Individual funding

"Too many pre-clinical experiments are giving results which cannot be reproduced. This may be because the experiments are incorrectly designed. In “Completely randomized” (CR) and “Randomised block” (RB) experimental designs, both the assignment of treatments to experimental subjects and the order in which the experiment is done, are randomly determined. These designs have been used successfully in agricultural and industrial research and in clinical trials for nearly a century without excessive levels of irreproducibility. They must also be used in pre-clinical research if the excessive level of irreproducibility is to be eliminated.A survey of 100 papers involving mice and rats was used to determine whether scientists had used the CR or RB designs. The papers were assigned to three categories “Design acceptable”, “Randomised to treatment groups”, so of doubtful validity, or “Room for improvement”. Only 32±4.7% of the papers fell into the first group, although none of them actually named either the CR or RB design.If the current high level of irreproducibility is to be eliminated, it is essential that scientists engaged in pre-clinical research use “Completely randomised” (CR), “Randomised block” (RB), or one of the more specialised named experimental designs described in textbooks on the subject."

The purpose of my Ph.D.-project is to investigate mechanisms involved in chronic pain. I focus on a cell type that under normal conditions support our pain-sensing nerve cells but are proposed to contribute to the painful sensation that follows physical injury or chemotherapy treatment. By investigating the response in this cell type following physical injury or chemotherapy, we will come one step closer to understanding how nerve cells in some cases are affected to signal more intense or chronic pain. Animal Experiments are essential for investigating my questions at hand, and often require a surgical procedure on the sciatic nerve to evoke neuropathic pain in the laboratory animal. When I perform this procedure, it is crucial that I excel, to minimize suffering in the experimental animal. Therefore, I apply for funding to participate in Ph.D. courses to develop my skills in experimental surgery.

The Course covers basic training modules for researchers and personnel who perform procedures (function A), take care of animals (function C), euthanize animals (function D) and design procedures and projects (function B). We will be trained to treat laboratory animals in a right way.

Process for evaluation of project that use laboratory animals must harmonize with requirements of Directive 2010/63/EU. This grant is necessary to gain access to ETHICS IN ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION, ANIMAL WELFARE AND PROJECT EVALUATION course that is offered by Autonomy University of Barcelona. After training specialist designed Lázara Martinez will realize the annual workshop in project ethical evaluation with new knowledge acquired. After training she will offer workshops to multiplicate new knowledges to Project Leaders, Study Directors, IACUC members and project designer that care and se laboratory animals. Results of these future workshops will be published in Laboratory Animals Journal.

This training will provide researchers with an understanding of basic design concepts, give researchers the ability to use more efficient designs for their experiments, stimulate engagement with the Three Rs and enable access to expert tutors.