Research websites
Humane Endpoints website
The Humane Endpoints website provides information about humane endpoints and teaches how to recognize these in rodents and fish. Humane endpoints are moments during the trial in which the researcher intervenes when animals experience unnecessary pain and discomfort. For example, the researcher will remove the animal from the experiment or apply pain relief and anaesthesia.
The website teaches (prospective) researchers to observe the animals, to monitor their well-being and to intervene where necessary to ensure that laboratory animals are handled in a conscious and responsible manner. This prevents unnecessary suffering of laboratory animals. The website is already being successfully used in Utrecht – and many other countries - in the compulsory course Proefdierkunde (Laboratory Animal Science) for researchers who are going to set up animal experiments.
ATEX
With the aim of making better use of available animals (from breeding and experimentation) and tissues, the AWB Utrecht and the 3RCU have set up the Animal and Tissue Exchange platform (ATEX). ATEX is a digital marketplace and intended for the exchange of: Live surplus laboratory animals, Fresh organs and tissue and Preserved organs and tissue.
It is a form of Open Science that connects peers who are willing to take the small effort to use the database and be open about what they either have to offer or will be needing soon in terms of animals or animal tissue.
ATEX is currently available to researchers from Utrecht University, the Utrecht University Medical Center and Radboudumc. Other institutions are invited to join as well. Individual external researchers can request for an account. One of the long-term objectives is also to gain insight into the available collections.
If you want to use a supply of live animals and want to (re) use these animals to collect tissues or in an experiment, take into account the Policy surplus laboratory animals, reuse and relocation or contact the Animal Welfare Body of your own establishment.