Research at the Bf3R

Since its formation in 2015, the German Center for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) has increasingly based its work on its own research.

 The Bf3R's research focuses on the following three sub-areas of the 3Rs principle:

• Replace: Development of new alternative methods to animal testing
  In its own laboratories, the Bf3R is developing cell and tissue culture as well as in vivo alternative model-based methods to replace animal experiments. In particular, these methods will be advanced by the use of modern imaging techniques at the ultrastructural level. The aim is to lay the foundations for the development of new alternative methods to animal experiments for basic research as well as toxicological assessment.

• Reduce: Development of methods to reduce the number of laboratory animals
  In addition to experimental research, new biometric approaches will be used to assess the use and number of animal experiments in order to develop new proposals for reducing the number of laboratory animals.

• Refine: Research into methods to reduce pain or suffering of laboratory animals
  The Bf3R is researching measures to reduce distress in all laboratory animal species and identifying objective criteria for assessing distress.