18 minute read
Wednesday
WEDNESDAY MORNING
Rollback, Repurpose, Rethink, and Realign: Four Rs of Increased Efficiency
8:00 AM - 10:15 AM Leader: Judy M Hickman-Davis Moderator: Valerie K Bergdall Facilitator: Vittoria M Capria The need for efficiency is the very essence of the lab animal facility. The recent shutdown(s) due to the SARSCoV2 pandemic and the altered job market have created new challenges and intensified the urgency of old challenges. Academic and private institutions are struggling to obtain or maintain supplies and hire qualified staff to support the animal care program. At our large academic institution there is a 400% decrease in applicants for animal care positions across the board. This large gap in personnel and difficulty in acquiring new equipment has caused us to rollback some requirements, rethink our work practices, repurpose our job tasks, and realign how we communicate. This session will discuss new practices to conserve supplies and decrease documentation of standard husbandry tasks; the trainee to trainer process and how to harness the skills of technicians to expand versatility and optimize training programs; how to apply lean 6 sigma management methods to increase productivity of standard practices; and harnessing existing electronic systems to improve communication between research staff and animal care workers. The goal of quality animal care remains unchanged, yet our work practices have adapted to meet these new challenges. This session will discuss practices used at different academic institutions for increasing efficiency and communication within the animal care program. The target audience is program directors, veterinarians, facility trainers, and managers/supervisors.
Speakers/Topics: 8:00 Judy Hickman-Davis Welcome and Introductions 8:05 Judy Hickman-Davis Rollback: Maintaining Quality while Decreasing Documentation and Requirements 8:30 Katherine Nolan Repurpose: Optimizing Training Program Outcomes and Improving Technician Versatility 8:55 Denise M Ostmeyer Rethink: Using Lean/6 Sigma Methods to Improve Success 9:20 Katie Emmer Realign: Opportunities for Communication in the Electronic Age
PLATFORM SESSIONS
8:00 AM - 10:45 AM 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.
SPECIAL TOPIC LECTURES
Nathan E Brewer Lecture
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Moderator: Satish Adusumilli Speaker and description will be available after the Award Selection Committee selects the Nathan Brewer Award recipient. This session information will be available in the mobile app and in the Final Program. This Special Topic Lecture is sponsored in part by AALAS Awards Selection Committee (ARS).
Synthetic Lethality: The Future of Cancer Treatment
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Speaker: Marc S Hulin Moderator: Temeri Wilder-Kofie Facilitator: Janet L Steele Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Cancer is the second leading killer of people in the United States at a rate of 600,000 annually. Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumors and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries. Metastases are the primary cause of death from cancer. The standard therapies for cancer treatment still include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Significant communication is lacking in new innovative forms of therapy that are producing a higher quality of life and saving lives of many cancer patients. Current research has uncovered the power of the genetic mutations in certain cancers combined with DNA repair inhibitors to cause cancer cell death by a modality known as Synthetic Lethality (SL). SL is growing increasingly in popularity to attack cancer at the heart of its mechanism to grow within the patient by various mutations. The development of SL therapy and animal models in cancer treatment provides a new tool in the toolbox to fight cancer. SL is being developed as a first-line therapy in high-grade serious cancers of ovary including epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer. The presenter will provide a foundation on this new therapy for cancer patients and how animal models are used to exploit research opportunities in this arena and begin the process of communicating different treatment options for cancer patients. The targeted audience for this presentation is anyone who is personally a cancer patient or who have family and friends affected by cancer plus individuals who work in an animal care and use program where oncology biomedical research is conducted so that they can understand and appreciate the value of the work their daily work in the care and welfare of research animals.
Exhibit Hall Refreshment Break!
9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Sponsored by TBD
Why IACUCs Are Not and Should Not Be Allowed to Become Ethics Committees
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Speaker: Jerrold Tannenbaum Moderator: B Taylor Bennett Facilitator: Brandon Morton This presentation will examine one of the most significant and potentially dangerous recent developments facing the future of biomedical research. An increasing number of IACUCs, professional associations, commentators, and government regulators are advancing the view that IACUCs should assess the ethical appropriateness of animal research projects. Advocates typically express this view by calling IACUCs “ethics committees,” a term that has proved so appealing to so many in the research community that few appear to appreciate its implications. The presentation will explain the history of the classification of IACUCs as ethics committees, beginning with declarations by Congress in enacting the 1985 amendments to the Animal Welfare Act and the Health Research Extension Act that IACUCs should not be ethics committees. We will examine how and why key members of the research community and government have strayed from Congress’ original intent, with calls for IACUCs to engage in so-called “harm-benefit analysis” and in assessment of the scientific merit of research projects with the aim of ensuring appropriate animal welfare. The presentation will discuss why IACUCs are not qualified to engage in such scientific merit assessment, harm-benefit analysis, or ethical evaluation of animal research generally. We will explore why turning IACUCs into ethics committees would make it impossible for IACUCs to do what they do best, would impede serious consideration of ethical issues in animal research, and would threaten continuing progress in animal research itself. This Special Topic Lecture is sponsored in part by National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR).
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PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Growing the Comparative Medicine Veterinarian Pipeline
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Leader: Kathryn M Emmer Moderator: Valerie K Bergdall Facilitator: Vittoria M Capria Panelist: Valerie K Bergdall, Erin NZ Yu, Lon V Kendall, Kathryn M Emmer, Judy M Hickman-Davis Application numbers are down for veterinary jobs and residencies in comparative medicine. From 2019 to 2022, lab animal residency positions in the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP) increased by 24%, while the total number of applicants decreased by 33%. If this trend continues, it is worrisome for meeting demand while maintaining high standards in the field. Lab animal medicine remains a specialty minimally covered in veterinary school courses. Opportunities open to veterinary students include membership in a local American Society for Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP) student chapter and Summer Fellowships. Vet students may participate in externships/preceptorships near the end of their veterinary education, which is valuable for seeing different ways to approach field specific challenges. These learning opportunities also allow for institutions to meet the next generation of lab animal vets that may return for internships, residencies, and job opportunities. Finding a good match for their program ultimately helps the host institution in return. This session will discuss how institutions may utilize different opportunities to engage and support the next generation of lab animal vets. We will review how some institutions started programs such as ASLAP student chapters, preceptorships, and summer fellowships. We will also provide ideas for structuring these experiences to maximize learning opportunities for visiting students. Finally, we will explore how to use this information to navigate the VIRMP match process. The target audience is animal care program directors, veterinarians, veterinary students, veterinary training program directors, and organizers.
How to Avoid Treading Water—Recruitment and Development of Aquatics Technicians
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Leader: Joshua R Barber Moderator: Christine Archer Facilitator: Hugh S Hammer Panelist: Joshua R Barber, Diana P Baumann, Logan Fehrenbach, Christine Archer Our goal is to standardize and further the widespread use of zebrafish in the laboratory. We have about 400 American members and continue to grow every year. The aim of this talk is to teach new managers/directors of aquatic facilities how to staff their rooms and where to find good technicians. We will also cover a "day in the life of an aquatics tech" as well as some tips for how to calculate the number of full-time employees for different sized rooms. That target audience is supervisors and veterinarians in charge of personnel in aquatics facilities. First, we will discuss outreach and recruitment: where to find good candidates, zoo and aquarium groups, and relevant job boards with Texas A&M, World Aquaculture Society, ZHA, and agriculture/aquaculture schools. We will also discuss interviewing and hiring, understanding the scope of work in manual labor, euthanasia, working with scientists, and regulations. Next is a walk through a day in the life of a tech, vet, vet tech, and manager. Professional development and conferences will cover certain opportunities that are better for fish/aquatic staff. Salary and staffing justification goes over how to benchmark salary as skill set/ prior experience is unique, be transparent by posting salary with job descriptions and calculating average staffing required per tank, per number of users, and per service. This Panel Discussion is sponsored in part by Zebrafish Husbandry Association (ZHA).
The U.S. Animal Research Openness (USARO) Initiative—Status an Intent of a Formal Openness Agreement
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Leader: Tom Leach Moderator: Paula A Clifford Facilitator: Jim Newman Panelist: Wendy J Jarrett, Gaylen L Edwards, Sally Thompson-Iritani, Nicole Navratil Significant progress has been made in ongoing efforts to establish a US openness agreement. This proposed agreement fosters meaningful public conversations about animal research by clearly explaining why, when, and how animal studies occur. Over 80 members of the research community are currently working on aspects of the USARO Initiative. Together, they are addressing the following: what a USARO should include ensuring research institutions are providing access to answers to common questions the public has about animal research, ways to recognize and celebrate institutions that serve as models of openness, the need to increase the number of research ambassadors that engage in public dialogue about animal research with a wide variety of audiences, an annual assessment of the current state of openness by institutions in the US, and the development resources to explain the benefits of expanded openness about animal research for the public and institutional leadership. A statement of intent will serve as a stepping stone towards the actual Agreement. This Statement is geared toward institutions with their own public educational programs about animal studies or is currently working to increase efforts in this area. A discussion between panelists and audience members will help to inform the USARO Initiative as it continues to move towards a formal US Animal Research Openness Agreement. Participants will learn the importance of openness about animal research, how other countries used a statement of intent as a step towards a country-wide animal research openness agreement, how the USARO’s statement of intent is currently worded, and how individuals, institutions and other organizations can get involved. The target audience is all research community members, including technicians, directors, animal care researchers, scientists, and administrators.
Study Design Concerns and Needs for NHP Space Determinations
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Leaders/Panelist: John J Hasenau, Lavonne D Meunier, Kristine Coleman, Mollie A Bloomsmith Moderator: John J Hasenau Historically there have been few scientific, performance-based studies on space needs in housing NHPs. Initial designs for NHP housing were predominantly based on existing enclosures for other species, basic care needs, available materials, efficiencies, and resources. Based on engineering standards, older cage designs are being questioned by behavioral scientists, colony managers, and veterinarians. Developments in science-based guidelines have emphasized the need for more focus on animal welfare in housing and environmental requirements. Still, more progress needs to be made through robust scientific performance-based studies. The performance-based approach specifies the desired outcome and provides criteria for assessing it, but it does not specify how to
achieve it. With the opportunity to define gaps in the current Guide and address them in a newer version, the space allocation and how the space is enriched has become a larger discussion point, especially regarding differences in European Standards vs. North American Standards. Input by key stakeholders is important in developing housing strategies for NHP colonies. This panel will discuss factors that should be incorporated in study design, define performance standards, and prioritize which performance standards might be used in such study designs. The panel acknowledges that some of these concepts are still in their infancy and that data collection and interpretation are needed to produce lasting changes in time. With this realization, the panel aims to help design direct, impactful, and meaningful studies to answer these questions. The target audience includes all individuals engaged in research involving NHPs, and especially those involved in housing and study designs (DVMs, behaviorists, animal care technicians, animal study technicians, facility managers, exhibitors/vendors, and facility directors).
WORKSHOPS
W-11 Rodent Outbreak Management: Did You See the Positive Results? What Do We Do?
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Leader: Jason S Villano Faculty: Jason S Villano, Kenneth S Henderson Facilitator: Natalie Castell Workshop Fee: $150 Workshop Limit: 50 Mice and rats constitute most animals used in biomedical research. The maintenance of healthy and pathogen-free animals is crucial to animal welfare, as adventitious pathogens may cause clinical signs especially in immunodeficient animals, and may confound research, from cancer to immunologic studies. The presence of pathogens in a vivarium also limits the institution’s ability to export animals. Ultimately, outbreak management, which may include testand-cull, depopulation, treatments, breeding, and animal transfer moratorium, are costly for the animal care and use program and can significantly delay research studies. The workshop will start with short presentations on various common rodent pathogens, advancements and refinements in rodent surveillance programs, and considerations for outbreak management. The bulk of the workshop will focus on discussion of case studies with the participants, highlighting the pathogens, various rodent colony traits, and unique challenges, and management approaches and growth opportunities for the animal care and use program. We will feature not only common pathogens like mouse pinworms, fur mites, and parvovirus, but also those that are unique and emerging (e.g., C. bovis and mouse chapparvovirus) and can have other detrimental effects to the animals and personnel (e.g., zoonoses related to C. difficile and tropical rat mite). While each outbreak and each institution are unique, there are commonalities and general considerations for outbreak management. By the end of the workshop, participants will have the necessary mindset and tools they can use to deal with disease outbreaks in rodent colonies. The workshop targets a wide array of participants, including veterinarians, husbandry, veterinary and husbandry technicians, and researchers. This Workshop is sponsored in part by Charles River.
W-12 Successful Operation of a Gnotobiotics Facility
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Leaders: Alton G Swennes, Betty R Theriault, Joshua Frost Faculty: Amanda R Bumber, Joshua Frost, Christina M Gaytan, Alton G Swennes, Betty R Theriault Facilitator: Lucy H Kennedy, Allison R Rogala Workshop Fee: $150 Workshop Limit: 50 This workshop is designed to provide guidance to those in the early stages of developing or expanding a gnotobiotics facility. The workshop will provide background on facility design and requirements, sterilization techniques and their limitations, and the effective use of equipment. Discussion will focus on the use of common housing systems like flexible film and semi-rigid isolators (sterilization cylinder packing and port entry) and integrating newer technologies like positive-pressure IVC systems and NKP isotec cages, including key procedural aspects that enable the maintenance of germ-free or gnotobiotic animals. Participants will gain perspective from workshop faculty that have developed research investigator facilities and large academic centrally managed programs. This workshop target audience is for those that are currently or might become involved in setting up a gnotobiotics facility. This includes managers, veterinarians, research scientists and program administrators. The workshop will introduce attendees to the variety of equipment options available and the current standards in the field of gnotobiology. This Workshop is sponsored in part by Association for Gnotobiotics (AG).
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
An Insight into the Fun and Challenges Working with Unusual Critters
2:45 PM - 5:00 PM Leader/Moderator: Sylvia I Gografe Facilitator: Carrie S List This session will introduce the audience to a few uncommon research species! No matter what your role is in your institution's animal care and use program, you will be surprised by the ideas and work solutions your colleagues have found to help facilitate the use of these unusual animal models. The speakers will focus on the significant research contributions of four unusual research species and will discuss the specialized care requirements, behavior, anatomy and physiology, and common clinical conditions, as well as safety and regulatory challenges, often spanning continents. The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) has unique immunological characteristics, not to mention the long eely body, the oral disk, and their teeth! Learn all about the biology and husbandry care for this impressive ancient creature of the deep. The African dwarf frog (Hymenochirus boettgeri) can shed light on cutaneous chytridiomycosis, a fungal skin disease of a multitude of frog species and major cause of their rapid decline. Understand how this tiny, but certainly loud, critter can be maintained and bred in captivity. The
Lesser Egyptian Jerboa (Jaculus jaculus) has adapted to its arid living conditions by surviving without drinking liquid water and is now leading us to understand the neuroscience of thirst. Learn about how the unique biology impacts the husbandry needs and veterinary care for this rare research model. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) presents many challenges and considerations regarding wild capture, transportation, permitting processes with multiple state agencies. The speaker will cover housing and husbandry adaptations that were developed to safely house, hold and study this unique research model. This session will certainly appeal to a broad audience including lab animal technicians, vet techs, veterinarians, and training coordinators as well as IACUC members and administrators.
Speakers/Topics: 2:45 Sylvia I Gografe Welcome and Introductions 2:55 Rebeccah Wood The Loveable Lamprey: A Guide to the Care and Research Uses of Sea Lamprey 3:20 Peggy Yang A Frog so Tiny Can Croak Big Science: A Model for Chytridiomycosis in African Dwarf Frogs 3:45 Karen L Lencioni Caring for the Tiny T-Rex of the Desert, the Lesser Egyptian Jerboa 4:10 Robert Banks The Juvenile Alligator: Considerations, Adaptations, and Lessons Learned
Caring for Our People, Caring for Our Animals, NA3RsC's Compassion Fatigue Resiliency Initiative
2:45 PM - 5:00 PM Leader/Moderator: Megan R LaFollette Facilitator: TBN Working with research animals can lead to compassion fatigue due to challenging work such as euthanizing animals, animal pain/ distress, difficulty publicly discussing work, and feeling undervalued by society. However, institutions can work to promote compassion fatigue resiliency through comprehensive programs. The North American 3Rs Collaborative has created a starter pack and support system for institutions to support forming this program. Participants will learn what compassion fatigue is and what is unique to our field. They will also learn practical tips for setting up an institutional program including details on formal assessment, setting up a committee, guidance for managerial support, activity ideas, and information about passive learning resources. The target audience for this presentation are any individuals working with research animals, but especially those that have a special interest in compassion fatigue or a leadership role in their institution.
Speakers/Topics: 2:45 Megan R LaFollette Welcome and Introductions 2:50 Megan R LaFollette Promoting Compassion Fatigue Resiliency: Introduction & Program Overview
3:10 Sally Thompson-Iritani
Setting up a Program: Committees, Budgets, & Leadership Buy-In 3:30 Vanessa Lee Guidance for Managers: Policies and Procedures 3:50 Rhonda P MacAllister Activities to Support Resiliency
4:10 Sarah E Thurston Passive Learning Resources for Resiliency 4:30 All Presenters Questions & Answers This Seminar is sponsored in part by The North American 3Rs Collaborative (NA3RsC).
Practical Considerations in Supporting and Managing Mouse Oncology Models
2:45 PM - 5:00 PM Leader/Moderator: Marcus J Crim Facilitator: Robert S Livingston Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) models are a critical component of oncology research. Unlike immortalized cell lines and cell line-derived xenografts (CDX) cultured on plastic in vitro, PDX tumors are horizontally passed from mouse to mouse as a 3-dimensional tissue fragment or tumor brei. This methodology improves the retention of the original features of the tumor and helps maintain aspects of the original microenvironment. However, quality control for oncology research using transmissible tumors can be challenging and includes several important facets. We will provide insight into several of these areas, including changes in tumor characteristics as tumors are serially passaged in mice, murine cell replacement of human tumor cellular structure, murine and human lymphoma outgrowths, clinical pathology considerations within the animal models, microbial contamination of transplantable tumors and prevention, and institutional maintenance of severely immunocompromised mice to support oncology research. The targeted audience is researchers that use PDX models in preclinical research, laboratory animal veterinarians, animal care technicians, facility managers, and husbandry staff that support these essential mouse models.
Speakers/Topics: 2:45 Marcus J Crim Welcome and Introductions 2:50 Melinda G Hollingshead PDX Models and Changes in Characteristics of Passaged Tumors 3:10 Marcia L Hart Histopathology of Complications of Oncologic Mouse Models 3:25 Valerie Wong General Considerations for Clinical Pathology in Oncology Models 3:40 Chris A Manuel Aseptic Tumor Harvest, C. bovis Contamination, and Antibiotic Prophylaxis 4:00 Sarah Hansen Traditional and Molecular Approaches to Identify Tumor Contaminants 4:20 Rodolfo Ricart Institutional Maintenance of Mouse Oncology Models 4:40 All Presenters Questions & Answers
