the diversity of 3r research
The reduction of suffering, stress and pain in the keeping of laboratory animals and during animal experiments are a central component of the 3R concept. 'Refinement' often takes a backseat alongside the areas of 'Reduce' and 'Replace', but is of crucial importance for the animal welfare of laboratory animals. The 3R Center supports research projects that directly address the aspect of refinement in the Rhine-Neckar region.
current research projects
In order to refine animal welfare and treatment, two research projects are currently being carried out at the ZI-Mannheim. The first project focuses on the implementation of a social behavior system for rats (ActualHCA-System), which enables the tracking of individual behavioral data (movement, social interaction, eating, drinking) within a group housing. The implementation of this system will make experimental single animal husbandry of rats superfluous (e.g. when measuring specific behavioral endpoints) and could therefore be a milestone in improving animal welfare. The second project focuses on developing a non-invasive drug delivery system for the central nervous system. The blood-brain barrier represents a major hurdle for many new treatment drugs in preclinical research. This either leads to a very high peripheral invasive dosage (e.g. intraperitoneal) or to surgical applications (intracerebroventricular). Therefore, we would like to develop an intranasal application that can bypass the blood-brain barrier and deliver therapeutic molecules to the central nervous system efficiently and precisely.