The principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (most often referred to as the 3R’s) are the key strategies to provide a systematic analysis to achieve the animal welfare in reseach along with AEC requirements. During application for approval, researchers have to explain the use of animal in their study in these principles.
1. Replacement
Replacement as one of the 3R's is defined as the substitution for using living animals as much as possible. There are a number of alternative methods that can be used to replace the use of live animals in either all or part of a project. Replacement may be relative, where animals are still required to provide cells or tissue, but experiments are conducted in vitro, for example.
2. Reduction
The goal of reduction, the second of the 3R's, is to reduce the numbers of animals used to obtain information of a given amount and precision. To achieve this, the study should be explained that:
· It is designed to be scientifically and statistically valid
· only the minimum numbers of animals are used
· It is should not be repeated unnecessarily.
3. Refinement
The third of the 3R's – Refinement is any decrease in the incidence or severity of 'inhumane' procedures applied to those animals that still have to be used.
There are two key issues:
· To assess the impact of any procedure or condition on the animal
· Strategies to eliminate or minimise that impact.
On the bases on the explaination how to use these priniples in the study design of the application, the AEC will agree to approve the application
