Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
12th. International Drug Chemistry Conference, Antalya, Türkiye, 7 - 10 Mart 2024, ss.132, (Özet Bildiri)
With the European Union directive 2010/63/EC, which entered into force in 2010, improvements were made to reduce the number of animals used for experimental purposes. Even though in silico and in vitro studies have reduced the number of animals used in experimental research, animal testing is still necessary for the discovery of novel drugs, and rules mandate the use of two species of animals in these investigations (1). To minimize animal usage, it is essential to carefully arrange the experimental design, resulting in preventing unnecessary expenditure of time and resources.
A well-planned experimental design aims to minimize non-experimental variables that may affect the study during the research process. This can only be done through standardization. In laboratory animal science, standardization applies to the care-housing circumstances, the genetic and/or microbiological features of the animals, training of the facility staff, and researchers who will carry out the study.
Animals are the main material of the experimental method. Standardization of the species, strain, sex, age, genetic traits (such as humanized mice), and microbiological characterization (such as SPF) of these animals is necessary. The next element that should be mentioned in the experimental method is animal housing and care conditions. To guarantee the well-being and living conditions of these animals, the facility must possess the necessary infrastructure and equipment to meet the standard requirements outlined in the worldwide literature. Animal caretakers and technicians must receive species-specific training to ensure standardized care as well as the researchers who should have species-specific certification of the animal species they will be handling. A well-designed study must standardize the methods used on animals, and this can be achieved by repeating the procedures often. Pilot studies can provide data for the main study's power analysis (2) and establish handedness.
Conclusion: Standardization is crucial for ensuring the validity and accuracy of research findings. Furthermore, standardization helps to confirm that the results obtained are not influenced by external factors and can be consistently replicated. It allows for better comparison and interpretation of data, as well as facilitating the integration of findings from different studies. Therefore, researchers must prioritize standardization to maintain the integrity and credibility of their research. Ultimately, this will lead to more reliable and accurate conclusions, which can be applied to improve human health outcomes.