At UKHSA we are committed to openness and accountability in our use of animals in research - ensuring ethical standards, advancing public health and fostering trust through transparency.
The UK continually faces a wide range of health security threats. The mission of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is to protect our communities from infectious diseases and the impact of chemical, radiological and other environmental health hazards. Scientific research is fundamental to achieving these goals. Currently, some of this research requires the use of animals to model the complexities of the human immune system and other important physiological functions to investigate how we respond to infections and other challenges to our wellbeing.
Animal research plays an essential role in understanding how infectious, radiological, chemical and other environmental agents impact human health (Fig 1). The biological similarities between humans and other species means that they can, on some occasions, be the only effective model for research where responses to agents are too complex to be modelled in any other way. Alongside other evolving technologies such as tissue and organ culture, the animal work conducted at UKHSA provides an essential capability for health security as well as opportunities for scientific advancement in collaboration with international funders.
More specifically, animals are used within UKHSA research to:
Further details of animal studies conducted by UKHSA establishments can be viewed here.
Use of animals for research in the UK is governed by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) This stipulates that animal research can only be performed under a specified Project Licence (PPL), within an organisation with a Place Establishment Licence (PEL), and by individuals holding a Personal Licence (PIL). ASPA is implemented and regulated by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) with the Home Office. More information on ASPA and its operation can be found here.
In addition, there is guidance on the responsible acquisition and use of animal derived materials that are used in research, including ethical awareness and welfare considerations. Click the below link to the UKRIO Ethical Framework to find out more.
One requirement of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) is to have an Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) to ensure that the use of animals is carefully considered, justified and performed to high standards; all opportunities for reduction, refinement and replacement (the 3Rs) are implemented; and the four commitments of the Understanding Animal Research (UAR) Concordat on Openness are upheld.
The PEL holder at each site has overall responsibility for the implementation of ASPA and the operation of the AWERB. The 3 AWERBs function locally but work collaboratively to share best practice, reporting quarterly into the UKHSA Science Governance Committee.
Across the 3 UKHSA sites (Fig 4) using animals in their research, an average of 3400 procedures are typically performed on animals per year. This is less than 6% of the number of procedures performed by the top 10 UK organisations carrying out the most animal research, which reported over 60,580 (10th) to 223,787 (1st) procedures on animals in 2023. Click for more information on how UKHSA compares to other UK organisations and how the UK compares to other European nations.
UKHSA Porton, performs the most procedures (70%), followed by UKHSA Chilton (27%) and UKHSA Colindale (3%). The majority of these procedures are performed on mice (47%) followed by guinea pigs (31.5 %), hamsters (14%), ferrets (3%), and non-human primates, rabbits, rats and turkeys (4.5% total) (Fig 5). The vast proportion of these animals suffer no, mild or moderate harm. UKHSA Porton performs the most procedures (70%), followed by UKHSA Chilton (27%) and UKHSA Colindale (3%) (Fig 5). Click here for more information on UKHSA animal use for 2023 and previous years.
The guiding principles underpinning the humane use of animals in scientific research are called the 3Rs, Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. These principles aim to minimize harm to animals while maximising the scientific value of research. This guidance is designed to ensure that animal research is conducted ethically and responsibly, while still allowing for the advancement of scientific knowledge and public health.
Replacement is the use of non-animal alternatives in place of animals. While suitable non-animal alternatives that completely model the complex human health responses to environmental hazards or pathogens are currently unavailable, UKHSA is working on multiple new approach methodologies (NAMs). This includes Organ on a Chip, systems to help develop vaccines, drugs and therapeutics against a broad range of dangerous infectious diseases including MERS and Influenza viruses. In the long term, we anticipate that this research will accelerate the rate of development of novel medicines. In addition, we are developing and validating new cell-based tests to support animal-free chemical safety regulations.
Reduction involves minimising the number of animals while maintaining the validity of the data collected, ensuring that no animals are used unnecessarily.
At UKHSA we use in-vitro screening of potential countermeasures wherever possible, and we have established a comprehensive archive of animal blood and tissues that can be shared across the organisation to develop new technologies or apply new analysis that will enhance our interpretation of previously conducted studies, removing the need for additional animals.
Refinement is centred around improving the experience of the research animal by minimising pain, suffering, distress and harm. At UKHSA practices are regularly assessed and updated to enhance animal wellbeing at every opportunity. Examples of refinement include housing animals in socially compatible groups wherever possible, provision of enrichment appropriate to the species and the use of NC3Rs guidelines to ensure that the highest standards of animal welfare are maintained. In addition, we have refined studies through the use of advanced medical imaging that provides critical data non-invasively.