We are researching lung disease. Lung disease affects how well we breathe and can have different causes such as genetics or the environment. Our research is translational, meaning we take the results of ‘basic’ research which is carried out to better understand the roles of different cells and genes in the body, and use this to try and find treatments for diseases that affect humans and animals.

What animals will be used in your research?

We use sheep, pigs and cattle.

Why do you need to use animals? Is there no alternative?

The healthy functioning of the lungs involves a complex interaction between different cells and structures such as blood vessels and cells of the immune system. Currently, no alternatives to animals are able to accurately model these interactions.

Where possible we use animal alternatives, for example, we use lung slices to support the results from studies involving animals and to reduce the number of animals used.

How many animals will you use?

In our research we have used 53 animals – 25 sheep, 9 pigs and 19 cows, over 4 years.

How will you make sure that you use the minimum number of animals?

Every experiment that we carry out as part of our research is evaluated by a statistician who works out the minimum number of animals needed to properly answer the research question and produce reliable results. Additionally, all our experiments are evaluated by experts in animal ethics and welfare.

What procedures will the animals be involved in?

In our research some animals will undergo a procedure called a bronchoscopy, in which a small camera is used to look down the animals airways. During these procedures genetic changes may be made in the animal’s lungs, for example by using a non-harmful virus called a viral vector to introduce a change in the DNA of specific genes in the lung. Where these genes are changed, a bronchoscopy can be used to assess the health of the lungs. These procedures are performed while the animals are anaesthetised.

Additionally some animals may have:

• A CT scan which produces detailed images of the inside of the body to look at the health of the lungs
• Blood samples taken
• Nasal samples taken using a swab
• The air they breathe out collected for analysis

What is the expected harm to the animals and how will any harm be limited?

The procedures that the animals experience such as bronchoscopy are classified as moderate for sheep and pigs whilst under anesthesia. The nasal swabs taken from cows are classified as a mild procedure.

Although unlikely, it is possible that swabbing the nose could cause a small nosebleed that heals by itself and does not require any treatment. Whilst, there are no adverse effects to the animals expected following anesthesia, bronchoscopy or blood sampling, all animals will be handled with care to reduce stress and all procedures will be carried out by highly trained staff.

The University works hard to encourage a ‘Culture of Care’ within our animal facilities. Experienced animal technicians will check on the animals twice a day and record whether the animals are in good health. If the animals seem unwell the technicians will inform veterinary staff and research teams. Specialist veterinary advice and care is available at the animal facilities round-the-clock. In this research, the technicians will pay particular attention to signs of breathing issues such as coughing or difficulty breathing.

What are the expected benefits of this research?

a.       Both short- and long-term benefits

b.      Benefits of this research specifically as well as the broader implications of the research

The results of our research will be made available to other researchers and clinical specialists through different organisations such as the Scottish Interstitial Lung Disease (ScILD) network and the UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy (CFGT) consortium.

Our research may help to explain why lung disease happens and this may inform strategies and policy guidelines to help healthcare professionals make the most appropriate decision in relation to patient care. This will hopefully lead to an improvement in the quality of life of patients with lung disease and increase their life-expectancy with the disease in the long-term.

Other benefits from our research may include the improvement of experimental methods which may allow for the reduction and refinement of approaches used in animal research. This research may also identify different treatments that will have a positive impact on animal health.

Optimising lung therapy using large animal models / Animal Research by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0