1 00:00:06,103 --> 00:00:07,233 You're listening to The Husk 2 00:00:07,257 --> 00:00:09,937 A presentation of the University of Nebraska - Lincoln's 3 00:00:09,962 --> 00:00:11,842 Department of Agricultural Leadership, 4 00:00:11,844 --> 00:00:13,684 Education and Communication. 5 00:00:14,124 --> 00:00:16,264 I'm your host, Alex Voichoskie. Thanks for joining. 6 00:00:16,297 --> 00:00:17,892 And today, we're diving into a topic 7 00:00:17,892 --> 00:00:21,192 That's highly debated; Using animals in research. 8 00:00:21,564 --> 00:00:22,834 Dr. Heath: Would you want to be the first person 9 00:00:22,883 --> 00:00:24,653 that ever took that drug without knowing what 10 00:00:24,672 --> 00:00:25,372 was going to happen? 11 00:00:25,529 --> 00:00:27,979 I don't think I would sign up for that. 12 00:00:28,055 --> 00:00:29,825 Alex: That was the University of Nebraska - Lincoln's 13 00:00:29,843 --> 00:00:32,710 attending veterinarian, Dr. Kelly Heath. 14 00:00:32,710 --> 00:00:34,180 He also serves as the director 15 00:00:34,207 --> 00:00:36,297 of the institutional animal care program 16 00:00:36,326 --> 00:00:39,566 at UNL. A program that takes extraordinary measures 17 00:00:39,586 --> 00:00:42,133 to ensure good welfare of every single 18 00:00:42,133 --> 00:00:44,923 laboratory animal used in UNL research. 19 00:00:44,967 --> 00:00:46,087 Dr. Heath: The animal care program 20 00:00:46,121 --> 00:00:48,211 for the University of Nebraska, we call it the 21 00:00:48,229 --> 00:00:50,724 Institutional Animal Care program. It's made 22 00:00:50,724 --> 00:00:52,544 up of a couple components. 23 00:00:52,573 --> 00:00:54,883 One component is the administrative office. 24 00:00:55,501 --> 00:01:00,351 We oversee animal research, teaching, the extension outreach programs 25 00:01:00,402 --> 00:01:03,772 across the state of Nebraska as well as on campus. 26 00:01:04,029 --> 00:01:06,279 So any animals used in research, 27 00:01:06,355 --> 00:01:09,085 any animals that are used in a classroom teaching 28 00:01:09,112 --> 00:01:11,882 situation, or just in a demonstration project 29 00:01:12,090 --> 00:01:14,020 would come under our oversight. 30 00:01:14,092 --> 00:01:17,683 We do that collaboratively with Institutional 31 00:01:17,683 --> 00:01:19,479 Animal Care and Use committee. 32 00:01:19,479 --> 00:01:22,039 That's a committee of 13 people 33 00:01:22,678 --> 00:01:25,598 and it functions as our ethical review board 34 00:01:25,645 --> 00:01:28,885 so we review all animal use protocols 35 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:31,690 that are proposed for use and 36 00:01:32,396 --> 00:01:34,496 goes through our review process, 37 00:01:34,509 --> 00:01:36,469 pretty rigorous review process. 38 00:01:36,488 --> 00:01:38,090 Alex: Reviewing those applications 39 00:01:38,090 --> 00:01:39,737 is the Institutional Animal Care and 40 00:01:39,737 --> 00:01:41,427 Use committee, or IACUC. 41 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:42,795 Kathy Pinkerton serves as the Assistant 42 00:01:42,795 --> 00:01:45,065 Director of the animal care program 43 00:01:45,121 --> 00:01:46,724 and head of compliance and training 44 00:01:46,724 --> 00:01:47,414 for IACUC. 45 00:01:47,530 --> 00:01:49,710 She explains who sits on that committee. 46 00:01:49,938 --> 00:01:52,090 Kathy: IACUC is the Institutional Animal Care 47 00:01:52,090 --> 00:01:53,100 and Use committee. 48 00:01:53,427 --> 00:01:55,667 That committee is made up of 49 00:01:55,703 --> 00:01:57,903 different faculty form different areas, 50 00:01:57,971 --> 00:02:01,151 different colleges, different areas of study. 51 00:02:01,543 --> 00:02:03,459 We consider them our expert 52 00:02:03,459 --> 00:02:04,716 in subject matter depending on 53 00:02:04,716 --> 00:02:07,783 when an animal research protocol comes through. 54 00:02:07,793 --> 00:02:10,863 A protocol tells us from the beginning to 55 00:02:10,863 --> 00:02:12,193 end what's going to happen 56 00:02:12,193 --> 00:02:13,243 with the animal research. 57 00:02:13,517 --> 00:02:14,684 We're very very picky 58 00:02:14,684 --> 00:02:15,975 on what is in there 59 00:02:15,975 --> 00:02:17,385 and that it's followed correctly. 60 00:02:17,608 --> 00:02:20,188 When the protocol is submitted 61 00:02:20,268 --> 00:02:24,278 we, go over it with the PI (principal investigator) 62 00:02:25,261 --> 00:02:27,951 and then we submit it to the committee. 63 00:02:28,197 --> 00:02:30,497 That committee is made up of 64 00:02:30,507 --> 00:02:35,101 animal science faculty, fishery and wildlife, 65 00:02:35,101 --> 00:02:37,741 biochemistry, vet science, ect. 66 00:02:37,859 --> 00:02:40,669 We also always make sure there is 67 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:42,760 a public member on that committee. 68 00:02:43,163 --> 00:02:45,197 The public member is our eyes 69 00:02:45,197 --> 00:02:47,827 and ears for what the people of the 70 00:02:47,905 --> 00:02:49,739 great state of Nebraska wants to see 71 00:02:49,739 --> 00:02:51,509 happen with our animal research, 72 00:02:51,552 --> 00:02:53,662 so they bring in an ethical bend to it. 73 00:02:53,979 --> 00:02:56,449 They look at it like " Folks dumb it down 74 00:02:56,449 --> 00:02:58,162 so I know what's really going 75 00:02:58,162 --> 00:03:00,133 on here." They sometimes 76 00:03:00,133 --> 00:03:01,603 have to dumb it down for me too. 77 00:03:03,743 --> 00:03:05,550 That committee looks at all 78 00:03:05,597 --> 00:03:07,127 of these things plus the protocol, 79 00:03:07,154 --> 00:03:08,624 finally gives it their stamp. 80 00:03:08,797 --> 00:03:10,287 Often times it will go back 81 00:03:10,309 --> 00:03:12,432 for edits; sometimes it goes back and forth 82 00:03:12,432 --> 00:03:13,402 several times. 83 00:03:13,420 --> 00:03:15,510 But that's the standing committee that we have. 84 00:03:15,538 --> 00:03:17,698 Our office actually takes our direction 85 00:03:17,736 --> 00:03:18,956 from that committee. 86 00:03:19,253 --> 00:03:21,123 We're here to make sure that 87 00:03:21,350 --> 00:03:24,080 what they have asked happen, actually happens. 88 00:03:24,150 --> 00:03:25,521 Alex: But before researchers 89 00:03:25,521 --> 00:03:27,025 can even submit an application 90 00:03:27,025 --> 00:03:29,234 that goes through that rigorous approval 91 00:03:29,234 --> 00:03:31,561 process by the IACUC they must go through 92 00:03:31,561 --> 00:03:33,631 IACUC training and Kathy explains 93 00:03:33,631 --> 00:03:34,982 what that training looks like. 94 00:03:35,391 --> 00:03:36,582 Kathy: The very first thing that we 95 00:03:36,582 --> 00:03:37,645 do when somebody says they want to 96 00:03:37,645 --> 00:03:40,535 work with animals is that we have several 97 00:03:40,553 --> 00:03:43,353 classes at the beginning of each semester. 98 00:03:43,434 --> 00:03:47,004 We have one class, we do it several times, 99 00:03:47,045 --> 00:03:49,138 so it's a general regulation training 100 00:03:49,138 --> 00:03:51,068 and we do basically how things 101 00:03:51,114 --> 00:03:52,504 happen at UNL. 102 00:03:53,024 --> 00:03:54,934 Here's what we do with animals, 103 00:03:54,957 --> 00:03:56,427 heres how we take care of animals. 104 00:03:56,474 --> 00:03:57,760 If you want to take care of animals 105 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,070 this is how you need to do it. 106 00:03:59,070 --> 00:04:02,440 This is how you have to get ahold 107 00:04:02,473 --> 00:04:04,333 of us if you need to do things. 108 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:06,820 Here's how you keep yourself safe. 109 00:04:07,125 --> 00:04:08,795 Make sure that you have any allergies, 110 00:04:08,825 --> 00:04:10,965 that you're wearing proper masks, 111 00:04:11,010 --> 00:04:12,360 personal protective equipment. 112 00:04:12,364 --> 00:04:14,911 We talk about who the people are 113 00:04:14,911 --> 00:04:16,411 that keep an eye on us. 114 00:04:16,438 --> 00:04:17,969 They get a really broad picture. 115 00:04:18,949 --> 00:04:20,221 I just tell them right from the beginning 116 00:04:20,221 --> 00:04:21,661 that this is as boring as it gets. 117 00:04:21,842 --> 00:04:22,890 We're not going to tell you how to 118 00:04:22,890 --> 00:04:24,010 hold an animal, we're going to talk 119 00:04:24,010 --> 00:04:26,337 to you about the rules and don't mess up! 120 00:04:27,445 --> 00:04:29,885 Alex: Once researchers have completed IACUC 121 00:04:29,887 --> 00:04:32,137 training, they begin submitting detailed 122 00:04:32,149 --> 00:04:34,069 applications for their research projects 123 00:04:34,089 --> 00:04:35,284 involving animals. 124 00:04:35,284 --> 00:04:37,393 Those applications will be thoroughly 125 00:04:37,393 --> 00:04:40,003 reviewed by IACUC to ensure good animal 126 00:04:40,010 --> 00:04:42,850 welfare and Kathy explains just how rigorous 127 00:04:42,862 --> 00:04:44,462 that application process is. 128 00:04:44,504 --> 00:04:45,950 Kathy: First I want to know who's working 129 00:04:45,950 --> 00:04:48,060 for him. I want to know who the grad students are. 130 00:04:48,217 --> 00:04:50,287 I want to know who their post doc's are. 131 00:04:50,345 --> 00:04:51,735 I want to know what his training is. 132 00:04:51,810 --> 00:04:53,235 I want to know who the staff is. 133 00:04:53,235 --> 00:04:55,355 I want to know where the funding is coming from. 134 00:04:55,616 --> 00:04:57,627 I want to know his experience. This is 135 00:04:57,627 --> 00:04:59,407 a big deal. We make sure that 136 00:04:59,407 --> 00:05:01,987 we actually ask for his resume to be attached. 137 00:05:02,011 --> 00:05:04,061 Because that really gives us a broad 138 00:05:04,090 --> 00:05:07,370 view besides having just that little 139 00:05:07,379 --> 00:05:09,069 text box of "I know how 140 00:05:09,069 --> 00:05:11,179 to work with animals cause I was in 4-H once." 141 00:05:11,182 --> 00:05:13,206 So then we talk about 142 00:05:13,206 --> 00:05:14,286 who the veterinarian is going to be 143 00:05:14,286 --> 00:05:16,056 and who's taking care of the animals that way. 144 00:05:16,304 --> 00:05:19,114 That he goes in the specifics on what 145 00:05:19,114 --> 00:05:20,564 is actually going to happen to the animal. 146 00:05:20,742 --> 00:05:22,202 We're going to take a blood draw. 147 00:05:22,309 --> 00:05:24,210 The animal may be restrained for "X" 148 00:05:24,210 --> 00:05:26,160 amount of time. We're going to give 149 00:05:26,207 --> 00:05:28,547 him this kind of injection. At the end 150 00:05:28,547 --> 00:05:30,131 of the studey we're going to perhaps 151 00:05:30,131 --> 00:05:31,894 take certain tissues. Here's how we're 152 00:05:31,894 --> 00:05:33,244 going to euthanize the animal. 153 00:05:33,282 --> 00:05:35,472 Here's how we're going to reintroduce the 154 00:05:35,500 --> 00:05:36,792 animal back into the herd when 155 00:05:36,792 --> 00:05:39,272 we're finished with them. We actually have 156 00:05:39,283 --> 00:05:41,513 a fairly liberal adoption policy. 157 00:05:41,703 --> 00:05:43,923 It's all about the animals. 158 00:05:44,486 --> 00:05:48,530 Finally, we ask for them if they have investigated 159 00:05:48,530 --> 00:05:50,890 alternatives to any painful or distressful 160 00:05:50,891 --> 00:05:52,870 procedures or that they've looked at all 161 00:05:52,870 --> 00:05:53,708 procedures. Have they looked at other 162 00:05:53,708 --> 00:05:55,518 papers? Have they looked at other publications? 163 00:05:55,923 --> 00:05:59,143 They give us an ethical cost benefit 164 00:05:59,550 --> 00:06:00,755 as to why they're using animals. 165 00:06:00,755 --> 00:06:02,132 I mean, whose benefiting? 166 00:06:02,132 --> 00:06:04,112 Sometimes it's the animals that are benefiting 167 00:06:04,112 --> 00:06:06,292 sometimes is humans. Sometimes it's both. 168 00:06:06,639 --> 00:06:09,309 I have to go backwards a little bit, Alex. 169 00:06:09,366 --> 00:06:11,656 In that fourth section that we talk about. 170 00:06:11,685 --> 00:06:12,815 We ask for a lay summary. 171 00:06:13,151 --> 00:06:16,109 That lay summary has to be directed at 172 00:06:16,109 --> 00:06:17,659 let's say a high school student. 173 00:06:17,686 --> 00:06:19,526 That's a very important section because 174 00:06:19,627 --> 00:06:21,519 it gives you in a nutshell 175 00:06:21,519 --> 00:06:23,339 our public member can understand it. 176 00:06:23,978 --> 00:06:26,328 Finally, if they are going to include surgery, 177 00:06:26,474 --> 00:06:28,149 there's a full surgery section and that is 178 00:06:28,149 --> 00:06:29,889 everything from scrub to close. 179 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:31,709 Tell me what you're doing, how's 180 00:06:31,709 --> 00:06:32,959 the comfort and well-being of the 181 00:06:32,962 --> 00:06:35,322 animal being considered. These sections are all 182 00:06:35,331 --> 00:06:36,711 reviewed by the veterinarians. 183 00:06:36,965 --> 00:06:39,974 Then often times might go back to the researcher 184 00:06:39,974 --> 00:06:43,364 and say, this is an old fashioned pain 185 00:06:43,384 --> 00:06:46,322 med, we've got better pain meds. Or I have a 186 00:06:46,322 --> 00:06:50,272 better injection for this. Finally, we asked 187 00:06:50,272 --> 00:06:52,410 about if they are using any controlled 188 00:06:52,410 --> 00:06:54,395 drugs which is important that we keep track 189 00:06:54,395 --> 00:06:56,185 of those. They're always locked up 190 00:06:56,201 --> 00:06:59,511 and we dole them out a little 191 00:06:59,756 --> 00:07:01,738 at a time and make sure that everything 192 00:07:01,738 --> 00:07:02,956 is written down about what we have to 193 00:07:02,956 --> 00:07:03,896 do with it. 194 00:07:03,951 --> 00:07:05,151 Alex: What kind of research projects 195 00:07:05,161 --> 00:07:06,897 are going on at the University that 196 00:07:06,897 --> 00:07:08,364 involve the use of animals. 197 00:07:08,364 --> 00:07:10,714 Dr. Heath provided a few examples. 198 00:07:10,857 --> 00:07:12,373 Dr. Heath: Well there's lots of things 199 00:07:12,373 --> 00:07:14,615 that are ongoing. Some early discovery 200 00:07:14,615 --> 00:07:16,885 things, cardiovascular disease, 201 00:07:17,014 --> 00:07:20,199 a lot of dietary things, folks working with 202 00:07:20,199 --> 00:07:23,429 food allergies and seeing how that effects that. 203 00:07:23,452 --> 00:07:24,999 We also have some folks doing some work 204 00:07:24,999 --> 00:07:26,339 for cancer research. 205 00:07:26,940 --> 00:07:30,153 We have other departmental Department of Defense 206 00:07:30,153 --> 00:07:31,343 funded things that are 207 00:07:31,343 --> 00:07:33,290 looking at battlefield treatments that 208 00:07:33,290 --> 00:07:34,900 would be really interesting I think. 209 00:07:36,130 --> 00:07:38,085 Those are exciting projects and we really 210 00:07:38,178 --> 00:07:40,348 want to promote those as much as we 211 00:07:40,410 --> 00:07:43,069 can. We're doing some really really cool work 212 00:07:43,069 --> 00:07:48,918 early stage research that could give 213 00:07:48,918 --> 00:07:51,361 us some patents and some technology that 214 00:07:51,361 --> 00:07:54,351 are going to help. We also have a group of 215 00:07:54,442 --> 00:07:57,832 biomedical engineers that are new hires on campus 216 00:07:58,281 --> 00:07:59,561 and they're working on new 217 00:07:59,591 --> 00:08:01,211 instrumentation and things like 218 00:08:01,229 --> 00:08:03,113 that. That's really exciting to help those 219 00:08:03,113 --> 00:08:04,263 folks along as well. 220 00:08:04,511 --> 00:08:06,441 Alex: All of these research projects are 221 00:08:06,485 --> 00:08:09,375 regulated by the Institutional Animal Care Program. 222 00:08:09,413 --> 00:08:12,234 But the University itself is also legally 223 00:08:12,234 --> 00:08:14,144 regulated. Dr. Heath explains a 224 00:08:14,161 --> 00:08:15,182 little bit more about animal 225 00:08:15,182 --> 00:08:16,502 well-fare legislation. 226 00:08:16,664 --> 00:08:18,174 Dr. Heath: We come under 227 00:08:18,241 --> 00:08:22,261 several governmental programs that gives 228 00:08:22,271 --> 00:08:24,211 oversight of our program. First of all, 229 00:08:24,260 --> 00:08:26,130 the United States Department of Agriculture, 230 00:08:26,136 --> 00:08:29,449 USDA Animal Welfare Act, that initially came into 231 00:08:29,449 --> 00:08:31,858 being back in the 1960s. Been amended 232 00:08:31,858 --> 00:08:35,736 several times since then. So that primarily 233 00:08:35,736 --> 00:08:38,934 provides oversight over biomedical research 234 00:08:38,934 --> 00:08:43,094 animals. Not mice and rats but rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters 235 00:08:43,114 --> 00:08:45,390 and farm animals that are used in 236 00:08:45,390 --> 00:08:47,080 biomedical research. 237 00:08:47,458 --> 00:08:50,348 Besides that, we also come under the public 238 00:08:50,381 --> 00:08:53,971 health service assurance OLAW, 239 00:08:53,971 --> 00:08:55,929 the acronym , it stands for the Office of 240 00:08:55,929 --> 00:08:57,649 Laboratory Animal Wellfare. 241 00:08:57,702 --> 00:08:59,871 We have a assurance with 242 00:08:59,871 --> 00:09:01,704 the public health service that says we will 243 00:09:01,704 --> 00:09:03,254 abide by all their rules. 244 00:09:03,327 --> 00:09:04,787 That's part of the National 245 00:09:04,812 --> 00:09:07,293 Institute of Health that we see there. 246 00:09:07,293 --> 00:09:12,593 We also do what we call AAALAC accreditation. 247 00:09:12,593 --> 00:09:14,303 AAALAC is a great big acronym 248 00:09:14,314 --> 00:09:17,024 stand for The Association for Assessment and 249 00:09:17,024 --> 00:09:19,086 Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. 250 00:09:19,086 --> 00:09:21,716 This is a third party non-government 251 00:09:21,716 --> 00:09:23,784 group that actually just comes around 252 00:09:23,784 --> 00:09:26,244 and provides independent oversight of our 253 00:09:26,487 --> 00:09:28,977 facilities and our animal care program. 254 00:09:29,403 --> 00:09:31,406 It's usually kind of a peer review. 255 00:09:31,406 --> 00:09:33,696 People in similar positions to mine 256 00:09:33,705 --> 00:09:35,675 from different institutions will serve 257 00:09:35,675 --> 00:09:37,395 on those sight visits committees that 258 00:09:37,416 --> 00:09:39,021 make that accreditation. 259 00:09:39,021 --> 00:09:40,071 Alex: Although the general public 260 00:09:40,071 --> 00:09:42,121 may not know about animal well-fare 261 00:09:42,138 --> 00:09:44,438 legislation the regulations for research 262 00:09:44,501 --> 00:09:47,150 at the University or even research that goes on 263 00:09:47,150 --> 00:09:49,600 through the University, Kathy is trying to 264 00:09:49,661 --> 00:09:51,914 change that through public outreach and education. 265 00:09:51,914 --> 00:09:54,057 Kathy: This is really important to me and our 266 00:09:54,057 --> 00:09:56,629 staff is really proud of our facility. 267 00:09:56,629 --> 00:10:00,339 I have a staff and we have a really nice remodeled facility 268 00:10:00,372 --> 00:10:03,357 and it works well. Our staff is always a little 269 00:10:03,357 --> 00:10:05,904 embarrassed when they say something in public 270 00:10:05,904 --> 00:10:07,972 and they say "I work with research animals." 271 00:10:07,972 --> 00:10:09,994 Right away you're, Oh my God, You're using 272 00:10:09,994 --> 00:10:11,393 hot pokers and sticking things 273 00:10:11,393 --> 00:10:12,947 in their eyes. You you're going, "No, we 274 00:10:12,947 --> 00:10:14,807 don't do any of that stuff." Ya know. 275 00:10:14,835 --> 00:10:17,005 So we've all decided that we need to let 276 00:10:17,005 --> 00:10:18,565 people know what we do. 277 00:10:19,003 --> 00:10:23,063 There's been various paths that we've taken. 278 00:10:23,668 --> 00:10:26,380 Dr. Kreikemeier and I have gone to a 279 00:10:26,380 --> 00:10:29,139 couple of different high schools to talk to 280 00:10:29,139 --> 00:10:31,234 the science students about what we do. 281 00:10:31,234 --> 00:10:34,271 We just had an event where we rented booths in 282 00:10:34,271 --> 00:10:38,015 both Unions and our staff was available to 283 00:10:38,015 --> 00:10:39,845 talk to anybody that wanted to know 284 00:10:39,845 --> 00:10:42,097 about research and what we do 285 00:10:42,097 --> 00:10:43,147 in our facility. 286 00:10:43,532 --> 00:10:44,883 Our facility is locked down for the safety 287 00:10:44,883 --> 00:10:46,903 of the animals. You have to have key card access. 288 00:10:46,910 --> 00:10:56,290 But that makes it looks permit-able and inaccessible. 289 00:10:56,570 --> 00:10:59,200 It has to be locked down because there's some 290 00:10:59,232 --> 00:11:00,779 cool research going on there. We don't want 291 00:11:00,779 --> 00:11:03,386 anyone to mess up that. So we just said, you want to 292 00:11:03,386 --> 00:11:05,226 come in? We had a sign up sheet there. 293 00:11:05,553 --> 00:11:08,190 We gave tours of the facility and we want to 294 00:11:08,190 --> 00:11:09,770 open it up. You want to see what we're doing. 295 00:11:09,780 --> 00:11:13,680 I don't know if you've seen, Rudy the steer. 296 00:11:13,932 --> 00:11:17,000 The fisulated steer. This whole process with the 297 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,070 mobile beef lab, I am so proud of that. 298 00:11:19,070 --> 00:11:21,971 Because that takes that anxt from people when 299 00:11:21,971 --> 00:11:23,628 they see this, Oh my gosh, he's got a hole 300 00:11:23,628 --> 00:11:25,588 in his side. And I go, well, here's how it's done. 301 00:11:25,753 --> 00:11:28,103 And look at him. He's the happiest steer in 302 00:11:28,111 --> 00:11:30,761 the free world. He's going to be around forever. 303 00:11:31,155 --> 00:11:33,725 Most steers are done by about 30 months. 304 00:11:35,553 --> 00:11:41,543 Getting out there and letting people know. That's part of my job. 305 00:11:41,774 --> 00:11:44,684 If people have questions, they come to us and I 306 00:11:44,684 --> 00:11:46,977 always encourage that. 307 00:11:46,977 --> 00:11:48,935 Alex: Despite legislation and public outreach 308 00:11:48,935 --> 00:11:50,722 there's still a few misconceptions from 309 00:11:50,722 --> 00:11:53,112 the public about animals used in research. 310 00:11:53,251 --> 00:11:55,213 Dr. Heath explained a few of those common 311 00:11:55,213 --> 00:11:56,823 misconceptions that he hears. 312 00:11:57,053 --> 00:11:59,090 Dr. Heath: One of the most common misconceptions 313 00:11:59,090 --> 00:12:03,260 is that animals are put in living conditions 314 00:12:03,302 --> 00:12:06,122 that are not appropriate for them, that 315 00:12:06,123 --> 00:12:07,963 might be distressful to them. 316 00:12:08,009 --> 00:12:09,839 I like to think that we do a really 317 00:12:09,855 --> 00:12:12,475 good job of providing for animal care. 318 00:12:12,524 --> 00:12:14,654 Animal care staff that works for us 319 00:12:14,781 --> 00:12:17,221 takes a great deal of pride in providing a 320 00:12:17,291 --> 00:12:20,060 great environment and care for those animals. 321 00:12:20,060 --> 00:12:21,787 We think we do a better job of caring 322 00:12:21,787 --> 00:12:24,096 for our research animals in maybe we do 323 00:12:24,096 --> 00:12:25,906 some people we do in our human institutions. 324 00:12:26,089 --> 00:12:28,829 So like I said, we're really proud of the care 325 00:12:28,885 --> 00:12:31,405 we provide. We check for humidity, 326 00:12:31,419 --> 00:12:33,960 temperature, cleanliness, we monitor all 327 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,034 of those things on a daily basis and 328 00:12:37,034 --> 00:12:38,714 provide for the appropriate care. 329 00:12:38,775 --> 00:12:41,433 Alex: Kathy added to that list of misconceptions and 330 00:12:41,433 --> 00:12:42,802 explained what she does to address 331 00:12:42,802 --> 00:12:43,953 those concerns. 332 00:12:43,953 --> 00:12:47,193 Kathy: I think the old 1970 version 333 00:12:47,208 --> 00:12:49,328 of the rats and make-up research, 334 00:12:49,335 --> 00:12:51,240 this one haunts us all of the time. 335 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:52,670 They're going, "Oh my God, they're putting all 336 00:12:52,670 --> 00:12:54,570 this in that poor rabbit's eyes." 337 00:12:54,710 --> 00:12:57,220 It can not happen like they say. It 338 00:12:57,220 --> 00:12:59,760 absolutely can not happen that way. 339 00:12:59,807 --> 00:13:02,247 But it's difficult to get that message across 340 00:13:02,309 --> 00:13:04,490 because one of the first things that they say, 341 00:13:04,490 --> 00:13:06,050 "Well you euthanize animals." 342 00:13:06,441 --> 00:13:09,286 I say, yeah but we're doing liver research and 343 00:13:09,286 --> 00:13:13,256 you got to have the liver. We're pretty user 344 00:13:13,256 --> 00:13:15,596 friendly when it comes to the animals 345 00:13:15,809 --> 00:13:18,420 going to the right spot. We have a very 346 00:13:18,420 --> 00:13:21,680 broad adoption policy. That doesn't mean 347 00:13:21,754 --> 00:13:24,198 that we adopt them all out but we reuse 348 00:13:24,198 --> 00:13:27,255 animals whenever possible. So perhaps if 349 00:13:27,255 --> 00:13:29,603 an animals is used for one project, it can be 350 00:13:29,603 --> 00:13:33,018 transfered to another. Therefore you're reducing 351 00:13:33,018 --> 00:13:36,088 the number of animals that you use as a whole. 352 00:13:36,090 --> 00:13:39,230 The misconception is the building itself. 353 00:13:39,231 --> 00:13:41,633 It's locked down, it's secret. 354 00:13:41,633 --> 00:13:44,884 It's not. We're more than happy to have you come in. 355 00:13:44,884 --> 00:13:48,917 We actually had an emergency planning with the 356 00:13:48,917 --> 00:13:50,547 fire department and the police department. 357 00:13:50,567 --> 00:13:52,904 Several years ago we had a mock up 358 00:13:52,904 --> 00:13:54,955 tornado hit our building and we wanted to 359 00:13:54,955 --> 00:13:57,269 make sure we knew the generators 360 00:13:57,269 --> 00:14:00,759 would work and the emergency lighting would work ect. 361 00:14:00,989 --> 00:14:02,849 The police and fire department just hesitant 362 00:14:02,849 --> 00:14:03,829 to go into the building. 363 00:14:04,134 --> 00:14:06,954 They're going, "We don't want to go in there, that's scary." 364 00:14:07,066 --> 00:14:09,096 And we're going, well no it isn't. 365 00:14:09,289 --> 00:14:12,069 But yeah because look at all of this stuff. We gotta put on all this stuff 366 00:14:12,069 --> 00:14:14,084 Sorry but that's not protecting you, 367 00:14:14,084 --> 00:14:15,794 that's protecting our animals. 368 00:14:16,174 --> 00:14:18,287 What you have could make our animals sick 369 00:14:18,287 --> 00:14:20,027 so you're going to wear all of this stuff. 370 00:14:20,075 --> 00:14:22,082 I don't want all the dirt and germs that's 371 00:14:22,082 --> 00:14:23,132 out here to come in. 372 00:14:23,158 --> 00:14:24,894 It really was a shocker to them 373 00:14:24,894 --> 00:14:28,416 when they found out. If it was an emergency, 374 00:14:28,416 --> 00:14:30,659 knock yourself out, you can walk in, save 375 00:14:30,659 --> 00:14:31,938 our animals, do whatever you have to do 376 00:14:31,938 --> 00:14:32,898 you're not going to get anything. 377 00:14:36,044 --> 00:14:38,284 Alex: Dr. Heath also addresses those 378 00:14:38,284 --> 00:14:40,826 misconceptions about using animals in research 379 00:14:40,826 --> 00:14:43,926 and he always emphasizes three key takeaways. 380 00:14:44,002 --> 00:14:45,923 Dr. Heath: The takeaways when I come into work 381 00:14:45,923 --> 00:14:48,583 everyday and I tell my staff that we have 382 00:14:48,633 --> 00:14:50,354 three basic bullet points that we need 383 00:14:50,354 --> 00:14:51,632 to make sure that we take care of 384 00:14:51,632 --> 00:14:52,792 on a daily basis. 385 00:14:52,847 --> 00:14:54,564 First of all, that animals in our care are 386 00:14:54,564 --> 00:14:56,944 taken care of ethically and appropriately. 387 00:14:57,295 --> 00:15:00,075 Second of all, we need to do that so 388 00:15:00,123 --> 00:15:01,659 that we're in complainance with the federal 389 00:15:01,659 --> 00:15:04,769 state, local and University regulations, which 390 00:15:04,837 --> 00:15:07,947 sounds easy but is actually a pretty big task. 391 00:15:08,104 --> 00:15:11,154 And the third thing is I like to be a resource 392 00:15:11,314 --> 00:15:14,208 and an advocate to help people advance 393 00:15:14,208 --> 00:15:16,377 their research projects here on campus 394 00:15:16,377 --> 00:15:19,085 as well as the teaching projects. Make that 395 00:15:19,085 --> 00:15:20,865 experience for our students 396 00:15:20,865 --> 00:15:22,085 as good as it can be. 397 00:15:22,179 --> 00:15:24,769 We're really fortunate here on East Campus 398 00:15:24,829 --> 00:15:28,359 at UNL to have an animal facility that people 399 00:15:28,362 --> 00:15:32,453 can actually get in and see, tough and experience 400 00:15:32,453 --> 00:15:36,403 those. Many universities don't have that resource 401 00:15:36,403 --> 00:15:39,813 available that's forty miles away on a research farm. 402 00:15:39,874 --> 00:15:43,475 Every student that wants to be involved in animal 403 00:15:43,475 --> 00:15:45,733 agriculture in some way can have 404 00:15:45,733 --> 00:15:47,508 a really good experience here. 405 00:15:47,508 --> 00:15:48,397 Alex: If you'd like to learn 406 00:15:48,397 --> 00:15:50,747 more about the Institutional Animal Care Program 407 00:15:50,801 --> 00:15:53,271 The Institutional Care and Use Committee or 408 00:15:53,350 --> 00:15:55,247 even just research through the University 409 00:15:55,247 --> 00:15:57,367 of Nebraska - Lincoln that uses animals 410 00:15:57,462 --> 00:16:00,262 visit research.unl.edu. 411 00:16:00,391 --> 00:16:03,421 A special thanks to UNL attending vet Dr. Kelly Heath and 412 00:16:03,517 --> 00:16:06,629 Animal Care Assistant Director Kathy Pinkerton for 413 00:16:06,629 --> 00:16:09,014 providing details about animal research. 414 00:16:09,014 --> 00:16:10,728 And thanks to our audience for joining us 415 00:16:10,728 --> 00:16:13,038 today for this episode of The Husk. 416 00:16:13,083 --> 00:16:14,732 For the University of Nebraska - Lincoln's 417 00:16:14,732 --> 00:16:18,458 Departments of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication 418 00:16:18,458 --> 00:16:21,248 I'm Alex Voichoskie reporting.