ILACUC Highlights for April-September 2003

First, I must apologize for not getting this report out every month, which was the goal. The number of projects approved by ILACUC grows every month and the number of animals that will be used for these projects reaches the thousands. The number of experiments were pain and/or distress will NOT be relieved continues to climb. And the experiments which are designed to actually help humans declines.

Data being requested from OSU concerning these experiments is also taking longer to receive. We are not released information until the experiment has reached the final approval stage. And some principal investigators are claiming trade secret status and so the data from those protocols is in limbo, while legal evaluates the claim.

Here is a summary of protocols approved since the last report was sent.

The second quarter of 2003 (April/May/June) brought new protocol reviews to 98 new protocols (10 "E" category, 2 pending, waiting for clarifications to determine if an E category.). Amendments to current active protocols has also increased animal numbers dramatically. Active protocols can date back to their first approval in 1998. Below are just a sampling of the amendments:

1,475 additional mice (640 mice for the Sheridan - Stress and Aging experiment - Pain Code 4E).

July/August/September 2003, brings the total of approved protocols to 134. ( One "new" E category. For the year to date, 13 "E" category protocols.)

Note: animals numbers from amendments are not included in the OSU Animal Usage numbers. See the chart on the main OSU Research page for 2003 animal numbers.

New Protocols

03A0047 - Exercise-Induced Mechanisms of Muscle Adaptation in MDX Mice - Steven T. Devor - Pain Code= 7D
The ILACUC approved use of 20 mdx and 20 C57/BL mice. The MDX mouse is a model for human Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The experimenter is asking whether exercise (endurance swim training) will alter the effects of the disease state on skeletal & cardiac muscle.

03A0027 - Effects of Repeated Amphetamine Injections on Attention - Martin Sarter - Pain Code=3C
150 rats approved for use in this protocol. This work "may provide a good model for examining the persistent changes in the brain and behavior that results from chronic use of amphetamine. ..This experiment is designed to test the hypothesis that, following an initial repeated exposure to amphetamine, enduring effects of amphetamine on attentional performance can be documented."

03A0100 - Effects of Escalating Doses of Amphetamine on Attention - Martin Sarter - Pain Code = 3C
125 rats approved for use in this protocol. The rats require 8-10 weeks of training to enter the experiment. Rats will receive escalating amphetamine doses over a 6 week period, each day excluding weekends. "the present experiment will assess the effects of such an escalating amphetamine treatment on attentional function in rats."

03A0127 - another amphetamine study - Martin Sarter - Pain Code =
84 rats approved for use in this protocol - awaiting Sept minutes and copy of protocol.

Your taxpayer dollars are again going to animal experimentation to help solve a human problem. How many more animals (cats, rats, non-human primates) have to die to understand why humans take drugs? It is time this type of animal experimentation is halted and funding be moved to work that directly helps people. Unless you speak out the change will not take place.

See the retraction of the John Hopkins ecstasy study

03A0048 - Zebrafish Neuronal Nicotine Acetylcholine Receptors - R. Thomas Boyd

Approved to use 50K zebrafish

Boyd provided a Letter to the Editor in the Columbus Dispatch, discussing this protocol and why OSU accepted the funding from Phillip Morris. Acceptance of the Phillip Morris grant resulted in the withdrawing of three-year, $540,000 grant from the Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation, which was to be used to provide anti-tobacco services to adults in Ross and Vinton counties.

It should be noted that Boyd neglected to tell the readers of the letter that he was receipt of the three-year, $590,000 grant from Phillip Morris.

03A0066 - SAGE in Cerebellum After Alcohol Exposure - Andrej Rotter - Pain Code = 3C

Approved for use 72 mice

More data to follow - Sept. 29, 2003

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These information above was taken from the OSU ILACUC minutes, protocols, and monitoring the OSU ILACUC committee.