Aviemore Hosts Best Ever Animal Welfare Congress

7th March 2008

This week a key meeting in the biomedical research community's calendar enjoyed an outstandingly successful visit to Aviemore in Scotland. The annual scientific congress, devoted to advancing knowledge and promoting excellence in the science and practice of laboratory animal care and welfare, took place at the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 4th, 5th and 6th March 2008.

Congress is the formal annual meeting of the Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) which is the professional body for the estimated 8,000 animal technologists who are responsible for the care and welfare of animals used in biomedical research centres within the UK. Animal technologists are highly trained scientific and technology specialists who look after laboratory animals in universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and biomedical research organisations throughout the UK. For more details visit www.iat.org.uk and www.medicalmouse.org.uk

Looking back at Congress IAT member and spokesperson Karen Gardner said: "We couldn't be more delighted with how Congress went. Many of my colleagues agreed this was the best venue for many years, the MacDonald Hotel Aviemore Resort Conference facilities are second to none. It is a busy meeting, with lots going on and many people moving too and fro during the day. The accommodation, food and perhaps most of all the service, were outstanding and contributed to a Congress we all feel marked a new highpoint for the way we work together for the benefit of our animals and of medical research."

Approximately 440 delegates attended Congress, with members of the IAT travelling to this important scientific meeting from all over the UK, European and the USA. Delegates ranged from your scientists attending their first scientific meeting though to internationally known figures from the UK and abroad. A high proportion of those attending hold post graduates and graduate science qualifications. The IAT welcomed to Congress distinguished visitors from the UK Government, UK universities and the UK and USA biomedical research and wider scientific community.

The Congress platform programme includes presentations of scientific papers and expert perspective on key issues for laboratory animal technologists and biomedical research scientists.

The presentation of scientific papers is a central activity at Congress and this year visiting authorities addressed delegates on a variety of subjects, included this year were papers on: Welfare Benchmarking for Laboratory Animals; The Trials and Tribulations of a New Animal Facility; Can Caring for Laboratory Animals be Classified and Emotional Labour?; and, Can We Teach Old Pigs New Tricks

Judy MacArthur Clark who is the Chief Inspector of the home Office Animals Scientific Procedures Inspectorate, gave a very well attended presentation on recent change at the inspectorate.

Other subjects covered included developing more effective training programmes, the value of minimising stress in laboratory animals, advanced metabolic phenotyping and the husbandry requirements of Zebrafish.

In total 17 eminent scientists, and other experts, gave presentations during a varied and packed two day programme on the Congress main platform.

The Congress presentations were complemented by a workshop programme giving delegates the opportunity to work closely with visiting experts in specialist fields. This year the IAT offered its members workshops on education and training opportunities, behavioural phenotyping and animals husbandry training.

A trade exhibition, featuring over 46 exhibitors drawn from all sectors of the biomedical research community, took place alongside Congress. The organisations exhibiting at IAT Congress 2008 represent the leading exponents of new developments in welfare advances, technology, equipment and developments in best practice in caring for laboratory animals.

Karen Gardner explains the importance of Congress: "Animal technologists are constantly engaged in meeting two key challenges - to improve the standard of welfare for laboratory animals, and to exploit the best new scientific practice and knowledge to maximise the effectiveness of all laboratory animal studies, the vast majority of which are carried out to improve animal and human healthcare."

"Colleagues attending Congress included members of teams researching medicines and treatments for animal and human cancer, AIDs, cystic fibrosis, animal and human inflammatory diseases and Alzheimer's disease - among others. "

"Congress is an unrivalled opportunity to meet with colleagues and share newly acquired knowledge and expertise. The importance of animal studies, which form about 5% of the work needed to develop safe, effective new medicines, makes it imperative that we understand and make use of every improvement in our understanding of the welfare needs of laboratory animals, and of the innovations in animal laboratory science and technology."

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