Animal Care
Studying animals in research is a privilege.Animal care is a top priority to the scientific community.
Lab animals are helping us unlock the mysteries of disease and deserve our respect and the best possible care.
The U.S. federal government strictly regulates animal testing and research. Federal law, the Animal Welfare Act, includes specific mandatory requirements for housing, feed, air ventilation and alleviation and elimination of pain, as well as exercise of dogs and the psychological well-being of primates. Further, each institution must establish an animal care and use committee that includes an outside member of the public and a veterinarian.
This committee oversees, inspects and monitors every study to help ensure optimal animal care. The scientific community advocates the highest quality of animal care and treatment for two key reasons. First, the use of animals in research is a privilege, and those animals that are helping us unlock the mysteries of disease deserve our respect and the best possible care. Second, a well-treated animal will provide more reliable scientific results, which is the goal of all researchers.
Animal Testing and Research Ethics
It is not ethical for researchers to test new treatments in people before they have been tested and researched with lab animals. Learn more about the ethics of animal testing and research.
The 3Rs: Reduce, Refine, Replace
Scientists place a high priority on the 3Rs – reduction, replacement, and refinement. The 3Rs means reducing the number of animals needed in any given study, replacing animals with other models whenever possible and refining procedures to involve the fewest number of animals while still giving valid results. Learn more about the 3Rs.