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. 2024 Oct 8;14(19):2896.
doi: 10.3390/ani14192896.

Interdisciplinary Animal Research Ethics-Challenges, Opportunities, and Perspectives

Marcel Mertz  1 , Tatiana Hetzel  1 , Karla Alex  2 , Katharina Braun  3 , Samuel Camenzind  4 , Rita Dodaro  5   6 , Svea Jörgensen  7 , Erich Linder  8   9 , Sara Capas-Peneda  10   11 , Eva Ingeborg Reihs  12 , Vini Tiwari  13   14   15 , Zorana Todorović  16   17 , Hannes Kahrass  1 , Felicitas Selter  1
Affiliations

Interdisciplinary Animal Research Ethics-Challenges, Opportunities, and Perspectives

Marcel Mertz et al. Animals (Basel). .

Erratum in

Abstract

Can nonhuman animals be used for the benefit of humans in a scientifically and morally justified manner and, if yes, how? Based on our own experiences as scholars from various academic backgrounds, we argue that this question can only be answered as an interdisciplinary and international endeavor, considering insights from research ethics and animal ethics as well as scientific and legal aspects. The aim of this article is to contribute to the foundation of the emerging field of animal research ethics. In doing so, we describe the following seven phases of animal research experiments: ethical, legal and social presumptions (phase 0), planning (phase I), review (phase II), conduct of experiments (phase III), publication/dissemination (phase IV), further exploitation of results (phase V), and evaluation (phase VI). In total, 16 key ethical, legal, and practical challenges that an ethical framework for the use of animals in research needs to address are identified and analyzed. Finally, we characterize the following four meta-challenges and opportunities associated with animal research ethics as a field: (1) moral pluralism, (2) the integration of views and positions outside the laboratory, (3) international plurality of conduct, standards, and legal norms, and (4) interdisciplinary education.

Keywords: 3Rs; animal ethics; animal ethics committees; animal experimentation; animal law; harm–benefit analysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they do not have conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Seven phases of animal research (viewed from animal research ethics).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Natural breeding laws out of control of researchers and the problem of surplus animals.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A vicious cycle that leads to more rather than less animal testing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Beauchamp T.L., DeGrazia D. Principles of Animal Research Ethics. Oxford University Press; New York, NY, USA: 2020.

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