact on national legislation; 2) Recommendations for the education and training of those
carrying out animal experiments across Europe; 3) New chapters on ethical considerations
and balancing animal welfare and science; 4)New information on environmental enrichment
for laboratory animals; and 5) Advancements in anesthesia and analgesia and techniques.
The New ESLAV Board (2012-2013)
President
President-Elect
Honorary Secretary
Honorary Treasurer
Ordinary Board Members
National Representative & New Emerging Countries Coordinator
AAALAC Board of Trustees Representative
ECLAM Council Liaison
LAVA Council Liaison
Delphine Denais-Lalieve
Nicolas Dudoignon
Katerina Marinou
Aurora Bronstad
Massimiliano Bardotti
Marilyn J. Brown
Gwendolyn Y. McCormick
Jose Sanchez-Morgado
Dasa Seveljevic-Jaran
Rikke Westh Thon
Dasa Seveljevic-Jaran
Anne-Dominique Degryse
Rony Kalman
Anja Petrie
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