Scientists Center For Animal Welfare

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Relieving Suffering through Research

No one likes to think about pain and distress. Fortunately, health researchers and laboratory animal medicine specialists not only think about this serious subject, but also work every day to find ways to alleviate and prevent suffering in both people and animals.  Despite amazing improvements that science and technology have already made in our lives and the promise of far greater medical advancements in the future, significant questions still remain unanswered about the nature of pain and distress.   As a result, to help the countless people and animals afflicted by diseases, injuries and other painful conditions, scientists must continue to study the cause and consequences of pain and chronic stress. These studies also help to identify pain and distress that occurs unintentionally in animal laboratories. Their studies seek to better understand differences in individual experiences, and the best ways to evaluate, treat and ultimately avoid the negative effects of pain and distress. Laboratory animals are an essential part of the investigative process.

Scientists have long been committed to providing the most humane and ethical care to research animals that contribute to medical progress. Fulfilling that commitment is necessary to maintain research quality as well as to comply with existing legal requirements. For these reasons, when laboratory animals are unavoidably exposed to pain or distress, this suffering must be recognized and eliminated or minimized as much as possible. With the ongoing study of pain and better understanding of the mechanisms involved, the care and treatment of laboratory animals, like that of human patients, will continue to improve.

In order to encourage more humane and responsible care, over the past several decades the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW) and several other national organizations have focused on developing and sharing with the research community comprehensive information on the humane treatment of laboratory animals. This ever-growing body of knowledge is exchanged at professional meetings, in electronic databases and through other information resources provided by a host of organizations concerned about animals.

As part of this process, and in preparation for possible further revisions to existing federal requirements for maintaining laboratory animal well-being and minimizing any pain or distress that research may necessarily entail, the following major initiatives have taken place:

SCAW International Conference, “Pain, Distress and Stress in Research Animals: Current Standards and IACUC Responsibility” was held on May 18-19, 2000 in Baltimore, MD, with support from Genzyme, the Humane Society of the United States, Our Animal WARDS and SmithKline Beecham.  Experts discussed available methods to reduce, refine or replace laboratory animal studies; understanding pain mechanisms and establishing humane end-points, and appropriate techniques and use of anesthesia and analgesics.

The American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) Forum, “Laboratory Animal Medicine: Advancing Science and Animal Welfare in the 21^st Century,” took place on May 21-24 in Fort Myers, FL. The program was devoted to the best practices for humane endpoints that reduce or eliminate pain and distress for various types of research and testing, and strategies for developing and incorporating these humane endpoints.

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) held a workshop August 6-7, 2000, on science and policy issues raised in the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) “Request for Comments on Definitions for and Reporting of Pain and Distress,” published in the Federal Register on July 10, 2000. Topics discussed included whether the USDA should implement a definition of distress in its regulations, and whether it should revise its pain classification system. President Dr. Mary J.C. Hendrix, noted in a statement that it is important that the USDA continue to rely upon the professional judgment of veterinarians specializing in laboratory animal medicine and scientists in its regulations and policies. "As FASEB develops its official response to the USDA's proposal on pain and distress, the most important concern continues to be assuring the ethical treatment of animals without hampering research that will ultimately relieve suffering in humans and animals," Hendrix said. Upon completion, FASEB's comments to the USDA will be posted to its website at www.faseb.org

The Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR)of the National Academy of Sciences sponsored a workshop on June 22, 2000, entitled “Workshop on Definition of Pain and Distress and Reporting Requirements”.  The workshop examined current national policy implications of the 1992 ILAR report, “Recognition and Alleviation of Pain and Distress of Laboratory Animals.”   The proceedings are scheduled for publication by the National Academy Press in November 2000.   The contact is www.nationalacademies.org/ilar

An expert committee assembled by the Center for Animal Welfare at the University of California, Davis, is preparing a report on the issues involved in pain and distress assessment in various animal species and the latest methods for reducing or eliminating animal suffering.

The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) prepared a position statement on pain and distress and this can be found on the AALAS web site www.aalas.org

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)has proposed an initiative which includes eliminating pain and distress in research animals by the year 2020, a different pain category system than is currently used by IACUCs and institutions, and stresses that IACUCs are the most responsible group to oversee pain and distress within their institutions.  Contact: www.hsus.org

The complex issue of assessment and alleviation of pain and distress has been and continues to be the focus of many publications, seminars and studies within the laboratory animal community. Over 50 years of scientific efforts help assure that all research animals benefit from the highest standards of care from scientists and the veterinary specialists who care for—and about—the laboratory animals that make medical progress possible.