Current animal ethics requirements emphasise the principle of replacement, refinement, and reduction (3Rs) in research using animals based on established guidelines [ 154].
It has become widely accepted that whenever animals are used in scientific procedures, the 3Rs principle of replacement, reduction and refinement described by William Russell and Rex Burch should be adhered to.
The 3Rs principle of replacement, reduction and refinement has become widely accepted, and is incorporated into the legislation governing the use of animals in several EU member states and throughout the world.
From this standpoint, the universally advocated principles of replacement, reduction and refinement aim to address the ethical conflicts arising from the assumed inability of individual animals to consent to potentially harmful procedures, but such principles in fact reflect a lack of individual centrality.
In the use and care of the mice, we followed the humane research principles of replacement, reduction and refinement endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
Finally, in keeping with the ethical principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement with relation to the use of non-human primates in medical research, experiments were only repeated until statistically meaningful results were observed.
This model was further optimized keeping in mind the three Rs' principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement [ 38].
It complies also with internationally established principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement in accordance with Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory animals (NRC, 2011).
The principles of replacement, reduction and refinement should be implemented through a strict hierarchy of the requirement to use alternative methods.
This principle is reflected in the EU directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes (European Commission, 2010a), articles 11 and 39 of which state: The principles of replacement, reduction and refinement should be implemented through a strict hierarchy of the requirement to use alternative methods.
Instead, the ISC division follows a principle of random replacement of ISCs, a process called 'neutral drift' (Lopez-Garcia et al, 2010; Snippert et al, 2010).
