The 3Rs and alternatives

Both in the planning and execution of an animal experiment, the 3Rs are used as an ethical framework:

• Replacement: all possible ways to answer a scientific question without the use of laboratory animals or animal-derived materials.
• Reduction: all possible ways to reduce the number of animals used per experiment within statistically valid parameters.
• Refinement: all possible ways to prevent and minimize the discomfort (pain/distress) experienced by laboratory animals before, during, and after the experiment, as well as all efforts to improve the welfare of the animals.

The 3Rs Centre Utrecht, part of the Utrecht Animal Welfare Body, promotes the development and application of the 3Rs and New Approach Methods (NAMs), with researchers as its primary target audience. To support this, the 3Rs Centre Utrecht has developed several digital tools, such as the Humane Endpoints website, the Interspecies Database, and the BME-free Database.

The development and implementation of the 3Rs and NAMs have contributed to significant improvements over the past 35 years. The use of laboratory animals has decreased, the welfare of the animals has improved, and the use of alternative methods has increased.

Leading role

Utrecht University has always played a leading role in the Netherlands concerning the use of alternatives to laboratory animals. Already in 1983, the first chair in Laboratory Animal Science in the Netherlands was established in Utrecht, followed in 2000 by the first chair in 'Alternatives to Animal Experimentation'. In addition, the first local working group on the Transition to Animal-Free Innovation (TPI) was founded in Utrecht in 2010, an initiative of Utrecht University, the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC Utrecht), and Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. The Centre for Animal-Free Biomedical Translation, which is set to play a leading role in the transition to animal-free innovation, is also an initiative of several Utrecht-based knowledge institutions (Utrecht University, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment).