ILAR Journal Online, Volume 41(1) 2000: The Squirrel Monkey in Biomedical and Behavioral Research

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ILAR Journal V41(1) 2000
The Squirrel Monkey in Biomedical and Behavioral Research

Brazil-USA Workshop: The Future of Animal Research

Background and Acknowledgments
John L. VandeBerg

The Brazil-USA Workshop entitled "The Future of Animal Research" was convened at the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz in Rio de Janeiro May 18-19, 1999. The objective was to develop stronger ties between Brazilian and US scientists and students engaged in laboratory animal science. The intent was to exchange perspectives about laboratory animal science in the two countries, explore future directions for research in this field, foster creative and visionary thinking, and create opportunities for exchanges of scientists and students.

The workshop featured 10 invited speakers from Brazil and eight from the United States in a roundtable format that allowed ample time for discussion. More than 120 registrants were present.

At the conclusion, participants expressed considerable enthusiasm for building on the relationships established at the workshop to develop a series of Brazil-USA workshops on more specific topics in laboratory animal science. The organizers agreed to explore that possibility.

Special thanks are due to the three institutions involved in organizing the workshop: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, and Centro de Criacão de Animals de Laboratõrio.

We are grateful to the following sponsoring organizations: Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, Conselho Regional de Medicina Veterinãria (CRMV) de Rio de Janeiro, CRMV de Silo Paulo, CRMV de Goiãs, International Council for Laboratory Animal Science, International Life Science Institute of Brazil, the John Newman Family Charitable Trust of the San Antonio Area Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In addition, we thank the following corporate sponsors: Harlan Sprague Dawley, Nuvital Nutrientes Ltd., Merck Research Laboratories, and SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals.

The organizers of the workshop were Dr. Antenor Andrade, Dr. Ekaterina Rivera, Dr. William Stone, Dr. Milton Thiago de Mello, and Dr. John VandeBerg.

Workshop Summary
Jon W. Gordon

The development of animal research infrastructure and scientific expertise in Latin American countries, as well as the increased international transport of animals and related research resources to be expected under the North American Free Trade Agreement, has spurred interest in developing a dialogue between the United States and its neighbors on issues pertaining to animal research. The workshop, entitled "The Future of Animal Research," addressed differences between US and Brazilian animal welfare regulations, the various resources each nation provides to the animal research enterprise, and the likely scientific emphasis of future animal research.

This workshop constituted a cooperative exchange of information between two countries with special interests in animal research. The United States makes an enormous investment in animal research, both basic and applied. Brazil, with possibly the greatest diversity of natural animal resources of any nation in the world, is equally interested in animal experimentation. As a workshop devoted to the future of animal research, this meeting examined a broad range of topics, including ethics and legislation, animal welfare, animal experimentation, technology development, new genetic technologies, and the future potential of animal research.

Animal Welfare

Speakers expressed great concern for the provision of suitable care for animals in the research environment. Although disparate views were expressed regarding how best to achieve high-quality animal care, general agreement existed that this goal is an important priority. It was appropriately pointed out that the issue is best described as one of animal welfare rather than animal rights, and there was a general consensus that the best way to care for animals is to study their responses to the research environment scientifically. A review of the history of animal experimentation underscored the relatively recent awareness of the importance of good animal care both to the satisfaction of our standards of ethics and to the acquisition of valid scientific data.

Animal care regulatory structures in both countries were described, and the discussion made apparent that the United States and Brazil have identified similar mechanisms for assuring quality laboratory animal care and use. The United States already has a highly structured system in place, whereas Brazil is in the late stages of finalizing and implementing a national system. One potentially significant difference between the regulatory apparatuses is that under the currently planned scenario, decisions of the Brazilian equivalent of the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) could be appealed to a national council. In the United States, there is no provision for appeal of IACUC decisions. Animal care regulations in Brazil are presently being developed with the understanding that physical facilities are rarely as good as those encountered in laboratories in the United States. Differences in resources available for construction of state-of-the-art vivaria must be taken into account when US and Brazilian laboratories undertake joint research. However, Brazilian facilities for maintenance of germ-free animals, described at the workshop, demonstrated that the most delicate and demanding animal care requirements can be met in Brazil. In this regard, there was a general consensus that performance-based standards as they relate to appropriate animal maintenance should be invoked. That is, the criteria for effective animal maintenance should not be based on rigid engineering-based principles.

Specific Uses of Animals in Research

Discussions of animal models revealed an enormous range of scientific potentials offered by the animal resources of the United States and Brazil. Speakers described the latest genetic engineering tools and outlined their potentials, with several predictions that these tools will occupy an increasingly important role in the animal research enterprises of both countries. However, one of the important messages of this conference is that transgenic and related technologies, although extremely important, constitute only one of many valuable uses of animals. Moreover, even these exceptionally powerful approaches cannot be fully exploited until we better understand the impact on animal physiology of genetic background, developmental environment, and microbial colonization and infection.

Speakers presented a wide range of potentials for animal experimentation and described the use of animals as sources of organs or tissues for transplantation. It appears that this area will require a great deal more study before its practicability is well understood. The use of animals for comparative gene mapping illustrated the importance of genetically well-characterized animal models to the elucidation of the genetic basis of human diseases. Speakers described special uses of germ-free animals as well as the use of animals retrieved from their natural habitats for monitoring environmental effects of human activity. An important message from several of these presentations was that the diversity of animal species, if successfully protected and preserved, will provide an invaluable resource for future scientific investigations. In this regard, Brazil's animal resources must be considered a precious and irreplaceable asset to science.

Speakers emphasized the need for facilities that can properly accommodate the growing number and variety of animal models. They also underscored the importance of identifying mechanisms for supporting animal model preservation. The point was made several times in the workshop that as more scientists are drawn to animal research, adequate training is required to assure that these investigators care for their animals properly, thereby maximizing the yield and validity of data.

Summary

An important theme of the entire proceedings was that a high quality of human life depends on animal research, which in turn depends for its success on appropriate laboratory animal care and protection of species in their natural habitats. This workshop was enormously successful in laying the groundwork for future, more focused explorations of the many potentials offered by animal research.

The conference was also very timely. Today we are armed with extremely powerful experimental tools that just a few years ago we never dreamed would be available. There is a general feeling of excitement and anticipation that these new tools will reveal secrets of the life process that have inspired the wonder and curiosity of preceding generations of scientists. However, we are also at a critical crossroads. If we make wrong choices or do not take appropriate actions, we will lose the opportunity of uncovering these biological secrets by insidiously destroying the very resources on which we depend for scientific progress. Brazil and the United States can play a critical role in preserving our animal resources and, through further collaboration, realizing these profound scientific goals.

PROGRAM

Opening Session

Dr. Eloi de S. Garcia, President, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil

Dr. Akira Homma, Vice President of Technology, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil

Dr. Renato Cordeiro, Vice President of Research and Teaching, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil

Dr. John L. VandeBerg, Chairman, Institute for Laboratory Animal Research Council; Scientific Director, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research

Keynote Address

Status of Animal Experimentation in Brazil
Dr. Ana Maria A. Guaraldo, University of Campinas, Brazil

Ethics and Legislation Concerning Animal Research

Chair: Dr. Ekaterina A.B. Rivera
Federal University of Goiãs, Brazil

Brazilian Legislation Pertaining to Animal Research Dr. Célia V.P. Cardosa
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil

Ethics and Legislation Pertaining to Animal Research in the USA
Dr. Thomas L. Wolfle
Former Director, Institute for Laboratory Animal Research

Ethics and Legislation Pertaining to Animal Research in Brazil
Dr. Roberto Sogayar
Universidade Estadual Paulista, Brazil

Animal Welfare

Chair: Dr. Milton Thiago de Mello University of Brasilia, Brazil

Welfare of Animals in Research
Dr. Adroaldo José Zanella
Michigan State University

Welfare of Animals in Teaching
Dr. Irvênia de Santis Prada, ARCA, Brazil

Animal Experimentation: Past, Present, and Future

Chair: Dr. Humberto de Araujo Rangel
University of Campinas, Brazil

The History of Animal Experimentation
Dr. Milton Thiago de Mello
University of Brasilia, Brazil

Current Highlights of Animal Experimentation
Dr. John G. Vandenbergh
North Carolina State University

The Future of Animal Experimentation
Dr. Jon W. Gordon
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
City University of New York

Technology Development

Chair: Dr. Ekaterina A.B. Rivera
Federal University of Goiãs, Brazil

Animals as Organ Donors
Dr. Susan Westmoreland Harvard Medical School, New England Regional Primate Research Center

Development of New Animal Models
Dr. Eliana Saul F.W. Abdelhay
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Germ-Free Animals
Dr. Leda Vieira
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil

New Genetic Technologies in Animal Research

Chair: Dr. Milton Thiago de Mello
University of Brasilia, Brazil

Comparative Gene Maps As Tools for Animal Researchers
Dr. John L. VandeBerg
Chairman, Institute for Laboratory Animal Research Council; Scientific Director, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research

Fish Cytogenetics as Tool for Monitoring of Environmental Pollution
Dr. César Grisolia
University of Brasilia, Brazil

A Marsupial Model for Research on Fundamental Questions in Immunogenetics
Dr. William H. Stone
Cowles Distinguished Professor of Biology, Trinity University, and Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research

The Future Potential of Animal Research

Chair: Dr. Maurício Rocha e Silva
Instituto do Coração, Brazil

Laboratory Animals in Science and Technology
Dr. Antenor Andrade
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil

Future Challenges for Laboratory Animal Research in Developed Countries
Dr. George W. Irving III
Vice-President, Biomedical Applications, Conceptual MindWorks, Inc.
President, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science

Future Challenges for Laboratory Animal Research in Developing Countries
Dr. Luís Edmundo Magalhães
President, Brazilian College of Animal Experimentation, Brazil