USI’s commitment to reducing and replacing animal testing

USI Pro-Rector for Research Prof. Patrick Gagliardini talks about USI's commitment to reduce, where possible, the use of animal experiments by replacing them with alternative models, bringing concrete examples of approaches to achieve this goal. USI has been actively involved in the Swiss 3R Competence Centre (3RCC) since its founding in 2018 and has recently renewed its commitment. The 3R principle (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) refers to three goals: to replace animal experimentation with a procedure that does not involve animals, to reduce the number of animal experiments to an absolute minimum, and to improve procedures to minimise the impact on the quality of life of animals. The 3R Centre of Expertise is a nationwide initiative that promotes these goals in life sciences research. The video below is an excerpt of the press conference held on Friday, 21 January. Several USI and EOC representatives illustrated the significant negative consequences on the quality of research and patient care of the initiative to be voted on 13 February ( www.usi.ch/en/feeds/17783 ). According to the Pro-rector, "the progressive reduction and replacement of animal experiments with alternative models will be constantly pursued in the future leading to significant results".