UK scientist wins NC3Rs prize

For improving the welfare of laboratory mice

A BBSRC-funded study in the UK to reduce stress in laboratory mice has been awarded the 2010 National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) prize for advances in animal welfare.

Prizewinner Jane Hurst's research has shown that a new way of handling laboratory mice can improve their welfare and the quality of the science they are used for.

Laboratory mice are usually picked up by their tails, which according to Hurst's study causes high levels of anxiety and stress to the animals that can influence the outcome of experiments. By simply catching the mice using a plastic tunnel or cupped hands anxiety can be greatly reduced.

The number of mice used in the UK annually is approximately 2.6 million.

Hurst, from the University of Liverpool, received a £10,000 prize grant, which is sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), plus a personal award of £1,000. She plans to use the prize to provide training for scientists and animal care staff on handling methods and also to assess the effects of different handling methods on stress physiology.

‘I hope our research will be universally implemented across laboratories to improve animal welfare for all mice and to minimise the effects of handling on experiments. This is a small change that is easily applied and will make a big difference to animal welfare,’ she said.

The NC3Rs prize recognises and rewards excellence in research that helps to reduce the number and suffering of animals used for scientific purposes.

The Wellcome Trust and NC3Rs also funded the research.

The research was published in Nature Methods magazine.

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