Research Guidelines
Laboratory animals are used in research only when the use of other models is not possible and when it is justified by the objective of the study.
Legal Regulations
1. Animal research is regulated by European and national laws: Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, Polish Act on the protection of animals used for scientific or educational purposes of January 15 2015, (Journal of Laws 2015, item 266, with later amendments), Polish Decree of the Minister of Education and Science, on training, internships, and apprenticeships for persons involved in the use of animals for scientific or educational purposes of November 30 2022, (Journal of Laws 2022, item 2576).
2. Each study including procedures on animals must be approved by the Local Committee for Ethics in Animal Research (LKE).
3. When applying for permission from the LKE, it is necessary to present, among other things:
a) the purpose, experiment description, procedures used, and the expected severity for the animals;
b) justification for the choice of animal species and the number of animals involved in the study, which must be statistically determined to achieve the research objectives with the minimum number of individuals;
c) justification for applying the 3R principles in the planned research;
d) a non-technical summary, which is part of publicly available information about planned experiments and the outcomes for the animals.
4. Prior to submission to LKE, each application is reviewed and approved by the Animal Welfare Team operating within the institution.
5. To conduct animal research, scientists must obtain “an assignment” – a document confirming that they have completed theoretical and practical courses and appropriate practical training.
6. Animal facilities are subject to announced and unannounced external inspections conducted by the District Veterinary Officer and internal inspections conducted by the Animal Welfare Team.
Each year the Animal Welfare Team at the Institute conducts several internal inspections of animal husbandry and animal condition, as well as of selected experiments involving animals.
3Rs Principle
The 3Rs principle (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) includes guidelines that should be followed when planning and conducting experiments on animals. Its purpose is to reduce the use of animals in laboratory research and improve their welfare.
3Rs Principle
Replacement – use of alternative research methods instead of studies involving animals.
Reduction – reducing the number of animals tested to the necessary minimum while maintaining the reliability of statistical data.
Refinement – minimizing stress and suffering of animals by optimizing their environment conditions and performing procedures using the most advanced methods to improve animal welfare in the experiment.
We train in conducting animal research
In cooperation with the Polish Laboratory Animal Science Association (PolLASA), we provide theoretical training in English for foreigners from various scientific institutions in the country. Our course includes a mandatory panel on working with zebrafish and their embryos. The use of zebrafish larvae in animal research is an alternative method, which follows the rule of replacement. READ MORE
Learn more:
Animal Research
The Importance of Animal Research
Research Guidelines
Animal Research at the IIMCB