For more than 50 years, institutional and regulatory expectations have required appropriate justification for the use of animals in research, including consideration of all relevant new approach methodologies/non-animal models (NAMs), the “Three Rs” principle of biomedical research, and documentation on why a certain species/model is the most scientifically valid method of study.
Detailed justifications are required as part of the existing protocol review and approval processes used by the U-M’s Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee to evaluate and assess all projects involving vertebrate animals or cephalopods.
In 2010, an international working group of scholars and scientists developed the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) Guidelines to further enhance the rigor and reproducibility of animal-based research. These guidelines have since been encouraged by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and endorsed by numerous academic journals, including PLOS, Nature Scientific Reports, and eBioMedicine.
As members of one of the world’s leading research universities, we have been afforded the great privilege of working with animals to answer important scientific questions. With this privilege comes an ethical imperative to continually refine and enhance our methods in service to the animals entrusted to our care.
To that end, we ask all individuals affiliated with our Program to review the following guidance and best practices pertaining to protocol development/refinement and use of the ARRIVE Guidelines:
Study Teams should routinely re-assess their experimental design(s) and, subsequently, the language in their animal use protocol(s) to ensure that practices align with any advancements in laboratory animal medicine and/or the scientific process.
This assessment may include, but is NOT limited to:
- Updated/revised literature reviews
- Incorporation of NAMs, computer-based modeling, and other new/emerging technologies (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, organoids) where scientifically appropriate
- A more thorough explanation of how the data collected in the selected animal models will be used to inform other phases of scientific discovery, including direct translation to human/animal medicine
- Steps taken to address the Three 3Rs:
- Reduce the number of animals used to the minimum required for the study,
- Replace animals with less sentient or non-animal models, if feasible; and
- Refine all practices to provide the best possible animal welfare.
The U-M Library has developed a curated collection of resources that includes a list of literature databases, online journals, and Three Rs / Alternatives Resources.
Study Teams are also encouraged to review the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Literature Searching: How to Find Animal Use Alternatives website for comprehensive step-by-step instructions on performing literature searches, including sample keywords, search examples, and resources for proper records and citation management.
Study Teams should familiarize themselves with the ARRIVE Guidelines, “a checklist of recommendations for the full and transparent reporting of research involving animals,” to ensure that they are utilizing internationally-recognized standards throughout study planning and design, execution, and publication.
Pocket-sized versions of the guidelines can be requested free-of-charge via the ARRIVE website.
A review of the following is also recommended:
- Funder expectations for the incorporation of ARRIVE Guidelines (see the NIH’s NOT-OD-23-057 and Plan to Drive Gold Standard Science)
- ARRIVE Author Checklists – fillable checklists (available via PDF download) that can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of different journals
- Author Instructions – many journals include specific references to the ARRIVE Guidelines in their author instructions and/or requirements for publication. Study Teams should review this information carefully to ensure that they are fulfilling all criteria necessary for publication.
Where to Learn More
Scholarly articles of interest pertaining to the 3Rs/incorporation of NAMs –
- Currie GM. The emerging role of artificial intelligence and digital twins in pre-clinical molecular imaging. Nucl Med Biol. 2023 May-Jun;120-121:108337. doi: 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2023.108337. Epub 2023 Apr 4. PMID: 37030076.
- Zhou C, Liu C, Liao Z, Pang Y, Sun W. AI for biofabrication. Biofabrication. 2024 Nov 4;17(1). doi: 10.1088/1758-5090/ad8966. PMID: 39433065.
- Rudroff T. Artificial Intelligence as a Replacement for Animal Experiments in Neurology: Potential, Progress, and Challenges. Neurol Int. 2024 Jul 29;16(4):805-820. doi: 10.3390/neurolint16040060. PMID: 39195562; PMCID: PMC11357221.
- PubMed search results for search on (“Artificial Intelligence”[Mesh]) AND “Animals”[Mesh] AND 3Rs
Scholarly articles of interest pertaining to the ARRIVE Guidelines –
- Lin Y, Yang F, Shang B, Speich JE, Wan YJY, Hashida H, Braun T, Sadoughi A, Puehler T, Lue TF, Zhang K. Reporting quality of animal research in journals that published the ARRIVE 1.0 or ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines: a cross-sectional analysis of 943 studies. Cardiovasc Diagn Ther. 2024;14(6):1070-1082. doi: 10.21037/cdt-24-413.
- Suckow MA, Fallon MT. The ARRIVE 2.0 Guidelines: Importance and Full Adoption by AALAS Journals. Comp Med. 2024 Oct 31;74(5):307-312. doi: 10.30802/AALAS-CM-24-061. PMID: 39244377; PMCID: PMC11524398.
- Main ARRIVE Publications and Editorials
As scientific methodologies and advancements in laboratory animal medicine continue to evolve, so too must our approaches to the humane, judicious use of animals in research. We thank you for your thoughtful, careful attention to this important matter.