Searching and review on the Three Rs information in Korea: time for quality assessment and continued education

Abstract

Scientists planning research that involves the use of animals arerequired by international and/or national law to examine thepossibilities for the implementation of Replacement, Reductionand/or Refinement (the Three Rs principles of Russell and Burch)in experiments for research, testing, and education. There aretwo Korean laws legislating humane use of animals and ethicalreview prior to animal experiments. This report reviews currentpractice of the literature search by the researchers and protocolreview by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees onthe Replacement, Reduction and Refinement alternatives inKorea. The promotion and protection of the laboratory animalsare one of the core competencies of investigators exploring theethical conduct of research and good science. (BMB Reports2013; 46(7): 335-337]

Keywords

• Education
• IACUC review
• Literature search
• Quality assessment
• Three Rs alternatives