Workshop Program
ABOUT THE NATIONAL WORKSHOP
The Workshop is a three-days highly intensive and interactive workshop specifically designed for Universities in Nigeria and other African Countries with the goal to stimulate re-evaluation and strategic re-innovations of animal holding facilities (vivarium) existing on the premises of these Universities for the establishment of consensus on what minimal essential configuration (MEC) and standard operating procedures (SOPs) are required to achieve basic internal and external accreditation and efficiency for quality assurance in animal-based experimentation, being institutions with animal holding facilities within their premises with oversight by properly constituted and effectively functional Institutional Animal care and use committees/Animal ethical Committees (IACUC/AEC). This will hopefully serve as a template for other developing countries. Significant benefits to the health and welfare of both animals and humans have resulted from animal use in research, and continued use is crucial to future advancements. Without the use of animals, adequate instruction of students in many programs such as agriculture, the biological sciences, human and veterinary medicine would be impossible.
The goal of the proposed Training Program is to sensitize Universities and Research Institutions in developing countries on the need to establish solid quality standards to ensure the integrity and validity of data they generate from animal-based research, teaching and testing. This training program will
I. Review and revisit the first recommendation from the IACUCNG2019 for Institutions yet to establish a properly constituted and functionally efficient IACUC/AEC
II. Demonstrate that good quality animal welfare is good science and judicious use of animal resources
III. Enable participants to appreciate the conceptual difference between an Animal Holding Facility and an Animal House
IV. Illustrate a minimum essential configuration and standard operating procedures in the welfare of animals held for research and teaching in an animal holding facility
V. Demonstrate the rationale and process of semi-annual facility inspections activities of the IACUC/AEC in an animal care and use program
This educational program will offer basic certification for Animal Ethics/Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) members and administrators, principal investigators, attending veterinarians, regulatory personnel and laboratory animal care staff. The program focuses on topics relevant to IACUC/Animal Ethics Committee functions and provides opportunities for small discussion groups and sharing of information among participants. Didactic sessions will address institutional responsibilities; IACUC/AEC charges; relevant informational resources; animal welfare laws, regulations and policies, and best standard practices. Participants will also be challenged to consider, deliberate, and develop action plans for a variety of potential AEC/IACUC scenarios. The Training program will also present a variety of scenarios by topic during the convergence sessions utilizing Audio Response System to capture participant’s responses, followed by an expert panel discussion after the polling.
OBJECTIVE
To instigate and inspire raising the bar on minimal essential configuration (MEC) and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in Laboratory Animal Holding Facilities with oversight from a properly constituted and functionally effective IACUC/AEC in Nigerian Universities/Research Institutions.
Programme of Event:
The Workshop will work through the following topics during the three days’ workshop, including break-out sessions for role play by participants into 8-10 randomly distributed groups.
- * Husbandry and welfare monitoring
- * Breeding and sourcing of high-quality lab animals for animal-based experimentation
- * Transportation of Laboratory animals – Basic guidelines
- * Sanitation, Environmental considerations and waste disposal in Animal facilities
- * Personal protective equipment and safety in the animal facility
WHO CAN ATTEND THE WORKSHOP:
Target Audience
ACURET intends to train a delegation of two (2), with a maximum of three from Institutions with an animal holding facility on its premises in Nigeria and other African Countries. Active publicity will be undertaken in partnership the Association of African Universities, with whom ACURET has an existing MoU.
Preferably current members of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee OR, where such a committee is not yet in place, individuals appointable to this committee upon their return from the training. Anticipated participants acceptable to the training include
- • Delegations from Universities Animal Ethical Committees members or appointable member.
- o Principal Research Investigators,
- o Veterinarians
- o Research Administrators,
- o Stakeholders in Animal use in research, education and testing,
- o Policy makers and Public Health enthusiasts.
This target audience were considered for this Training program because
- 1. At the end of the training, they will become certified and be able to function on an AEC/IACUC of their respective Institution, thereby promoting the establishment of a properly constituted oversight committee for an Animal care and use program within their Institution.
- 2. They will become extenders of the capacity building process in their respective Institutions by organizing similar training programs with the materials and information they would have obtained from this Event.
- 3. They serve as links for ACURET.ORG access to further provide additional support as requested by their Institution
- 4. The participants will not only be able to train others, but they will also become catalyst for humane animal care and use within their respective countries, there by facilitating the promotion of awareness and furthering the activities of ACURET.ORG in these countries with the hope of a future national body.
- 5. Participants will also form networks for sharing and exchange of experiences, ideas as well as challenges and solutions that will be of help to the entire growing body of ACURET.ORG.
WORKSHOP FACILITATORS/SPEAKERS
The Workshop will be facilitated by selected National and International experienced experts.
George Babcock, Ph.D.
Professor and IACUC chair
The University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, New York, USA.
Otimize Yvonne Masagbor, DVM, MBA
Assistant Veterinarian ITR Inc.
Montreal, Canada.
Andrew Marr
Biological services Facility Manager
Nottingham Trent University,
Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Jann Hau, Dr Med
Professor in Comparative Medicine, Department of Experimental Medicine
University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Nicola Foster, PhD.
Regional Programme Manager – Midlands, National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research [NC3Rs]
London. UK.
Ngalla Jillani, PhD.
Institute of Primate Research
Nairobi, Kenya
Francis-Adelade GO Fakoya, MBChB, MSc, PhD, FHEA
Principal, ACURET.ORG
Senior Bioscience Faculty
Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, United Kingdom.
Zoltan M Varga, Ph.D, Director, Zebrafish International Resource Center
Institute of Neuroscience
5274 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-5274 USA