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Research Review 2019 Research Review 2019 Pioneering Better Science About the NC3Rs Contents 1 Introduction 04 2 Case studies 08 Ferrets and flu transmission studies Professor Wendy Barclay: Imperial College London 10 The National Centre for the Replacement, We support the commitment of the Refinement and Reduction of Animals scientific community to the 3Rs by Fly infectivity assay for prion disease Dr Raymond Bujdoso: University of Cambridge 12 in Research (NC3Rs) is a scientific funding research and early career organisation that leads the discovery development, facilitating open innovation Bioreactor for Cryptosporidium oocysts and application of new technologies and the commercialisation of 3Rs Professor Joanne Cable: Cardiff University 14 and approaches that minimise the use technologies, and stimulating changes Blood flow in mouse stroke models of animals in research and improve in policy, regulations, and practice. Professor Claire Gibson: University of Nottingham 16 animal welfare (the 3Rs). Self-structuring bone in vitro Further information can be found Professor Liam Grover: University of Birmingham 18 at www.nc3rs.org.uk We collaborate with scientists Zebrafish and skin cancer research and organisations from across Dr David Hill: Newcastle University 20 the life sciences sector, nationally Pathways for cardiotoxicity and internationally, including Dr Luigi Margiotta-Casaluci: Brunel University London 22 universities, the pharmaceutical, Virtual heart for drug screening chemical and consumer products Professor Blanca Rodriguez: University of Oxford 24 industries, other research funders, MRI and pancreatic cancer and regulatory authorities. Dr Jane Sosabowski: Queen Mary University of London 26 TB challenge in vitro Dr Rachel Tanner: University of Oxford 28 Dancing parasites and mice Dr Joseph Turner: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine 30 Flies and neuronal ageing research Dr Alessio Vagnoni: King’s College London 32 3 Annexes 34 References 36 2019NC3Rs researcher-led funding schemes 38 4 | 7 Research Review 2019 Funding research is a key part of the NC3Rs strategy to provide robust and reliable 3Rs models, technologies and tools that enhance scientific discovery. We have demonstrated that research focused With strategic grants and highlight notices, on the 3Rs not only leads to reductions in we have continued to target funding in animal use and improvements in animal welfare, areas where there are specific concerns but also to wider impacts that benefit human about the numbers of animals used or their and animal health, protect the environment, welfare, or where there are opportunities and generate commercial opportunities. to build capacity or take advantage of new technologies with 3Rs potential. Over the last Since the NC3Rs was launched in 2004, we five years, we have made awards totalling have committed £62.3M in grants and early £25M, covering a range of strategically career awards to advance the 3Rs. Of this, important areas from replacing animal models £39.4M (63%) was for research focusing on of bovine TB research through to encouraging Introduction replacement, £10.1M (16%) for refinement, the use of human tissue. and £12.8M (21%) for reduction. This balance across the ‘Rs’ primarily reflects the focus of the applications that are submitted. Since the NC3Rs Applications are reviewed by expert independent panels using rigorous criteria to assess both the quality of the scientific was launched in proposal and potential 3Rs impacts. 2004, we have Based on our experience and feedback from the community, we have recently committed £62.3M evolved the researcher-led schemes that we 1 offer. We have introduced two new funding in grants and early schemes; training fellowships to promote the development of early career scientists career awards to with less than three years’ post-doctoral experience, and skills and knowledge transfer advance the 3Rs. awards to help bridge the ‘valley of death’ that exists between the development and application of established 3Rs tools into routine practice. 6 | 7 Research Review 2019 in partnership with F1000Research to provide Working in partnership with other research funders To date, we have a platform for our grant holders to report their and organisations has been critical to our success and 3Rs model development, detail its performance made 332 awards characteristics and how it was validated. The we have secured co-funding from other public sector gateway is open access with open peer review at 80 research allowing immediate access and transparency. and charitable organisations to support our remit. There are already eight papers on the gateway, institutions, funding which in total have been viewed 5,500 times, more than 560 with 840 downloads. This has increased the number of awards we leaders, nurturing early career researchers is In this review, we provide case studies from are able to make and extended our reach across particularly important. We invest considerable principal and across our portfolio showing the breadth of the a range of disciplines. Since 2014 we have resource in additional opportunities to engage in science we fund through our various schemes received £2.8M for co-funding opportunities, the 3Rs, for example through dedicated summer co-investigators and the 3Rs and scientific impacts we deliver. working in partnership with the BBSRC, EPSRC schools and training events, that also cater In some cases, the grant holders we showcase and the British Heart Foundation. This year, for the development of transferable skills that and supporting have had more than one NC3Rs award, and we we have new funding collaborations with underpin a successful career in science. describe the value this has had in widening the Cancer Research UK for grants to facilitate the development impact and inspiring other advances. the sharing of 3Rs approaches across the It is essential that the 3Rs impacts of the cancer research community, and with Unilever science we support are widely disseminated of 144 PhD students Finally, we would like to thank the MRC and for PhD studentships focusing on non-animal and implemented. We work closely with our BBSRC, our core funders, for their sustained approaches for safety testing. researchers to ensure the 3Rs advances they support which has allowed us to invest in deliver not only benefit their own laboratories and fellows. amazing science and talented individuals. but are shared across their institute and 63% of the awards field through publications, workshops and Dr Vicky Robinson CBE presentations. In some instances, maximising Discovery Catapult at Alderley Park, who will Chief Executive have been for these benefits requires further research, scale- match the funding we commit with in-kind Professor Stephen Holgate CBE up or commercialisation, and access to industrial contributions such as access to specialist Chairman replacement, 16% collaborators is key. We facilitate this through our equipment and facilities. The first awards will CRACK IT Solutions partnering hub and seed- be made in the Spring. for refinement and funding scheme to enable grant holders to work with potential end-users in the pharmaceutical, Many of the publications that describe research 21% for reduction. biotechnology and (agro)chemical industry funded by the NC3Rs report primary findings sectors nationally and internationally. only. While this is important in showing how We provide scientists across the life Recently, we have introduced the Technologies 3Rs models, tools and technologies can be sciences with an opportunity to engage in to Tools (T2T) scheme, with awards of up used, helping to build confidence in new 3Rs research regardless of their career stage. to £50k, to support the translation of in approaches, it can mean that the detailed To date, we have made 332 awards at 80 vitro models and non-animal technologies, methodology is not published. This limits the research institutions, funding more than 560 developed with NC3Rs grant funding, into ability of others to understand or use the 3Rs principal and co-investigators and supporting research tools that can be applied effectively model, tool or technology and can prevent the the development of 144 PhD students and in the pharmaceutical industry. The T2T work from being reproduced. To address this, fellows. As the next generation of research scheme is in partnership with the Medicines in May 2018 we launched the NC3Rs Gateway 8 | 7 Research Review 2019 Case 2 Studies 10 | 11 Research Review 2019 A typical experiment designed to test when Added value during the infection transmission occurs uses In 2017, Wendy presented the IVTT at the four donor ferrets and depending on the number Ferrets and flu ‘Transmission of Respiratory Viruses: From of time points up to 64 sentinel animals. The basic knowledge to evidence-based options studies do not completely recapitulate what for control’ conference in Hong Kong. happens in humans where contact is much Subsequently groups in the USA and Japan transmission studies shorter in duration and may be over a greater have adopted a similar device, further reducing distance. Better understanding of how much the use of ferrets. Based on the work supported infectious virus a ferret exhales and its stability by the NC3Rs funding, Wendy has secured a in airborne droplets could improve the relevance £1.2M Wellcome Collaborative Award to study of the studies to humans and help explain why the evolution of the influenza virus, which will Professor Wendy Barclay was awarded funding some viral
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