Animals in Research and Teaching
At Osnabrück University, scientists from the Biology/Chemistry department conduct research on a variety of topics, including those of medical relevance. Despite progress in the field of alternative methods to supplement or replace animals, animals are kept at Osnabrück University, especially in basic research, in order to investigate and understand complex mechanisms in living organisms. An animal welfare officer ensures that the legal requirements for the protection of animals are complied with at all times.
All scientists involved in research projects with animals are obliged to comply with the legal requirements for animal welfare. In addition, it goes without saying that the animal keepers and scientists at our university ensure that the animals are kept and treated in an animal-friendly manner in accordance with the relevant legal regulations, simply because they see themselves as responsible human beings. In addition, meaningful research results can only be achieved with healthy animals that live according to their needs.
Why are animals kept for research at Osnabrück University?
In the Biology/Chemistry department, scientists are dedicated to researching bodily functions and their disruption in certain diseases at a molecular, physiological and behavioral level. The focus is, for example, on the cellular processes involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease, on the analysis of neuroendocrine, immunological and metabolic processes that play a role in affective disorders, such as depression, and on investigations into the structure, function and regulation of important transport proteins, including research into cellular mechanisms in tumor diseases or osteoporosis. The Neurobiology and Behavioral Biology departments primarily study mice, while the Animal Physiology and Zoology departments mainly use insects such as fruit flies.
Frequently asked questions
The German Animal Welfare Act defines animal testing as 'interventions or treatments for experimental purposes on animals if they may be associated with pain, suffering or harm to these animals'. This also includes experiments in which scientists modify the genetic material of an animal and the breeding of genetically modified animal lines. In most cases, animal experiments serve to answer a scientific question. These relate in particular to basic research and the investigation and treatment of diseases (in humans and animals) [...].
Source: Understanding animal testing - a science information initiative
The term "animal model" refers to the use of a specific animal species, a specific breeding line or an experimental manipulation on a living animal with the aim of gaining knowledge that is valid beyond the model under investigation. This may, for example, involve biological processes that are relevant to all mammals, including humans. In disease models, for example Alzheimer's disease, cellular mechanisms are investigated that also occur in patients with this disease, but which are inaccessible to scientists for practical and ethical reasons.
In 2020, the European Union published extended statistics on unusable animals in research for the first time. It is not comparable with the German numbers of laboratory animals. The EU statistics also include figures for animals that were bred and kept in research facilities but not used in animal testing. These statistics are collected every five years. The "Understanding animal testing" initiative, an alliance of scientific organizations, provides answers to the most important questions with an expert interview, a short video and a factsheet, and also provides detailed background information on these new, expanded statistics.
If an experimental objective can be achieved using animal-free methods, these are of course used. Studies on animals are still sometimes necessary, especially in basic research, in order to investigate and understand complex mechanisms in a living organism. In teaching, for example, alternatives to animal experiments have been used in animal physiology for years. These include the computer simulations "SimHeart" and "SimMuscle" from the "Virtual Physiology2" program package and a computer program for the analysis of action potentials and individual ion channel activities. These measures have significantly reduced the number of animals used in research and teaching at Osnabrück University.
The university has a special representative for animal welfare. As an independent body, she is available to scientists (and authorities) as a point of contact. The animal welfare officer draws up statements on planned experimental projects and checks whether all legal requirements and regulations are complied with in the experiment.
Contact
Dr. med. vet. Lea Jacobsen
+49 541 969-5344
tierschutz@uni-osnabrueck.de