Even though the origins of these difficulties are multi-causal, there is a consensus for a reevaluation of preclinical research strategies. Meta analytic approaches have described a lack of methodological rigor in execution and reporting of experimental findings that persists even when guidelines like ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) give clear guidance on these issues. Examples are flawed study designs with lack of appropriate controls, non-blinded investigators, and low statistical power.
That is, it is equally important to choose the correct preclinical model and to study the model in an unbiased way. Implementing these guidelines and associated techniques in laboratories requires education with the express purpose of saving money and lives and the motivation to establishing a firm connection between preclinical researchers and the reality of the diseases they study, i.e. the patients. This PhD course will address best practices and pitfalls in preclinical animal research.
The course is a joint project between Charité Berlin, QUEST Center at the Berlin Institute of Health, and Charité 3R – Replace | Reduce | Refine
Keynote lecture
by Professor Hanno Würbel, Bern
Course content will cover but is not limited to:
- Experimental standards and reproducibility
- Preclinical guidelines (ARRIVE)
- Preregistration of preclinical studies/Registered Reports
- Study designs of Randomization, blinding, appropriate controls
- Age, Gender, co-morbidities and medication
- Statistics and preclinical studies (effect size, sources of variation, value of p-value · 3R in animal research)
The course itself is free, but participants have to arrange for their accommodation and travel themselves. Costs for this are not covered.