Workshops

Workshop 1: EC platform: Reducing Animal Use through Data Integration: Meta-analysis and Bayesian Methods

Animal experiments are often conducted on relatively small sample sizes and across multiple independent studies. As a consequence, valuable information remains fragmented across experiments, laboratories, and time. Integrating existing data can therefore play an important role in improving the efficiency and ethical justification of animal research.

In the context of the 3Rs principle, statistical approaches that combine evidence across studies can contribute directly to Reduction, by extracting more information from existing experiments and potentially decreasing the need for additional animal use. In this lecture, we introduce the principles of meta-analysis and Bayesian statistical methods as tools to synthesize evidence from multiple studies and incorporate prior knowledge into the analysis of new experiments.

The presentation provides an accessible overview for researchers and members of ethical committees, illustrating how these approaches can improve statistical power, better quantify uncertainty, and support more informed decisions in the design and evaluation of animal experiments.

Presenter: Prof. Stefan Van Dongen, University of Antwerp, Belgium

Workshop 2: Tecniplast: Supporting Welfare, Breeding Oversight and Daily Operations Through Scalable Home-Cage Monitoring

Efficient animal care relies on timely information, consistent routines, and the ability to identify cages that need attention without increasing unnecessary disturbance. The Digital Ventilated Cage (DVC®) system was developed to support this need by providing continuous, non-invasive home-cage monitoring directly in standard housing conditions. By tracking cage activity 24/7, DVC can support animal welfare surveillance while also helping facilities prioritize daily checks, improve workload organization, and make routine operations more targeted and data-informed.

Building on this approach, we present a new module currently being finalized for breeding applications: Delivery of Pups. The module is designed to detect early signals associated with parturition and pup presence directly at cage level, providing a practical tool to improve awareness of key breeding events as they happen. The objective is to support faster and more consistent intervention when needed, while reducing reliance on frequent manual checking.

Together, DVC and Delivery of Pups aim to provide animal care staff and facility teams with actionable information that can strengthen welfare oversight, improve breeding management, and support more efficient day-to-day operations in the vivarium.

Presenter: Mr Giorgio Rosati, Tecniplast, Italy

Workshop 3: Charles River: Recognizing Clinical Signs in Rodents

Early and accurate recognition of clinical signs in laboratory rodents is essential to ensure scientific reliability, regulatory compliance, and high standards of animal welfare. This seminar provides a structured approach to observing, describing, and recognizing abnormalities, enabling participants to detect issues rapidly and act appropriately.

In this seminar, participants will learn to:

Strengthen observational skills. Understand how to systematically evaluate animals, distinguish normal from abnormal conditions across species and strains, and identify subtle yet meaningful clinical signs.
Improve the accuracy of clinical descriptions. Master the terminology and methodology required to document findings precisely, ensuring effective communication between technicians, researchers, and veterinarians.
Recognize the scientific, ethical, and regulatory impacts of clinical signs. Appreciate how early detection minimises bias in studies, prevents health or welfare deterioration, and supports compliance with European directives and ethical review processes.

Presenter: Dr Karla Esparza, Charles River, The Netherlands

Workshop 4: How to use AI to help write better NTS’s

A non-technical summary (NTS) is an integral part of an ECD application. Contrary to the rest of the application, the NTS is not only read by the ECD members, but it is explicitly aimed at the “lay public” and is also published in the European Alures database. It’s goal is “to ensure that the public is informed”.

As highly educated, highly specialized people, researchers often underestimate the technicality of their language, and overestimate the knowledge of the public about science and biology, by a large margin, this results in NTS’s that do not live up to their name.

In this workshop we explore how to use the language-processing power of LLMs to transform summaries of projects and experiments into real non-technical summaries that are understandable to the broad audience, while remaining scientifically correct.

Target audience: Scientists, and anyone writing, reading, or engaging with NTS’s.

Presenter: Dr Stef Aerts, Odisee, Belgium

Workshop 5: BENAWB: From Aggression to Stereotypies: Practical Approaches to Common Welfare Issues in Laboratory Mice

Providing ongoing advice on animal acquisition, care, use and refinement to ensure high standards of laboratory mouse welfare is a core responsibility of Animal Welfare Bodies (AWBs). This interactive workshop directly supports those responsibilities by bringing together current evidence and emerging insights on recurring mouse welfare issues such as male–male aggression, pup cannibalism, excessive barbering, stereotypical behaviours and repetitive blood sampling.

Participants will first receive a concise literature overview that is followed by small-group experience exchange and plenary discussion, enabling AWB members, but also animal care and veterinary professionals to benchmark practices, challenge assumptions, and leave with concrete, evidence-based recommendations and actionable refinements that can be immediately translated into AWB advice, facility policies and welfare monitoring processes.

Target audience: AWB members, animal care staff, veterinary professionals involved in the care or oversight over mice

Presenters:

Pieter Dierckx, Johnson & Johnson, Belgium

Sophie Hernot, VUB, Belgium

Elisabeth Herrero, Sanofi, Belgium

Katrien Moerloose, VIB-UGent, Belgium

Kaat Neckermann, Johnson & Johnson, Belgium

Alberto Pereira, GSK, Belgium

Thomas Steckler, Johnson & Johnson, Belgium

Workshop 6: Implementing Organ and Tissue Exchange: Platforms, Workflows and Regulatory Guidance

BCLAS promotes the responsible sharing of laboratory animals, organs, and tissues through its website, supporting collaboration between researchers and contributing directly to the implementation of the 3Rs—particularly the Reduction principle.

This workshop will explore how organ and tissue exchange can be managed within laboratories of a single institution, coordinated between different institutions, and implemented in practice.
aTune will introduce the tick@lab 3R Blackboard, a digital platform that enables researchers to share surplus animals, organs, and tissues—both internally and, if desired, with external tick@lab users.
PicoTeam will present the BioSharing platform, demonstrating how surplus animals and biological materials can be exchanged within and between institutions. The session will also cover practical workflows and real-world implementation experiences from research facilities.

In addition, a representative of the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment will provide an overview of the relevant legislation and practical requirements governing the exchange of animal organs and tissues (animal by-products), ensuring compliance within the Belgian regulatory framework.

Target audience: Scientists, and anyone interested in exchanging/obtaining tissues for research.

Presenters:

Quentin Dumont de Chassart, FOD VVVL - SPF SPSCAE, Belgium

Carl Crossley, a-tune, Germany

Alison Hopkins, a-tune, Germany (virtually)