Today in the conference organized by the Region the presentation of the ‘Bologna Document 2023’. The aim is to implement the principle of the 3Rs ‘Reduction, Refinement and Replacement’ and to methodological and scientific innovation in the sector
May 4, 2023 – Foster the diffusion of alternative methods to the use of animals in the scientific experimentation. Continuing to move along the direction that Emilia-Romagna has already undertaken for twenty years now and strengthening strategies for the future.
And the shared proposal In the ‘Bologna Document 2023”, presented today during the conference organized by the Region on the occasion of twentieth anniversary of the Ethics Committee of Emilia-Romagna. The goal is to stimulate a national reflection with the prospect of activating new actions aimed at achieving the legislative objectives on animal protection, with a very clear priority: starting a transition towards those experimental methods capable of doing without animals (such as bioprintingwhich allows you to print cells and materials in three dimensions reproducing and respecting the correct architecture of the organ, or the in vitro cultivation of epithelial tissues.)
Among main addresses identified in the document: the awareness of the national political world, the dissemination of ethical principles and new training guidelines to all the actors involved, the study and dissemination of innovative experimental approaches, the updating of research funding criteria and the modification of the reporting system for experimental projects, with the provision of rewards for those more respectful of animals. TO level authorisation, the focus is on the implementation – within the technical-scientific evaluation procedure of the trials envisaged by the legislative decree 26/14 – of principle of the 3Rs (Reduction, Refinement e Replacement), i.e. the reduction of the number of animals, the refinement of methods that alleviate or minimize suffering and stress, finally the replacement of animal testing methods with methods that do not involve animals.
Proposals that have been shared by all conference participants: representatives of the regional councilorship for health policies, Ministry of Health, Farmindustria, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Centro 3R, Italian platform for alternative methods, National Reference Center for alternative methods, Working group on alternative methods within to the National Committee for the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes and the Anti-Vivisection League.
“The Emilia-Romagna Region – comments the Councilor for Health Policies, Raffaele Donini– it was among the first in Italy to adopt a law for the protection of animal life and welfare in the field of scientific research, and the twenty years of the Regional Ethics Committee testify that sensitivity towards this issue has been high for a long time . We hope the proposal that we are launching today will represent, even at a national level, a further step forward for the protection of animals and the progressive abandonment of the techniques that still require their use”.
The commitment of the Emilia-Romagna Region
Dal 2012 al 2019 the Emilia-Romagna Region has allocated 400 thousand euros to the financing of 12 projects aimed at the study of alternative research methods to animal experimentation, initially identified directly by the Ethics Committee and then selected through a tender.
In the 2022 have been allocated 100mila euro to finance 6 research grants from 15 thousand euros for the study of methodologies in the medical field that exclude the use of laboratory animal testing and to reward them with 1,000 euros each 10 best theses graduation masterful on methodologies that aim not to use animals in research or, alternatively, to reduce or replace their use.
20 years of the Regional Ethics Committee
Established by the regional law n.20 of 2002, the Regional Ethics Committee has the task of promoting the protection of animals in their use for experimental purposes and in other scientific and educational purposes, through the dissemination of innovative experimental methodologies that do not make use of live animals . In particular, it has the task of proposing and monitoring and evaluating the activity carried out by the OPBA (Organisms in charge of Animal Welfare, present by law in every scientific institute/University in which research is carried out). Starting from 2019, the Ethics Committee is made up of representatives of the OPBAs of the Universities of the Region, of the Anti-Vivisection League and of an expert from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. The Committee subsidizes research projects and other activities on alternative methods, using the resources specially allocated in the regional budget.
The shared document (80.45 KB)