International workshop on Laboratory animal science in Elavur

Chennai: Frontier Mediville and Dr.K.M Cherian Heart foundation in collaboration with University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, United States announced a two day unique International Workshop on ‘LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE’ today at Frontier Mediville, Elavur.

The workshop was inaugurated by Chief Guest Dr. J. Radhakrishnan – Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Tamilnadu, and the special address was delivered byGuest of Honor, Dr. Richard Bianco – Associate Professor of Surgery, Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine (ADJUCNT), and Director of Experimental Surgery at University of Minnesota along with Dr. John Carney, Experimental Surgical Services, University of Minnesota Department of Surgery and Dr. Stephen Garofolo, DVM, Experimental Surgical Services, University of Minnesota Department of Surgery.

The session was felicitated by Dr K Nachimuthu, National Committee Member, Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) in the presence of Dr. K M Cherian, Chairman and CEO, Frontier Lifeline Hospital, and speakers from University of Minnesota, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, LifeScience Intelligentsia and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology. There were 52 participants, mostly Vice Chancellors and Professors of Veterinary Science Universities from all over the country.

Themed ‘Animal Welfare’, the International Workshop aimed to provide experts in the field of experimental surgery with a deeper understanding of animal welfare issues. The workshop focused on the legislation, the critical issues and species-specific assessment schemes in our country.

Welcoming the gathering, Dr. K M Cherian, Chairman and CEO, Frontier Lifeline Hospital, said, “The workshop is conducted for the purpose of making public aware that we get tons and tons of influence from animals. Starting from smaller to larger animals – rats to calf , concern for animal welfare is based on the belief that non-human animals are sentient and that consideration should be given to their well-being or suffering, especially when they are under the care of humans. The workshop is to offer training and furnish scientists, young & experienced researchers with the tools they will need to excel in their projects and to become more familiar with recent advances in the field of animal welfare.”

He further stressed on the necessity of Implants of heart valves growth and research can be only done by proper animal practice. Our nation is lagging behind all these fields only because of the delay in approvals from the government. “Make in India initiative by honorable PM of India should be initiated effectively. It takes a week in China, whereas in our country, it takes two – three years for getting approval from the government. Financial Institutions like banks also should consider and understand these factors” added Dr. Cherian.

Delivering the special address and, commenting on Animal Science, Guest of Honor, Dr. Richard Bianco – Associate Professor of Surgery, Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine (ADJUCNT), and Director of Experimental Surgery at University of Minnesota, said, “The utilization of large animals in surgical research has provided enough bases to advance the knowledge of medicine for improved patient care. Especially Laboratory Animal Sciences (LAS) has been in the forefront of bio-medical research. Due to continuous ethics monitoring, the use of animals in bio-medical research has reached exceptional safety and ethical considerations. Although computer models and cell techniques have evolved, animal use in research as in vivo* models cannot be replaced yet. To revisit these basics of humane use and care of animals in research, the workshop has been organized to bring in all the experts.”

The workshop begun with introduction to advanced techniques and technology to the participants and focused on Good laboratory Practices (GLP) and CPCSEA guidelines under the guidance of Dr Richard Bianco, Dr. John P. Carney and Dr. Stephen Garofolo. They discussed about Utilization of large animals surgical research and presented a session on “Operative Technique and Monitoring Through the Postoperative Period: Surgical Approach, Cannulation, Recovery and Echocardiographic Assessment” and “Sheep as a model for heart valve research, CPB and management’.

Speakers with experienced background from recognized universities took over the second session of the workshop and shared their insights on Experimental Surgery, its importance, its regulatory authority in India, Anesthesia in large animals, Current status of experimentation on dogs and non- human primates, Development of Heart valve “trials and tribulations, Pre and post-operative care of laboratory large animal, Surgical Management of Laboratory Large Animal, and statistical analysis of pathological data. An indigenous animal model for biomedical research on Angamaly pig was also showcased.

The participants appreciated the effort made by Frontier Mediville team to engage them in this workshop; many of them expressed the desire for cementing out on animal welfare concerns and also on various topics under Experimental surgery using large animals.

*In vivo - are those in which the effects of various biological entities are tested on whole, living organisms usually animals including humans, and plants as opposed to a partial or dead organism, in a laboratory environment using test tubes, petri dishes etc.

For further information contact:

MSL GROUP

Chithra @ 9790982253/ [email protected]

Ramya @ 9003316821/ [email protected]