EARA member Ghent University (UGent), Belgium, has published two videos of its facilities and laboratories to explain how and why they use animals in biomedical research.
In one video, Treatment of epilepsy, UGent researchers describe the value of using rats in their research, particularly for trialling a technique called deep brain stimulation (DBS).
“[DBS] works well for some of the patients, but a large proportion of patients actually continue to have seizures,” said Prof. Robrecht Raedt. “And that’s why it’s important that we do animal research to improve this technique."
The other video, What is the animalarium?, focuses on the animal facility, at the Ghent Hospital campus, and features scientists, animal caretakers and other staff demonstrating what sort of research they are carry out, and how they work to ensure the best welfare of the research animals.
Describing the care of the mice, animal caretaker, Juliet Forrez, said: “It’s always good when people with a heart for animals watch over their welfare.”
Explaining the videos, the university, a member of the Transparency Agreement on Animal Research in Belgium, said: “Ghent University wants to be transparent when it comes to animal research… By making these two videos we want to take you behind the scenes of the research on the Ghent University Hospital campus, where research into understanding and treating diseases is sometimes not possible without the use of laboratory animals.”