Tuesday

TUESDAY AFTERNOON

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

AALAS and FELASA: Global Nature of Research

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Leader/Moderator: Scott A Mischler Facilitator: TBN Panelist: Scott A Mischler, Marc S Hulin, Belen Pintado The Laboratory Animal Science (LAS) community represented by the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA) in Europe and the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) in the United States have been working together to harmonize animal care and research recommendations. This session will provide an overview of the structure and relationship between FELASA and AALAS, and the value of this harmonization effort to the laboratory animal community. Brief updates on ongoing joint activities of the associations will be presented. Finally, there will be ample time provided for Panel and Audience participation to explore future collaborative efforts between the associations.

Emerging Role of Translational Digital Biomarkers in Home Cage Monitoring Technologies for Preclinical Drug Discovery and Development

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Leader/Moderator: Megan R LaFollette Facilitator: Sally Thompson-Iritani Panelist: Matthew Ruiter, Eleanor M Karlsson, Angela P King-Herbert, Sheba R Churchill, Szczepan W Baran In drug discovery and development, traditional assessment of patients and preclinical subjects occurs at limited time points in unnatural and stressful surroundings (i.e., the clinic or a test arena), potentially impacting data and welfare. Recent advances in remote digital monitoring technologies enable the assessment of patients and preclinical subjects across multiple time points in familiar surroundings. This provides a more relevant and efficient diagnosis by monitoring disease progression and better assessing drug efficacy and safety. For in vivo animal models, these digital technologies allow for continuous, longitudinal, and non-invasive monitoring in the home cage. This panel discussion will provide an overview of digital monitoring technologies, including the history and evolution of the technology, current engagement through use cases, and the impact of digital biomarkers on drug discovery and the 3Rs. We will discuss barriers and solutions to implementation and adoption, as well as data consistency and technology standards from the perspective of technology providers, end-users, and regulators. Overall, this presentation establishes an improved understanding of the value and implementation of digital biomarker technologies in research. The target audiences for this presentation are researchers, research support staff, IACUC members, animal care staff, veterinarians, and vivarium managers that are interested in translational digital biomarkers. This Panel Discussion is sponsored in part by The North American 3Rs Collaborative (NA3RsC).

Emotional Labor: An Interactive Discussion

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Leader: Annabella J Williams Moderator: Kathryn Bayne Facilitators: Paula A Clifford, Matthew J Gallacher Panelist: Annabella J Williams, Keith Davies, Anneke Keizer Emotional labor is experienced when a professional's work necessitates showing feelings that may be at odds with their own true emotions and experiences. Frequently overlooked and undervalued, the emotions of those working in animal facilities form a key part of their work. The way that staff in all roles manage their emotions with one another can lead them to care for their animals deeply. But when appropriate outlets, support, or recognition of their emotional challenges are not provided, institutional work and culture can be affected, leading to the hallmarks of compassion fatigue: emotional burn-out, sickness, and stress. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the emotional dissonance felt by care staff as institutional strategies stretched the reality and efficacy of their care. In this session, three speakers will introduce key approaches to emotion-work and invite the audience to engage with and reflect on the complex emotions involved in animal care. We will consider the value of emotional labor and how staff can be supported to deal with challenges, including grief and loss. The session extends the ideas discussed in the session Emotional Labor at AALAS, Denver 2019. Through interactive tools and facilitated discussion, experts in this field will lead a conversation about dealing with the tricky, emotionally focused aspects of care and think deeply about providing necessary support. Issues associated with the current pandemic might emerge. Group discussion can help us explore our own and understand different approaches to see emotionally challenging work and care as an asset, rather than a cost, of working in an animal facility. Those familiar with and new to this topic will have the opportunity to share experiences in approaching the emotional dimensions of animal care work. They will learn new ways to work with care, emotional labor, and compassion fatigue. The target audience includes animal facility managers, veterinarians, and technical staff.

Responsibilities, Realities, and Rollercoasters for the Veterinary Technician in a Non-Human Primate Facility

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Leader/Moderator: Victoria R Elam Facilitator: Beth Ann Skiles Panelist: Joanna M Swerczek, Jodi M Ternes, Diana Medina, Madison S Wheaton This panel discussion will present opportunities, challenges, and experiences working with NHPs from the viewpoint of the veterinary technician, support specialist, and carestaff. Topics discussed include ideal clinical round methods to reduce errors and maximize efficiency, safety for humans and animals, animal care and use protocol consultation, risk mitigation, species-specific care needs, and complex social behaviors. Additionally, there will be discussion on how technicians can best prepare for research project support, logistical concerns, housing specifics, animal stress reduction, and self-injurious behavior reduction enrichment plans. NHPs are unique in the relationships that their carestaff develop with them. Learning their personalities and recognizing their unique behaviors allows for the best possible care and research environment. However, carestaff must be aware of the effects of their own behaviors, mental wellness states, and emotional investment as they care for these amazing animals. The target audience is veterinary technicians, caretakers, husbandry staff, veterinarians, and others supporting research with NHPs. This Panel Discussion is sponsored in part by Academy of Laboratory Animal Veterinary Technicians and Nurses.

Exhibit Hall Refreshment Break!

2:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m. Sponsored by Bio-Serv

ILAR Town Hall: Introduction of the Standing Committee on Care and Use of Animals in Research

3:30 p.m.– 5:00 p.m. Sponsored by AALAS

PLATFORM SESSIONS

2:15 PM - 5:00 PM Platform Session abstracts will be available on www.aalas.org in July. They will also be included in both the mobile app and the National Meeting Final Program.

SEMINARS

Making the Switch to Environmental Health Monitoring: Evidence, Data, and Practicalities

2:45 PM - 5:00 PM Leader/Moderator: Megan R LaFollette Facilitator: Kenneth S Henderson Institutions across North America are increasingly switching away from using soiled bedding sentinel rodents to environmental health monitoring techniques. These replacement techniques have multiple positive impacts by completely replacing live sentinel rodents, giving more accurate results, reducing staff emotional fatigue, and even reducing program costs. But how strong is the scientific evidence? How common are the techniques? What are common challenges (and solutions)? And what about facilities with multiple caging systems? Or facilities with static cages or those that filter air at the cage level? Participants will learn the results of a systematic review of environmental health monitoring, updated data from the North American 3Rs Collaborative’s benchmarking survey (including highlighting common barriers and solutions), and perspectives into the practicality of switching in both academic and pharmaceutical institutions that have multiple caging types including static cages or cage level filtration systems. The target audience for this presentation are veterinarians and vivarium managers that are familiar with rodent health monitoring programs.

Speakers/Topics: 2:45 Megan R LaFollette Welcome and Introductions 2:50 Megan R LaFollette Systematic Review Evidence for Environmental Health Monitoring 3:10 Kerith R Luchins Benchmarking, Barriers, and Solutions for Environmental Health Monitoring 3:30 Caroline Winn Industry Perspectives on Making the Switch across Sites and Caging Types 3:55 Wai Hanson Cage Level Filtration and Environmental Health Monitoring

4:10 Chris A Manuel Academic Perspectives on Making the Switch across Caging Types 4:30 All Presenters Questions & Answers This Seminar is sponsored in part by The North American 3Rs Collaborative (NA3RsC).

Neonatal Anesthesia in Research Animals

2:45 PM - 5:00 PM Leader: Samuel W Baker Moderator: Cholawat Pacharinsak Facilitator: Katherine Y Gates This seminar will cover neonatal anesthesia in a variety of commonly used research animal models. Participants will learn about the specific challenges faced when anesthetizing neonates and will be provided with practical species-specific suggestions for inducing, monitoring, and recovering neonatal animals undergoing anesthesia. There will be time for audience questions and answers at the end of each presentation, as well as at the end of the seminar session. This seminar targets veterinarians and veterinary technicians working in the field of laboratory animal anesthesia and will provide theoretical and practical guidance that will be of interest to those new to the field as well as those more experienced.

Speakers/Topics: 2:45 Sam Baker Welcome and Introductions 2:50 Cholawat Pacharinsak Introduction to Neonatal Anesthesia 3:00 Monika Huss Rodent Neonatal Anesthesia 3:30 Alexandra Blaney Rabbit Neonatal Anesthesia 4:00 Sam Baker Pig Neonatal Anesthesia

Rodent Oncology Studies: How Automated Rodent Housing Systems Could Improve Outcomes

2:45 PM - 5:00 PM Leader/Moderator: John J Hasenau Facilitator: TBN In oncology studies the study designs and accumulated data collections are critical to be able to correlate results to human medicine. Our rodent models are nocturnal and are exhibiting digital biomarkers and other indications of oncology concern during their higher activity levels. The concept of transitional digital biomarkers (physiological/behavioral data that are collected and measured by a digital tool) and their use in automated home housing systems will be discussed. Incorporation of these concepts can improve the animal welfare component as well as the study outcomes, both on efficacy and safety aspects. We will also discuss bioexclusion studies and appropriate housing to maintain the animals’ status, as required. An overarching goal in these studies (as well as biocontainment studies) is to minimize the requirement to open these housing units for routine examinations or evaluations. The use of automated home housing systems allows adherence to this goal while still maintaining animal welfare and care. We will discuss an example of a melanoma model and the variables in housing that impact a specific model. We will also share how rodent models of solid tumor and PDX work can be improved to integrate early endpoints of tolerance and/or safety. The active use of an automated home housing system to monitor animal activity (a group of transitional digital biomarkers) will be pre-