Replacement
Use non-animal methods, simulations, existing data, tissue systems, or other validated alternatives when suitable.
Animal Care & Use in Research Policy
Use animals only when justified. Protect welfare at every stage.
The JR Institute intends to permit animal research only through appropriate scientific justification, independent review, veterinary oversight, humane care, trained personnel, and ongoing monitoring.
Developing Framework
This page presents a planned public standard. A qualified animal-care and use review process, veterinary program, facilities, training, and incident-reporting system should be established before animal research begins.
Policy Purpose
Scientific value does not remove the duty to prevent unnecessary harm.
Animal research may be considered only when the question cannot be answered adequately through validated alternatives and when expected knowledge or public benefit justifies the work.
The Institute should apply replacement, reduction, and refinement throughout planning, approval, care, procedures, monitoring, and study completion.
Core Principles
Replace where possible, reduce where necessary, and refine every procedure.
Reduction
Use the minimum number of animals consistent with valid design, safety, and meaningful results.
Refinement
Modify procedures, handling, housing, anesthesia, analgesia, and endpoints to reduce pain and distress.
Veterinary Oversight
Provide qualified veterinary authority over health, welfare, treatment, emergency care, and humane endpoints.
Independent Review
Require protocol review by qualified persons with scientific, veterinary, welfare, and community perspectives.
Competent Personnel
Permit procedures only by trained people working within approved qualifications and supervision.
Scope
This policy is intended to apply to live vertebrate animals used in research, testing, teaching, demonstration, breeding, field study, observation, or the development of biological materials.
Work performed through collaborators, contractors, field sites, or outside institutions should also meet applicable review and welfare requirements.
Independent Protocol Review
No covered animal activity should begin before a qualified review body has approved the scientific purpose, species, numbers, procedures, pain category, housing, endpoints, personnel, and veterinary plan.
Reviewers should be free of unmanaged conflicts and should have authority to require changes, suspend work, or withhold approval.
Alternatives and Scientific Justification
Investigators should explain why animal use is necessary and describe the search for suitable alternatives.
- Computer models and simulation
- Cell, tissue, organoid, or ex vivo systems
- Existing datasets, specimens, or published evidence
- Noninvasive human research when appropriate
- Alternative species or less sentient organisms
Convenience, habit, or historical practice alone is not sufficient justification for animal use.
Animal Numbers and Study Design
Proposed numbers should be supported by scientific design, prior evidence, statistical reasoning, expected variability, breeding needs, attrition, humane endpoints, and avoidance of unnecessary duplication.
Too few animals may waste lives through an inconclusive study; too many may create unjustified harm.
Pain, Distress, Anesthesia, and Humane Endpoints
Procedures should use appropriate anesthesia, analgesia, sedation, monitoring, supportive care, and humane endpoints unless a scientifically necessary exception receives specific justification and approval.
Unexpected pain or distress should trigger veterinary evaluation, treatment, protocol review, modification, or humane euthanasia when necessary.
Housing, Husbandry, Enrichment, and Environmental Conditions
Animals should receive species-appropriate housing, nutrition, water, sanitation, temperature, ventilation, light cycles, social conditions, enrichment, observation, and emergency care.
Exceptions should be scientifically justified, time-limited, independently reviewed, and monitored for welfare impact.
Training and Occupational Health
Personnel should be trained in species-specific handling, procedures, anesthesia, analgesia, aseptic technique, recognition of pain, emergency response, euthanasia, and recordkeeping.
Occupational-health programs should address allergies, bites, zoonotic disease, injuries, chemicals, biological hazards, reproductive risks, and other exposure concerns.
Protocol Changes and Continuing Review
Material changes to species, numbers, procedures, pain level, personnel, housing, endpoints, drugs, surgery, or study purpose should be reviewed before implementation.
Immediate changes may be made when necessary to protect animal welfare, with prompt reporting afterward.
Unexpected Events, Noncompliance, and Reporting
Unexpected deaths, injuries, escapes, prolonged distress, equipment failures, environmental problems, protocol deviations, inadequate care, or other welfare concerns should be reported promptly.
Good-faith reports should be protected from retaliation and reviewed by qualified, unconflicted personnel.
Study Completion, Records, and Disposition
At study completion, investigators should reconcile animals, document outcomes, preserve required records, resolve unused specimens or materials, and arrange lawful, humane disposition.
Records should support traceability, welfare review, scientific integrity, sponsor requirements, and institutional accountability.
Framework date: July 2026
Animal Welfare Lifecycle
Justify, review, care, monitor, and close every study responsibly.
- Justify the need. Demonstrate scientific value and consider alternatives.
- Review independently. Evaluate species, numbers, pain, care, personnel, and endpoints.
- Provide humane care. Maintain health, housing, enrichment, treatment, and emergency support.
- Monitor continuously. Track welfare, deviations, injuries, environmental conditions, and unexpected outcomes.
- Close and learn. Reconcile records, preserve findings, address deficiencies, and improve future practice.
Animal Welfare Questions or Concerns
Report concerns about care, procedures, housing, training, or protocol compliance.
Inquiries may concern a proposed study, animal welfare, unexpected injury, inadequate care, environmental conditions, protocol deviation, or suspected noncompliance.
Submit an Animal Care Inquiry
Identify the activity, location, species, date, concern, immediate risk, and any supporting information.
Contact the Institute