• Question: Do you experiment with animals?

    Asked by anon-256607 to Sarah, James_the_Scientist, Vishi on 13 Jul 2020. This question was also asked by anon-256927.
    • Photo: James Beswick

      James Beswick answered on 13 Jul 2020:

      I don’t, however some of the molecules that I make are tested in animals. This animal testing is carried out by highly trained scientists, who also take good care of the animals. We have a vet to make sure that all the animals are otherwise healthy!

Comments

  • Photo: Valerie

    Valerie commented on :

    I do experiment with animals and in this country it is a highly regulated area of science. The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) makes it illegal to do so without the proper authority. So in order to be able to do research on animals you need 3 things at minimum:
    1) The place where you want to do the work needs to have an Establishment Licence. You can only get this if the animal facility has been thoroughly inspected and meets all of the legal criteria regarding housing, food, water… It also means that you have all of the necessary people involved like someone to be responsible for the licence, a certified vet who can check the animals, Named Animal Care and Welfare Officers (NACWOs) to help researchers if they think there is something wrong, Named Competency and Training Officer…
    2) The project needs to be approved by the Home Office and receive a Procedure Project Licence (PPL). This stipulates exactly what you are and aren’t allowed to do to the animals. To receive it you also need to prove to the Home Office why you need to use animals and why you can’t use an alternative like cell lines or computer models. The PPL lasts for 5 years after which you need to reapply if you wish to continue your project. The PPL also specifies how many animals you can use and for what purposes. So you can’t just change your project without submitting an amendment which needs to be approved. You also need to report back to the Home Office if anything unusual or unexpected happens.
    3) Anyone working with the animals who is to do a procedure needs to have a Procedure Individual Licence (PIL). To obtain this they must have gone on a Home Office course and passed the subsequent exam. PILs are also regularly reviewed and will lapse if you cease working with animals. PIL holders are legally responsible for the animals in their care and on which they have performed experiments. They are also only allowed to work under the Establisment Licence and the PPLs they have been approved for. Having a PIL does not mean you can do any procedure anywhere in the UK.
    The above is just a quick overview of some of the rules that come with working with animals in this country. They are very strict, but that is good as it means that the science is far more likely to be robust and that we only use animals when we really have to. The Home Office helps ensure this by doing random inspections of all the licenced facilities when they can see anything they want and question everyone present on what they are doing.