5th International Conference of the Basel Declaration Society on 'Openness and Transparency: Building Trust in Animal Research' (San Francisco, February 14/15, 2018)

ZURICH, February 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

More than 100 scientists, animal welfare officers, representatives of advocacy groups and stakeholders from different countries met for a 2-day conference in San Francisco to discuss how to improve transparency and to increase the public understanding of the essential contributions that animal research makes to modern life science and biomedical research. The conference was organized by the international Basel Declaration Society (BDS) in close collaboration with Americans for Medical Progress (AMP), the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) and the Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR).

Research with animals continues to be indispensable for understanding basic physiological mechanisms and develop and improve therapies for humans and animals alike. Nevertheless, there is sometimes little knowledge and understanding for these key issues by the general public. To identify the most efficient strategies to improve the understanding of animal research a variety of aspects were covered: the importance of developing strategies for openness in communication, establishment of transparency as well as possible challenges and risks connected to such efforts. In addition, some of the prime efforts and established modes of communication that aim to inform the general public about issues concerning research involving animals and the efforts to improve the well-being of laboratory animals were discussed. An impressive patient account exemplified how novel therapies developed using animal models improve human health and saves lives.

Four workshops were dedicated to the establishment of general principles on how institutions and scientists should move forward to openness and transparent communication of animal research. In particular strategies on how to increase the outreach to the young generation using online communication and social media/networks were discussed. Furthermore, the participants debated ways to improve the care and welfare of laboratory animals and to promote the implementation of the 3R principles (refine, reduce, replace) into daily research practice.

The strategy and policy papers summarizing the milestones and deliverables of these workshops will be soon available for download from the Basel Declaration Society website (http://www.basel-declaration.org). For further information please contact: contact@basel-declaration.org

About Basel Declaration Society (BDS) 

Like the Helsinki Declaration, which forever altered the ethical landscape of human clinical research, the aim of the Basel Declaration is to bring the scientific community together to further advance the implementation of ethical principles such as the 3Rs whenever animals are being used and to call for more trust, transparency and communication on the sensitive topic of animals in research. The Basel Declaration Society, founded on October 5th, 2011, strives to promote the Basel Declaration.

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SOURCE Basel Declaration Society