Podcasts about understanding animal research

This week, our guest is Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research. She discusses how, when, and why animals are used in research in the UK, along with the regulations governing this practice. Additionally, she addresses the controversies surrounding animal research and its future.

Animal testing has halved in Ireland, but we're asking if there is every a reason to test on animals for medical or scientific purposes? Kieran talked to animal rights campaigner John Carmody, as well as the Head of Policy and Media for ‘Understanding Animal Research' over in the UK, as they debated whether there is ever a good time to test on animals for medical or scientific purposes.

1.    We will be clear about when, how and why we use animals in research. 2.    We will enhance our communications with the media and the public about our research using animals. 3.    We will be proactive in providing opportunities for the public to find out about research using animals. 4.    We will report on progress annually and share our experiences.These commitments to transparent, open communication with the public about animal research were launched in the UK by Understanding Animal Research in 2014. There are currently 127 signatories across every sector of research on this agreement. And many countries, including New Zealand, have followed their lead. But not the United States – because the leadership of extreme animal rights groups like PETA and the White Coat Waste Project won't allow the research community here to speak freely with the public, politicians, lawmakers, or the media. They have bullied the research community into submission and deliberately manipulated and controlled the narrative with the public for decades. We are now so lost in the details of our arguments that we can't see the truth that joins us – we all love animals and we would all rather they weren't still necessary for biomedical progress. What do we have to do to leave this ball of confusion behind us so we can move forward, in love and compassion, for animals and people? Our guests today will show us the way.   

In this episode we talk to Chris Magee, the Head of Policy and Media at Understanding Animal Research, an organization based in the UK. He gives insight into his day-to-day role and how animal research has changed from Charles Darwin drafting the first law in 1875 to current times. Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwKZAQgYDLSvk7A6X03wKJw?view_as=subscriber?sub_confirmation=1 -------------------Follow------------------------ @ Instagram: @understandinganimalresearch https://www.instagram.com/understandinganimalresearch/ -----------------------KEEP UP WITH US--------------------- http://www.dimevents.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dimevents/ https://twitter.com/dimevents_ https://www.instagram.com/orgarchitec... #dimevents --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dim-university/support

In this episode of the Research Comms podcast, Wendy Jarrett, CEO of Understanding Animal Research, talks about changing attitudes towards animal research over the past thirty years, about some of the most common myths that opponents use in arguments against animal research, and how scientists should communicate with members of the public about the use of animals in their research. Presented by Peter Barker Produced by Orinoco Communications

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester gave the 2019 Paget Lecture. She presented her ground breaking work on stroke and the role of inflammation in brain damage, that has recently translated into clinical trials. The Stephen Paget Memorial Lecture is a scientific lecture that commemorates the life of Dr Stephen Paget. Stephen Paget (1855 – 1926) was the founder of the Research Defence Society, a forerunner of Understanding Animal Research. As a medical doctor, he believed passionately that better science and understanding of physiology would lead to better medical treatments. After his death in 1926, he was greatly missed by his colleagues and by the scientific community. The first Stephen Paget memorial lecture was given in 1927 to commemorate his life and allow leading bio-medical scientists of the day to talk about their research. You can read and see nearly a hundred years of these lectures on Animal Research Information here: http://www.animalresearch.info/en/medical-advances/articles-lectures/

Professor Sir Mark Walport presented the 80th Stephen Paget Memorial Lecture (2016) for Understanding Animal Research

Professor Colin Blakemore tells four stories about the brain in this 2015 Paget lecture. Colin discussed the importance of animal work, the 3Rs and continual development of experimental design in four different aspect of neuroscience: the cerebral cortex, language, Huntington’s Disease and Stroke. He concluded the lecture by discussing the importance of avoiding a polarised debate about animal research.Stephen Paget founded the Research Defence Society the precursor to Understanding Animal Research, in 1908. The full transcript of this lecture is available here: http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/download_file/2019/174/Previous Paget lectures are available here: http://www.animalresearch.info/en/medical-advances/articles-lectures/This video can be downloaded here: https://vimeo.com/151118322

Understanding Animal Research launched the Openness Awards, an annual presentation to celebrate the achievements of the sector in honouring their commitment to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research. Since the launch in May 2014 the Concordat has brought together 85 UK organisations involved in animal research in a pledge to be more open and transparent about their use of animals in science. Four awards were presented to people and organisations who have paved the way for the Concordat by showing the sector that openness was possible, even when faced with significant opposition. Long-time openness advocate Fiona Fox, Director of the Science Media Centre, presented the first award to Professor Sir Colin Blakemore. At a time when to ‘come out’ about animal research in public could lead to significant threats and acts of extremism, Professor Blakemore was a vocal public advocate for the benefits of animal research. Paget2014-5.jpg Dr Domenico Spina from the British Pharmacological Society presented the second award to the Medical Research Council in recognition of their constant willingness to work with the press. This work has included the first live radio broadcast from inside the animal facility at MRC Harwell, during which BBC 5 Live journalist Victoria Derbyshire witnessed a mouse being euthanized live on air. Huntingdon Life Sciences were presented with the third award by Bernadette Kelly of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Despite significant pressure from extremists, including attacks on its staff and suppliers, HLS has always sought to work openly with the media. Finally, the council of UAR chose to give the final Openness Award to UAR CEO Wendy Jarrett, in recognition of her work to develop the Concordat on Openness, and for acting as a champion of the openness agenda.

This week saw the publication of the annual government statistics on scientific research on animals. Overall, it again shows an increase, but does that tell the whole story? Wendy Jarrett of the organisation Understanding Animal Research shares her thoughts.We hear from amateur and professional would-be astronauts about their training regime and selection process from Major Tim Peake, the UK's next astronaut, to science broadcaster, Sue Nelson.Plus, the first in our new series ‘Show Us Your Instrument'. Material scientist Mark Miodownik introduces the wonders of the Transmission Electron Microscope, with music composed by the New Radiophonic Workshop.

Geoff Butcher has Parkinson's disease. Here we hear him interview a scientist who uses Marmosets as an animal model to investigate Parkinson's disease. The scientist does this by using a chemical called MPTP to destroy the substantia nigra in the Marmosets. This is the part of the brain that is associated with the fine control of movement. It is damage to the substantia nigra that caused the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The discovery of MPTP was an accident. Drug-users took contaminated material and developed Parkinsonian-like symptoms. This led to the unravelling of a medical mystery described in The Case of The Frozen Addicts reviewed here: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199612263352618

Research into new heart medicines is being helped by these dogs. The dogs are exercised daily and trained to work with the researchers, by jumping onto weighing scales for example. Heart function is measured using ultrasound scanning, much like the scanning used to see the developing foetus in a pregnant women.

We walk around King's College animal research facility with one of the animal technologists who in this episode shows us mice, rats, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Dr Robin Lovell-Badge explains why putting human cells into an animal can be a good thing and the circumstances (according to the Academy of Medical Sciences and the public) when it would be unacceptable.

This short video outlines how much animal research is done in the UK. Numbers, types and context are all covered.