Animal experimentation plays a fundamental role in the discover of the underlying biological mechanisms of disease, and in the developing of medical treatments. Without research in animals, we would not have most of the medicines, antibiotics, vaccines and surgical techniques that are applied nowadays in human and veterinary medicine. For more information related with this statement, a list of scientific and medical achievements can be found at Understanding Animal Research.

An important part of the research undertaken at ACHUCARRO aims at contributing to the improvement of human health and wellbeing and is carried out thanks to the use of animals, for advancing in the knowledge of the brain, for finding therapies from brain diseases like Alzheimer, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke, etc.

The welfare of animals used for research purposes is of paramount relevance for ACHUCARRO, and also the strict compliance and respect to the current legislation on the protection of animals used in research and for other scientific purposes, including education. Our aim is to achieve the highest standards in animal welfare, not only from the point of view of our moral responsibility on them, but also because we are convinced we could not achieve research excellence without proper animal welfare.

Our experiments with animals follow the legal standard and are assessed by an Ethics Committee on Animal Experimentation that promotes the ethical framework known as the “3Rs” – which stands for Replace, Reduce and Refine. Application of the 3Rs framework is required by law in the EU whenever animals are licensed for laboratory use.