Mahatma gandhi-doerenkamp center for alternatives to use of animals in life science education

• Published in: Journal of pharmacology & pharmacotherapeutics 2010-07, Vol.1 (2), p.108-110
• Main Authors: Akbarsha, Mohammad Abdulkader, Pereira, Shiranee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alternatives; Analysis; Animal welfare; Biomedical research; Core curriculum; Dissection; Learning; Science education; Sciences education; Seminars; Studies; Teaching; Testing laboratories; Wildlife conservation; Workshops
• ISSN: 0976-500X; 0976-5018
• DOI: 10.4103/0976-500X.72353

At this time, there was an initiative from the Chennai chapter of People for Animals to bring in aggression in the campaigning of non-animal methods in Life Science and Biomedical Science education in India. Because Bharathidasan University had already established a mark in the campaign, spearheaded by Prof. M.A. Akbarsha and Dr. M.C. Sathyanarayana, it was proposed that a National Center for Alternatives be established at this University, with Prof. M.A. Akbarsha in the helm of affairs.\nDevelop strategy for the implementation of the 3Rs in academic and research/testing laboratories.Conduct courses on Humane Science and Alternatives in the Use of Animals in Education and Research in affiliation with universities of repute like the Oxford University Centre of Animal Ethics, UK and CAAT, Johns Hopkins University, USA, etc., for both Indian and international students.Support by way of funds and expertise high-quality research that advances the 3Rs for development of pedagogic tools computer modeling for teaching, drug development, basic biomedical research, product testing, etc.Provide expertise and guidance on the 3Rs and laboratory animal welfare to the teaching/scientific community by developing a range of resources, including guidelines and training material (e.g., CDs), organizing working groups, workshops, symposia, etc.Liaise with national educational councils like MCI, VCI, PCI, UGC, AICTE, etc. and state education departments for curricular developments to promote the use and knowledge of alternatives.Liaise with regulatory bodies for the acceptance of alternative methods in product testing.Establish a state of the art tissue culture laboratory and library of alternatives, which will help train scientists in the use of alternatives.