Pennington Biomedical Among AWI Awards to Advance the Welfare of Animals Used in Research

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to announce the 2024 winners of the Refinement Research Award, which funds research projects that develop or test novel refinement methods, and the Implementing Refinement Grant, which funds the purchase of equipment or training meant to improve the welfare of animals used in research.

Since its founding in 1951, AWI has encouraged laboratory personnel to provide animals with comfortable housing and the opportunity to engage in species-typical behaviors, while sparing them needless suffering. AWI awards individual grants of up to $15,000 to develop and demonstrate innovative methods of refinement to the housing or care of animals in research to better their lives, and grants of up to $8,000 toward the purchase of equipment or staff training.

For the first time, two funded projects focus on insect welfare. The 10 grantees are:

Refinement Research Award Winners:

• Dr. Michael Brunt of MWB Research Consulting Services to survey public attitudes about current research practices involving insects, including live dissection.

• Dr. Samuel Olutunde Durosaro, a postdoctoral scholar at Indiana University, to develop species-specific protocols to safely and humanely anesthetize insects, such as cockroaches, crickets, and yellow mealworms.

Implementing Refinement Grant Winners:

• Dr. Diana Coulon, director of Comparative Biology Core and attending veterinarian at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, to purchase materials that allow rodents to climb and perch, encouraging species-specific behaviors and providing new places to explore and hide.
• Ioan Cozma, animal health technician and coordinator of the marmoset project at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre to purchase tree branches for marmoset cages to promote natural wood-gnawing behaviors.
• Joshua Ejdelman, manager of the Animal Resources Division at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, to purchase quieter and lower-vibration wheels for carts to reduce animal stress as they are transported within facilities.
• Tania Liboiron, animal user training technician at the University of Saskatchewan, to purchase large, double-decker cages with interlinking tubes and enrichment tools, such as activity wheels and huts, to offer rats social housing without overcrowding.
• Dr. Kerith Luchins, associate professor and director of rodent clinical services at the University of Chicago, to purchase handling tunnels for mice and expand their use campus-wide to reduce animal anxiety and improve welfare.
• Dr. Carly Moody, assistant professor of animal welfare epidemiology at the University of California, Davis, to purchase elevated platforms and shelters for mice and create educational infographics about the benefits of these enrichment items.
• Dr. Vanessa Oliver, adjunct assistant professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary, to purchase pens, toys, and shelters to implement an exercise program for rabbits institution-wide that will improve their physical and mental health.
• Jenna Owens, research assistant and monkey enrichment specialist at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, to build cooperative enrichment items for singly housed primates, including tug-of-war units, puzzle feeders, and interactive touchscreen tablets, to encourage social interaction and play between animals housed next to each other.

"AWI is proud to support these innovative projects to improve the quality of life for animals used in research," said Dr. Joanna Makowska, director and senior scientist for AWI's Animals in Laboratories Program. "We recognize that laboratory personnel play a crucial role in contributing to the well-being of animals in laboratories. This grant program promotes the creation, exchange, and dissemination of ideas and information about the highest standards of care for these animals."

Last year, AWI awarded an Implementing Refinement Grant to Anna Jimenez and Dr. Marie-Chantal Giroux of McGill University to purchase transparent handling tunnels as a less-stressful alternative to picking up mice by their tails.

"We are so grateful to AWI for this opportunity," the researchers wrote. "The grant was exactly the motivation we needed to help us get the trials off the ground and develop our training resources."

Applications for the 2025 Refinement funding cycle will be available in late summer/early fall.

Media Contact Information

Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institute
margie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128

The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild.

About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center

The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. Pennington Biomedical has the vision to lead the world in promoting metabolic health and eliminating metabolic disease through scientific discoveries that create solutions from cells to society. The center conducts basic, clinical, and population research, and is a campus in the LSU System.

The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes over 600 employees within a network of 44 clinics and research laboratories, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Its scientists and physician/scientists are supported by research trainees, lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and other support personnel. Pennington Biomedical is a globally recognized state-of-the-art research institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more information, see www.pbrc.edu.

Provided by Louisiana State University