Bioconference 2nd, 13-15 Feb 2013
2013/02/13
Keynote:
9:00 AM Keynote: Speeding Discovery to the
Patient
10:00
AM
N/a
Eric
Tomlinson, DSc, PhD
Wake Forest Baptist
Medical...
Research Animal Welfare: A Global
Perspective
11:00
AM
12:00
PM
Increasingly, scientific collaborations and
contracts cross country borders. The need
for assurance that the caliber of animal
research and animal welfare are consistent
around the globe and that such animal use
is done in a humane and conscientious
Kathryn
manner is of concern to the scientific
Bayne, MS, PhD, DVM,
community, the general public, and other
DACLAM, DACAW,
key stakeholders. Global harmonization of
CAAB
animal care and use practices is essential
AAALAC...
due to the scientific need for
reproducibility and statistical validity of
results intrinsic to quality research.
Animal Welfare:
Establishing a Behavior Modification Program
Working with animals in a laboratory or research
setting poses unique challenges. Primarily, animals
need to be maintained in a low stress environment
in order to ensure that research results are accurate
Jessica
and reflective of treatment effects rather than the Lockhart, MS, PhD,
influence of unexpected confounds. One of the
CAAB
most difficult confounds to address is the impact of Certified Applied
maladaptive or stress induced behavioral changes Animal
in the research subjects.
Behaviorist...
The Veterinarian’s Role Assuring Animal Welfare
In the U. S. Laboratory Animal Veterinarians
(LAVs) are in a unique position compared to many
12:00
of our colleagues in other countries when it comes
PM
to assuring animal welfare. This presentation will
explore the role of the LAV in not only assuring
1:00 PM
compliance, but in supporting high quality science
by managing an environment that takes into
account the animal's health, behavior, and
biological functions.
Taylor
Bennett, DVM, PhD,
DACLAM,
DACAW
Senior Scientific
Advisor for...
Some like it hot: Using mouse behavioral
thermoregulation to improve mouse welfare in the
laboratory
In these experiments, a nesting material enrichment
is validated in terms of reducing a physiological
stressor with natural coping behavior, improving
welfare, and demonstrating end user benefits. Mice
are housed at ambient temperatures (Ta) between
1:00 PM 20-26˚C, which is below their lower critical Ta
(30˚C). Thus, mice are thermally stressed, which
2:00 PM can compromise aspects of physiology from
Brianna
metabolism to behavior. Raising Ta is not a
Gaskill, PhD
solution due to increased aggressive interactions Charles River
and because temperature preference differs by
Laboratories
gender and behavior. Nest building is an adaptive International,...
behavior that increases survival and reproduction in
the wild. We hypothesized that nesting material
would allow mice to alleviate cold stress by
building insulating nests and creating a unique
microenvironment within the cage.
Behavior, the most confounding of variables
2:00 PM Biomedical researchers ignore the relationship
between an organism’s behavior and its underlying
3:00 PM biology at their peril; in particular the increasing
focus on model refinement can have unintended
consequences. Herein are presented 4 studies
Eric
Hutchinson, DVM,
demonstrating the complicated but often
DACLAM
overlooked relationship between the behavior and Johns Hopkins
the basic physiology of animals housed in
Medicine...
laboratory environments.
Regulatory Xenotransplantation: GLPs and
Surgical Research
Much like transplanting a pig organ into humans,
applying the Good Laboratory Practice Act to
3:00 PM surgical efficacy research studies, can be fraught
with complications and rejection as we try to bring
4:00 PM two seemingly incompatible ideas into harmony.
Curtis
But just as with xenotransplantation, the GLPs can Schondelmeyer,
offer new life and credibility to surgical efficacy DVM
studies. We will explore application of the GLPs Toxikon
and their basic principles and how to apply those to Corporation...
such a dynamic environment as surgery.
The Role of Ethics in the Emergence of
Programmatic Excellence through AAALAC
International Accreditation
The AAALAC International accreditation program
has been in operation for 47 years, and the
recognition of accreditation as evidence of
4:00 PM programmatic success has grown substantially
since the mid- 1990s when AAALAC intensified
5:00 PM its international outreach efforts. Accreditation by
Christian E
AAALAC International is conferred on quality
Newcomer, VMD,
programs through a process of judicious and
collegial programmatic peer review by recognized DACLAM
AAALAC...
experts using carefully selected standards that
promote animal care, health and welfare meeting
the rigorous and sophisticated need of todays
science.
Research Innovations and Handling Techniques for
NSG Mice
5:00 PM Immunodeficient NOD scid gamma (NSG) mice
improve the efficiency of human disease models
6:00 PM and enable research innovations that were not
previously possible. This presentation will explain Jocoy, PhD
how NSG mice are the most effective and reliable The Jackson
transplant hosts for the widest range of human cells Laboratory...
Emily
and tissues, including the most functional
“humanized” immune system described to date.
You will learn how NSG mice support
sophisticated pre-clinical disease models such as
patient-derived cancer xenografts. We will also
describe housing and handling techniques that
ensure the welfare of the mice and the quality of
your research models.
Anesthesia and Analgesia Design in the Current
Research Setting
Biomedical research involving laboratory animals
has changed dramatically over the past decade and
with it has been the advancement of anesthetic and
analgesic methodology. The selection of anesthetic
6:00 PM and analgesic agents has become an essential
component to the research process- not only to
7:00 PM provide sound scientific data but also to assure
Jennifer
animal welfare. This presentation will provide a
C Smith, DVM,
thorough review of current practices in laboratory
DACLAM
animal anesthesia and analgesia, while also
Taconic Farms Inc....
highlighting emerging ideas and practices in the
field. While rodent species will be highlighted, this
presentation will provide useful information
suitable for all laboratory animal species.
Zebrafish Housing, Husbandry, and Care
7:00 PM
In this lecture Dr. Sanders will describe and discuss
the most common methods used for the housing,
8:00 PM
George
husbandry and care of zebrafish in the Laboratory
Sanders, DVM, MS
Animal Science setting.
Department of
Comparative
Medicine,...
NHP:
Refining the use of non-human primates in research
– are we doing enough
For over 8 years the NC3Rs has been leading the
application of the 3Rs to non-human primate (NHP)
research in the UK. Our comprehensive programme
10:00 with the pharmaceutical industry has identified
AM opportunities to reduce the use of these animals in
studies of abuse potential, assessment of candidate
11:00 therapeutics and the testing of monoclonal antibody
Mark
AM therapeutics. This presentation will review some of
Prescott, PhD
the advances in refinement that have been made as a
National Centre for
result of our investment and collaborative work with
the...
experts in academia, pharmaceutical companies,
contract research organisations and learned societies,
as well as identify areas where further research and
changes in practice are required.
Monkey Models of Atherosclerosis
The cardiovascular diseases are the largest causes of
12:00 morbidity and mortality in Westernized Societies.
PM
Monkey models of atherosclerosis have been
particularly useful in understanding better the
1:00 pathologic basis for the most serious of these
PM
diseases. While a variety of non-human primates
have been evaluated for their usefulness in
atherosclerosis research, the macaques have proven
to be the most useful.
Thomas
B Clarkson, DVM,
DACLAM
Wake Forest
University School...
Nonhuman Primate Environmental Enrichment
Program at Wake Forest University
2:00
PM
3:00
PM
Creating an environmental enrichment program for
nonhuman primates has been the highlight of various
workshops and conferences for many years.
Refinements to the 8th edition of The Guide for the
Care and Use of Laboratory Animals emphasize in
the importance of understanding the behavioral
Kelsey
needs of each laboratory species in the overall
Neeb, BS, LAT
animal care program. With the increased
Wake Forest School
competition for limited sources of grant funding,
of...
many institutions are left with financial challenges to
ensure their facility can provide for a well-conceived
enrichment program. This presentation highlights
different aspects of the Wake Forest University
Nonhuman Primate Environmental Enrichment
Program and illustrates how the changes to the
Guide do not always necessitate sizeable changes in
the budget. Indoor/outdoor pen housing, indoor only
pen housing, and standard rack housing for Rhesus
macaques, cynomolgus macaques, and African
Green monkeys are addressed.
Individual differences in temperament and
behavioral management practices
3:00
PM
4:00
PM
Behavioral management is a comprehensive strategy
to promote psychological well-being and animal
welfare utilizing tools such as environmental
enrichment, positive reinforcement training, and
positive human-animal interactions. Effective
behavioral management plans are tailored to the
unique behavioral patterns of each individual
Kristine
species. However, even within a species behavioral Coleman, PhD
needs of individuals can vary. This talk will
Oregon National
examine how individual differences in temperament Primate Research...
might affect, or be affected by, behavioral
management practices for captive nonhuman
primates.
Scientific Management of Nonhuman Primates Used
for Biomedical Research
4:00
PM
5:00
PM
5:00
PM
6:00
PM
There are many challenges associated with the
effective management of a breeding colony of
nonhuman primates that is utilized for biomedical
research. Scientific needs of specific investigators
wishing to utilize the resource can often be in
conflict with the broader needs associated with
maintaining the resource. Overall, the discussion
will highlight our efforts to balance the overall of
maintaining the animal resource while also catering
to the needs of individual investigators and studies.
Matthew J
Jorgensen, PhD
Wake Forest School
of...
Psychosocial Influences on Cardiovascular Disease
in a Monkey Model: sex differences in mechanism
and outcome
Jay R
Kaplan, PhD
Translational
Science, and
Anthropology,...
Assessing the Reproductive System in Nonhuman
Primates
6:00
PM
7:00
PM
The reproductive system of nonhuman primates is
similar to that of human primates, and this similarity
is the basis for much of their use in experimental
work. Clinical and pathologic assessment of
experimental effects on the reproductive system of
nonhuman primates requires knowledge of normal
physiology, and typical patterns of response,
common background abnormalities, and diseases.
This talk will focus on the most commonly used
J Mark
nonhuman primate species (cynomolgus and rhesus
Cline, DVM, PhD,
macaques), and will include normal anatomy and
DACVP
physiology, the female menstrual cycle, and for both
Wake Forest
females and males, common incidental findings and
University School...
variations, infectious diseases, and neoplasms.
Emphasis will be placed on common disorders,
common problems of management, study design,
and interpretation, and practical advice for
appropriate use of these valuable and unique
animals.
Approaching Animal Welfare from a Global
Corporate Perspective
7:00
PM
8:00
PM
There is no one formula for assuring animal welfare
in a global research company. This lecture will
discuss a multi-faceted program aimed to advance
animal welfare efforts not only inside the company,
but through industry outreach as well. The Program,
the Humane Care Initiative (HCI), was built on the
concepts of: employee training, commitment and
empowerment; reinforcement; and recognition of
excellence. Overall, the program was designed to
bring animal welfare to the forefront activities every
day of employment and during any interaction with
the company.
Marilyn
Brown, DVM
Charles River
CHARTER
Program,...
Industry:
The Andersons Bedding System
This presentation will discuss the importance of
using a system of bedding and nesting materials
12:00 PM as a means to reduce rodent stress, facilitate study
accuracy, and provide efficiency in today’s
Andrea
1:00 PM modern laboratory. The Andersons Bedding
Gay, AALAS,
System consists of a base cob bedding for
LAMA, IAT,
maximum urine absorption and ammonia control,
ANZLAA
blended with paper clean twisted paper nesting
The Andersons Lab
material, in one bag, to provide base enrichment.
Bedding...
How Do You Decide Which Laboratory Animal
Diet Will Meet Your Needs
With so many laboratory animal diets on the
market it can be a bit overwhelming trying to
decide the diet that most appropriately meets ones
2:00 PM needs. The type of research being conducted can
dictate which diet is most appropriate for the
3:00 PM study design as well as for decreasing unwanted
Carrie
variables. Perhaps the diet has to follow GLP
Schultz, PhD
guidelines further defining which diet to use. The
Purina Animal
life stage of the animals, such as maintenance,
Nutrition...
growth, reproduction or lactation can also be a
factor in choosing the correct diet. Lastly, one has
to consider the individual needs of the facility.
Disaster Aversion and Cost Saving: Leveraging
New Cryopreservation Methods
The use of genetically modified mice as a
research tool has been growing at a near
exponential rate throughout the world for the last
4:00 PM two decades. Each novel strain can take up to
three years to create and longer to validate and
5:00 PM characterize. These novel strains also represent a
Stephen
sizeable investment of money, typically $100,000
J Linnell, MBA
or more per line. Yet these important research
The Jackson
tools are vulnerable to loss from both catastrophic
Laboratory...
(flood, fire, severe storms, earthquakes) and subtle
(disease outbreak, breeding cessation, air handler
malfunction) threats.
Does Rodent Enrichment Make (Sense) Cents
In the revised Guide for the Care and Use of
Laboratory Animals there are new
recommendations regarding the addition of rodent
enrichment to animal care programs.
Environmental Enrichment (EE) is a very
important aspect of good husbandry and care of
our laboratory animals. The challenge when
considering the use of rodent EE is understanding
5:00 PM
the purpose of enrichment and furthermore,
knowing what kind of enrichment is species
6:00 PM
appropriate. Bio Serv will present an overview of
Karena
normal rodent behaviors, signs of maladaptive
Thek, MBA, CMAR
behaviors and discuss how EE can compliment
Bio Serv...
your overall rodent care program. Bio Serv
specializes in custom, medicated and special
needs animal diets as well as enrichment products
for all laboratory animals for over 35 years. It is
made up of a great team of professionals
consisting of experts is veterinary care, nutrition
and behavior.
14 Feb
Keynote:
Understanding and Assessing Pain in Laboratory
Animals - an update
Views on animal pain have evolved steadily over
the last two decades, alongside the development
of animal welfare science generally. Animal
welfare is now often described in terms of
11:00 AM “feelings”, but the attribution of affective states to
animals remains controversial. Irrespective of
12:00 PM whether we consider animals to have conscious
Paul
emotional states, assessment of pain (or
Flecknell, PhD
nociception) in animal models of pain has begun University of
to shift towards measures and models that may
Newcastle...
detect changes in the affective component of pain.
Assessing emotional states in animals is difficult,
but is being addressed by a number of research
groups. This seminar will review some of the pain
models that claim to include an effective
component, and also highlight work in the area of
animal welfare science that is attempting to assess
similar phenomena. It will also review progress in
“cage-side” pain assessment, directed at
improving the detection and prevention of postprocedural pain in laboratory species.
State of the Art: Care of the Captive South
African Clawed Frogs: Xenopus laevis and
Xenopus tropicalis
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
The South African Clawed frogs, Xenopus laevis
and its smaller, closely-related cousin, Xenopus
tropicalis, are a fully aquatic amphibian species
which are popular pets and zoo exhibit specimens.
Xenopus also have a long history of use in
educational classrooms and in biomedical and
basic research. While Xenopus are generally
hardy and easy to care for, most veterinarians
have limited experience in their husbandry,
Sherril L
feeding and veterinary medical problems. In this Green, DVM, PhD
presentation, the state of the art basic housing, the Director, Veterinary
principles of feeding and basic water quality and Service Center,...
enrichment requirements of captive Xenopus will
be reviewed, along with their normal behavior and
physiology. The presentation will also review
common infectious diseases and disease
syndromes in Xenopus, with a practical approach
to the diagnosis and treatment options
Refinement:
Possibilities of environmental refinement:
improving housing conditions of laboratory
10:00 animals
AM
11:00
AM
Housing systems for captive animals have often
been designed on the basis of economic and
Vera
ergonomic aspects, such as equipment, costs,
space, workload, ability to observe the animals and Baumans, DVM, PhD,
to maintain a certain degree of hygiene, with little DipECLAM
Div Laboratory
or no consideration for animal welfare.
Environmental refinement can be defined as any Animal Science,...
modification in the environment of captive animals
that seeks to enhance its physical and
psychological well-being by providing stimuli
meeting the animals’ species-specific needs. In this
presentation, an overview of environmental factors
that influence the well-being of captive animals
will be presented with specific reference to the
needs of the most common laboratory species.
Different conditions of habitats influence on the
behaviour in the t-shaped maze
Animals in captivity should be kept in conditions
providing homeostasis which are providing for
12:00 their needs such as: need of contact with other
PM
specimens, exploration, building a nest, or
escaping to safety. Otherwise, pathological
1:00 PM behavior- self-mutilation or stereotypies may
Katarzyna Zieba
occur. The conducted experiment shows how
University of
different breeding conditions such as handling,
Warsaw...
social deprivation, food deprivation and the
enrichment of environment affect behaviour in the
T-shaped maze.
Development of a Behavioral Management
Program from a Global Corporate Perspective
Developing a harmonized behavioral management
program for a global company with diverse
business aims can be challenging. With laws and
1:00 PM regulations varying from country to country, and
differing business pressures and objectives, one
2:00 PM size definitely does not fit all. Led by a central
Christina
corporate director of enrichment and behavioral Winnicker, DVM,
medicine, two teams were developed to work on MPH, DACLAM
the enrichment and behavioral medicine programs: Charles River
a team of behaviorists and behavioral champions, Laboratories...
and a team of global veterinarians. Harmonization,
as opposed to standardization, is the goal.
A Review of the Physiologic and Behavioral
2:00 PM Needs of the Laboratory Rabbit and how
Environmental Enhancements Can Minimize
3:00 PM Stressful Dosing and Handlin Procedures
Laboratory rabbits are used commonly for a
Karen
variety of research models. Understanding their
behavioral and unique physiological differences
from other species is an important consideration
when employing appropriate husbandry and
handling practices. This presentation will review
rabbit physiology, natural behaviors, and review
enrichment options including social housing.
Reducing stress and striving for a well-adjusted
rabbit will attain better research outcomes.
Froberg-Fejko, Latg,
VMD
Bio-Serv...
Recovery time after ovariectomy is reduced in
rodents when providing heat support using a
homeothermic blanket compared to a recirculating
water pad
4:00 PM
It is critical to provide heat support to rodents
during surgery to ensure a successful surgical
5:00 PM
outcome and to prevent inadvertent derangement
Cristina
of physiologic parameters affected by
M Weiner, VMD, MS
perioperative hypothermia. These findings may
Taconic Farms, Inc....
afford clinical, welfare and operational benefit to
the rodent surgery user and program.
The Ethics of Husbandry in the Modern Lab
This presentation will discuss the changing trends
in vivarium management from twenty years ago to
today, with a glimpse into the future. Many
5:00 PM
changes have occurred and impacted our
awareness and understanding of what constitutes
Jerry
6:00 PM
the “ethical treatment of laboratory animals.” A Reynolds, AALAS,
parallel will be established comparing the practices LAMA, ATA,
in today’s modern lab with the practices in zoo
CALAS
animal housing and exhibits of yesteryear and
The Andersons Lab
today.
Bedding...
6:00 PM
Challenges and Refinements in the Management of
7:00 PM a Biocontainment Facility under the New Guide
Iris D
Bolton, DVM,
DACLAM
University of Texas
Medical...
Surgery:
Online Learning: The Future for Education and
Training in Laboratory Animal Science?
What is online learning? Simply stated, it is any
educational activity that uses electronic resources or
delivery methods to engage learners. Online learning
10:00 has grown exponentially as an educational tool in the
AM past decade with almost all publically funded
universities in North America offering at least some
Patricia
11:00 online course instructional options and approximately Turner, MS, DVM,
AM one third of all university students enrolling in at least DVSc, DACLAM,
one online course annually. This session will explore DABT
current and future opportunities for development of University of
educational programs in laboratory animal science, as Guelph...
well as discussing methods for engaging learners in
the online environment, and linking online theoretical
learning with applied training
1:00
PM
2:00
PM
Surgical Techniques for Improving Visualization and
Reducing Dissection Required for Cervical Spinal
Cord Injections in Gottingen Minipigs
Gaining access to the cervical spinal cord of a
Gottingen Minipig involves a midline dorsal
dissection through 10-14 cm of soft tissue. Injecting
Randall
test materials into the spinal cord at specific depths
Pielemeier, LVT, BS,
requires visualization of the injection needle touching
SRS, LATg
the pia mater, this requires addition muscle
MPI Research...
dissections with conventional techniques.
Enhancing pharmaceutical drug discovery through
courageous collaboration
2:00
PM
3:00
PM
Headlines regularly announce the failure of Phase III
drug candidates that had been touted as critical new
medicines. These drugs often fail because the safety
or efficacy is not what was anticipated, based upon all
Barry
of the preclinical research that was conducted. By the
time that a drug has failed a Phase III trial, it has cost Wright, PhD
the sponsor millions, if not billions, of dollars. Almost rScienceCentral,
without exception, these studies have involved the use Inc....
of many animals to determine the properties of the
potential therapeutics. The lack of correlation
between preclinical and clinical outcomes, is very
costly monetarily and in regard to animal extremist
action and reputational damage.
Rodent Stereotactic Surgery
Rodent stereotactic surgery is an invaluable tool for
neuroscience research. In this presentation, we
describe stereotaxic surgery optimized for gene
4:00
delivery by recombinant adeno-associated viruses,
PM
delivery of inflammatory agents, and cell grafting for
cell replacement therapies and intracranial tumor
5:00
implantation in mice and rats. We will examine best
PM
practices for animal anesthesia and placement on the
stereotactic frame, placement of injections utilizing
landmarks, methods and rate of delivery of injected
solutions (viral particles, inflammatory agents and
cell suspensions) and post-operative care.
Carla M
Lema Tome, MBA,
PhD
Wake Forest
University ...
An Overview of Critical Size Bone Defect Animal
Models
In the search for better methodologies to treat nonunion fractures (pseudoarthrosis) than is currently
available (debridement and autogenous bone
grafting), the use of animal models to test these new
methodologies, primarily osteoinductive agents, is
essential. In general, the investigator should initially
6:00 choose the lowest species that is experimentally valid
PM at the stage of development of the new methodology.
Rodents and rabbits are generally good for screening
7:00 purposes. Initially, heterotopic models of osteogenesis
HV
PM in rats are most commonly used, followed by bone
Mendenhall, DVM,
defect models and ultimately, critical size bone defect PhD
models. These species are not good for testing
Preclinical Surgical
products that are close to being tested in human
Services...
clinical trials. Sheep and goats (and occasionally
dogs) are the preferred large animal models since they
are more closely related to humans in terms of size
and bone characteristics. Pigs are generally not a good
animal model unless adult miniature or micro swine
are used.
Rat laparoscopy – refinement for rat model
development of renal, testicular and hepatic
laparoscopic implantation of neoplastic cells
The refinement of surgical techniques represents a
key opportunity to improve the welfare of laboratory
7:00
rodents, while meeting legal and ethical obligations.
PM
Current methods used for monitoring intra-abdominal
disease progression in rodents usually involve
8:00
euthanasia at various time-points for end of study,
Szczepan Baran,
PM
one-time individual tissue collections. This
VMD, MS
presentation will compare rodent laparotomy and
Course Director,
laparoscopic surgical methods, and describe the
Biology and...
utilization of laparoscopy for the development of
cancer models and assessment of disease progression
to improve data collection and animal welfare