Alternative methods to animal testing
What it's about
The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducts its own research with the aim of reducing animal experiments to the necessary minimum and ensuring the best possible protection for laboratory animals.
Our tasks
To this end, applicable methods are to be developed and refined in line with the 3R principle:
- Replace: Development of new alternative methods to animal testing
In its own laboratories, the Bf3R is developing cell and tissue culture as well as in vivo alternative model-based methods to replace animal experiments. In particular, these methods will be advanced by the use of modern imaging techniques at the ultrastructural level. The aim is to lay the foundations for the development of new alternative methods to animal experiments for basic research as well as toxicological assessment. - Reduce: Development of methods to reduce the number of laboratory animals
In addition to experimental research, new biometric approaches will be used to assess the use and number of animal experiments in order to develop new proposals for reducing the number of laboratory animals. - Refine: Research into methods to reduce pain or suffering of laboratory animals
The Bf3R is researching measures to reduce distress in all laboratory animal species and identifying objective criteria for assessing distress.