FAQs
All scientific animal use at the university falls into one of three categories:
- Advancing basic scientific understanding: Roughly 66 per cent of our research focuses on biology, psychology, physiology and biochemistry.
- Developing medical solutions and products: About 32 per cent aims to find treatments for diseases to improve health outcomes for both humans and animals.
Training students and researchers: Less than 2 per cent in courses such as in agriculture, where students learn to handle livestock. This category also includes the training of animal facility staff and research students.
University of Alberta researchers have led numerous breakthroughs, including:
- Understanding why some cancer patients develop chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity — a severe side-effect that can lead to heart failure and the discontinuation of anti-cancer treatment, and how to prevent it.
- Discovering new treatments for diabetes.
- Developing disease-modifying and regenerative therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases of the central nervous system.
- Understanding whether feed-efficient cows are also weather-resilient to help producers determine which animals to retain for breeding, building in herd sustainability and resilience.
- Finding ways to help residents avoid attracting coyotes into conflict situations, for example, by identifying compost heaps as unhealthy food sources that make the animals sick and increase their conflict-prone behaviour.
Nearly everyone benefits. While scientists proactively seek cures for many diseases, the development of vaccines and medications for both humans and animals depends on a deep understanding of basic biology. Findings that are useful to human medicine are also then available to be used in animals such as pets. Modern veterinary treatment relies on findings from both human medical research and veterinary research.
Beyond medicine, this research is critical for understanding and protecting the natural world. Our scientists study how habitat loss and climate change impact vulnerable species like polar bears and wild fish. By using non-invasive approaches whenever possible, we develop the solutions needed to preserve wildlife for the future.
Alternatives like cell cultures and computer simulations are used whenever scientifically possible. However, cells in a test tube cannot reproduce the complex, integrated systems of a living body, such as the circulatory, nervous, and digestive systems.
For instance, to determine if a new oral drug works, we must see how it is absorbed by the gut, processed by the liver and moved through the bloodstream. Computer simulations are useful but require complicated background data from living systems to be accurate. As our biological knowledge grows, so will the role of these simulations.
A variety of species are used. The majority of species are rabbits, rodents, fish, birds, amphibians and reptiles, cattle, pigs and wild animals as part of field biology programs.
Sources must be approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee. Lab animals are ordered from reputable, regulated suppliers, many bred in-house, and wild animals are studied in the wild under strict federal and provincial permits.
*Note: The university does not use stray animals for research. We do not obtain animals from shelters or pounds.
Experiences vary by study. Some involve simple observation, while others may involve injections or surgery under anesthesia and with analgesia (pain control). In all cases, a plan is developed to identify and minimize discomfort before a study begins.
Over half of our studies are categorized as low to minor invasiveness, with low to no discomfort and stress. For studies involving potential pain, veterinarians design management plans similar to human medical care. We use "humane intervention and endpoints" (e.g. specific signs like weight loss) to ensure animals receive extra care or a study stops at the earliest sign of distress. We also train staff to use humane handling techniques to minimize stress.
All animals are monitored daily. For studies involving surgery, we use anesthetics and analgesics just like a human patient would receive. Researchers and staff are trained to recognize the earliest symptoms of declining health. Every study has pre-defined "endpoints" where the investigation must stop to prevent suffering.