Last month, we announced two scientific discoveries that could change medicine for the better. Both studies involved tests on mice.
One may offer hope for future treatments for glioblastoma, a type of brain tumour which is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. The other could improve how we treat nerve pain for people whose current medication fails to work well enough.
These studies join a broader programme of animal research at Reading that has included work with zebrafish to study heart disease, with llamas to develop vaccines, with cattle to fight bovine TB, and with rats and mice to create more effective drugs for children with epilepsy.
These studies illustrate something important about what a university is for. We exist to make better futures and to find answers to hard questions. And sometimes, working on the hardest problems requires us to make difficult choices.
The use of animals in research is one of those choices. We never do it lightly. The UK has a strict framework that governs how animals can be used in experiments, and every project involving animals must follow the principles of the three ‘Rs’: Replace, Reduce, Refine. Replacing animal procedures means never using an animal for an experiment if there is a non-animal alternative available. If the use of animals is unavoidable, we reduce the numbers used to the minimum necessary. And we continuously refine our methods to protect and improve animal welfare. These principles are not aspirational. They are minimum standards, and our researchers push well beyond them.
We are proud of this work, and the dedicated and talented scientists and technicians who carry it out, because it represents some of the most challenging and important activity we do.
We should remember that we all benefit from the legacy of animals in research. Almost every medicine we have today, from insulin to asthma inhalers, complex cancer drugs to vaccines, were created thanks to animal research. Many millions of us owe our lives to these discoveries.
As one of the world’s leading food and agriculture universities, looking after animals has been part of our character throughout our 100-year history. The pioneering work of the Centre for Dairy Research has shown not only how to produce better quality milk, but how to keep cows happier and healthier, and reduce environmental impacts.
Our focus on animals goes beyond the laboratory and the farm, too. Philosopher Dr Walter Veithas has recently begun research on the inner lives of shrimp, asking what these animals experience and what that means for the hundreds of billions farmed globally each year.
While such a study might seem eccentric, we think it is exactly the kind of question a university should be asking. Understanding animals better, whether to treat human disease or to improve the welfare of the animals themselves, expands our knowledge, has practical use, and becomes available to everyone.
We understand that people can feel uncomfortable or may hold deep objections to animal research. We respect those views, and we believe that engaging honestly with people of all viewpoints benefits our work, as well as showing respect to those who pay for it and benefit from it.
This evening (Thursday 4 June), as part of our celebrations to mark 100 years as a university, we are doing just that. We will be hosting a free public lecture, the first of its kind, funded by the University of Reading Centenary Project Grant Scheme. ‘The Past, Present and Future of Animal Research at Reading’ will see some of our leading scientists discuss their work, and show a unique behind-the-scenes film of some of our animal research facilities. It should be fascinating. I hope to see you there.
By Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice Chancellor of the University of Reading
