Name: Strategies Reduce Animal Experimentation Training
Price: 23000.0 ZAR
Availability: InStock

Description

This course equips learners with the skills to critically evaluate and design strategies that reduce unnecessary animal experimentation in research, product testing, and education. It promotes ethical alternatives aligned with the Three Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) and South African regulatory frameworks. Participants will develop practical plans to implement humane scientific practices in their organisations.

Learning Outcomes

Analyse current animal experimentation practices to identify opportunities for reduction or replacement.
Evaluate ethical, legal, and scientific principles underpinning the Three Rs framework.
Design a strategy to reduce unnecessary animal use in a specific research or testing context.
Implement monitoring and reporting mechanisms to track progress in reducing animal experimentation.
Demonstrate knowledge of alternative methods, including in vitro techniques, computer modelling, and human-based approaches.
Apply South African and international guidelines (e.g., SANS, OECD, EU Directive) to ensure compliance and ethical integrity.

Target Audience

This course is intended for research scientists, laboratory technicians, ethics committee members, and regulatory affairs professionals involved in animal-based studies or product testing. It is also suitable for students and advocates seeking to understand and apply reduction strategies.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Animal Experimentation and Ethical Frameworks

Objectives:
• Understand the historical and current context of animal experimentation in research and testing.
• Identify key ethical principles and regulatory frameworks governing animal use.
• Recognise the 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) and their importance.
• Explore stakeholder perspectives on animal experimentation.
• Discuss the role of the South African National Standard (SANS) and SAQA-aligned competencies.

Topics:
• Overview of animal experimentation: history, scope, and controversies.
• Ethical theories and animal welfare concepts.
• The 3Rs: Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement.
• Regulatory landscape: National and international guidelines (e.g., SANS 10386, EU Directive 2010/63).
• Stakeholder perspectives: Scientists, animal rights groups, industry, and public.
• Introduction to the course outcomes and assessment criteria.

Day 2: Replacement Strategies and Alternatives to Animal Use

Objectives:
• Define absolute and relative replacement in the context of the 3Rs.
• Identify and evaluate in vitro methods, computer models, and human-based approaches.
• Understand the validation and acceptance of alternative methods by regulatory bodies.
• Analyse case studies where replacement has been successfully implemented.
• Discuss challenges and barriers to adopting replacement strategies.

Topics:
• Absolute replacement: cell cultures, tissues, and microorganisms.
• Relative replacement: using less sentient species or immature forms.
• In silico models: QSAR, virtual screening, and computational toxicology.
• Human-based approaches: microdosing, clinical studies, and epidemiology.
• Validation processes: ECVAM, ICCVAM, and OECD test guidelines.
• Case studies: Draize test replacement, vaccine potency testing.
• Barriers to replacement: cost, infrastructure, and regulatory inertia.

Day 3: Reduction Strategies – Minimising Animal Numbers

Objectives:
• Apply statistical methods to design experiments that use the minimum number of animals.
• Understand experimental design principles to reduce variability and increase power.
• Identify opportunities for sharing data and tissues to avoid duplication.
• Evaluate humane endpoints and early termination criteria.
• Discuss the role of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in reduction.

Topics:
• Statistical power analysis and sample size calculation.
• Factorial designs and blocking to reduce animal numbers.
• Pilot studies and incremental testing strategies.
• Data sharing platforms and tissue banks.
• Humane endpoints: when to stop an experiment.
• Systematic reviews and meta-analysis for evidence synthesis.
• Practical exercise: calculating sample sizes for a given scenario.

Day 4: Refinement Strategies – Improving Animal Welfare and Data Quality

Objectives:
• Define refinement and its impact on both welfare and scientific outcomes.
• Identify common stressors in laboratory animal environments and procedures.
• Implement environmental enrichment and improved housing conditions.
• Apply best practices for handling, restraint, and administration of substances.
• Understand pain management, anaesthesia, and euthanasia guidelines.

Topics:
• Refinement overview: minimising pain, suffering, and distress.
• Environmental enrichment: social housing, nesting material, and foraging opportunities.
• Handling techniques: tunnel handling, habituation, and positive reinforcement.
• Refined procedures: blood sampling, dosing, and imaging.
• Anaesthesia and analgesia: protocols and monitoring.
• Euthanasia: methods and confirmation of death.
• Welfare assessment tools: score sheets and clinical signs.
• Case study: Refinement of a mouse tumour model.

Day 5: Implementing Reduction and Refinement – Practical Integration and Action Planning

Objectives:
• Develop an action plan to implement reduction and refinement strategies in a specific context.
• Evaluate the cost-benefit of implementing alternative methods.
• Understand the role of ethics committees and institutional animal care and use programmes.
• Communicate reduction and refinement strategies to stakeholders.
• Outline steps for continuous improvement and staying updated with advances.

Topics:
• Developing a reduction and refinement action plan.
• Cost-benefit analysis of implementing alternatives.
• Role of Animal Ethics Committees (AEC) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC).
• Education and training of personnel.
• Monitoring and auditing of reduction and refinement practices.
• Resources and networks: NC3Rs, AAALAC, and local organisations.
• Final assessment and course wrap-up.

Practicals

16 hours of practicals To be conducted online or on-campus or in-house

Overview

Practical sessions allow learners to apply reduction and refinement strategies in simulated laboratory scenarios. Learners will calculate sample sizes, design enriched housing, and practise refined handling techniques, reinforcing the theoretical content covered in the course.

Practical Activities

Sample Size Calculation and Experimental Design — Learners use statistical software to calculate required sample sizes for given experimental scenarios and design a factorial experiment that minimises animal numbers. (4h)
Environmental Enrichment Planning — Learners design and construct enrichment items for rodents and assess their impact on behaviour and welfare using video analysis. (4h)
Refined Handling and Restraint Techniques — Learners practise tunnel handling and positive reinforcement techniques on laboratory mice, and demonstrate proper restraint for injections and blood sampling. (4h)
Humane Endpoint Determination Workshop — Learners score clinical signs from video clips of animals and decide when to intervene, using predefined humane endpoint criteria. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Practicals 30% + Daily Average 20% + Final Test 50%).

How it works

Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.