Lee GH, Han JS, Kim JS, Hart LA, Choe BI. Development of the 3Rs platform website in Korea for exchanging knowledge and sharing examples of best practice to replace laboratory animal use in education. Paper presented at: The Three Rs - Together it's possible. 8th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences; 2011 Aug 21-25; Montreal, Canada


Abstract

This year will mark the 250th world anniversary of veterinary education. Veterinary science was introduced into the Korean curriculum in 1906. There are ten veterinary medical schools in Korea. Two new Korean laws legislating animal welfare and the humane use of animals in science came into effect in 2008 and 2009. Both laws, the Animal Protection Law and the Laboratory Animal Law impose the Three Rs principles of replacement, reduction and refinement on procedures using animals and require ethical committee review prior to conducting animal experiments in research, testing and education. The joint project of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, UK and the College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Korea has set up systematic procedures to promote awareness of moral and ethical issues based on sound science from 2008 to 2010. Our research discovered that the need for development and implementation of well-proven alternatives to animals in education is clearly recognized by a majority of the veterinary professors and students. At this early stage, alternatives to the use of laboratory animals are often viewed as supplementary educational teaching aids, rather than replacements for animals. For a teacher with a busy teaching schedule and a traditional curriculum already in place, the prospect of adopting new and unfamiliar materials with a language barrier could be daunting. We are undertaking the development of the 3Rs platform website in Korea to provide user friendly alternative teaching resources collaborating with global experts and the Alternatives Research & Development Foundation.

 



Author's contacts: lisagh@daum.net

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Link to journal: ALTEX - Alternatives to Animal Experimentation