Sustainable education and training in laboratory animal science and ethics in low- and middle-income countries in Africa - challenges, successes, and the way forward

Bert J Mohr; Ouajdi Souilem; Abdussamad M Abdussamad; Abelouafi Benmouloud; Phillippe Bugnon; John K Chipangura; Sohair R Fahmy; Tamsyn Fourie; Khadiga Gaafar; Ngalla E Jillani; Josiah T Kantyok; Louise F Martin; Mokganedi Mokopasetso; Lawrence Mugisha; Atunga Nyachieo; David I Lewis

doi:10.1177/00236772221129976

Sustainable education and training in laboratory animal science and ethics in low- and middle-income countries in Africa - challenges, successes, and the way forward

Lab Anim. 2023 Apr;57(2):136-148. doi: 10.1177/00236772221129976. Epub 2022 Nov 3.

Authors

Bert J Mohr^{1

2

3}, Ouajdi Souilem⁴, Abdussamad M Abdussamad⁵, Abelouafi Benmouloud^{6

7

8}, Phillippe Bugnon⁹, John K Chipangura¹, Sohair R Fahmy¹⁰, Tamsyn Fourie^{11

12}, Khadiga Gaafar¹⁰, Ngalla E Jillani¹³, Josiah T Kantyok¹⁴, Louise F Martin^{9

15}, Mokganedi Mokopasetso¹⁶, Lawrence Mugisha¹⁷, Atunga Nyachieo¹³, David I Lewis^{18

19}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Animal Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
² Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
³ Scientific Veterinary Consulting Inc., South Africa.
⁴ Laboratory of Physiology and Pharmacology, National School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Manouba, Tunisia.
⁵ Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bayero University, Nigeria.
⁶ Department of Biology and Physiology of Organism, Houari Boumedienne University of Sciences and Technology, Algeria.
⁷ Department of Biology, University of M'hamed Bougara Boumerdes, Algeria.
⁸ Department of Nature and Life Sciences, University of Algiers 1, Algeria.
⁹ Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
¹⁰ Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Egypt.
¹¹ LAS Veterinary Consultancy, South Africa.
¹² South African Association for Laboratory Animal Science (SAALAS), South Africa.
¹³ Institute of Primate Research, Kenya.
¹⁴ Johan Vet Network, Nigeria.
¹⁵ Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
¹⁶ Botswana Vaccine Institute, Botswana.
¹⁷ College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB), Makerere University, Uganda.
¹⁸ School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, UK.
¹⁹ International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology-Integrative and Organ Systems Pharmacology Initiative (IUPHAR IOSP).

PMID: 36329615
DOI: 10.1177/00236772221129976

Abstract

Despite the recognised need for education and training in laboratory animal science (LAS) and ethics in Africa, access to such opportunities has historically been limited. To address this, the Pan-African Network for Laboratory Animal Science and Ethics (PAN-LASE) was established to pioneer a support network for the development of education and training in LAS and ethics across the African continent.In the 4.5 years since the establishment of PAN-LASE, 3635 individuals from 28 African countries have participated in our educational activities. Returning to their home institutions, they have both established and strengthened institutional and regional hubs of knowledge and competence across the continent. Additionally, PAN-LASE supported the development of guidelines for establishment of institutional Animal Ethics Committees, a critical step in the implementation of ethical review processes across the continent, and in enhancing animal welfare and scientific research standards.Key challenges and opportunities for PAN-LASE going forward include the formalisation of the network; the sustainability of education and training programmes; implementation of effective hub-and-spoke models of educational provision; strengthening governance frameworks at institutional, national and regional levels; and the availability of Africa-centric open access educational resources.Our activities are enhancing animal welfare and the quality of animal research undertaken across Africa, enabling African researchers to undertake world-leading research to offer solutions to the challenges facing the continent. The challenges, successes and the lessons learnt from PAN-LASE's journey are applicable to other low- and middle-income countries across the world seeking to enhance animal welfare, research ethics and ethical review in their own country or region.

Keywords: Africa; education and training; ethics; laboratory animal science; professional development; professional education.

MeSH terms

Animal Experimentation*
Animal Welfare
Animals
Developing Countries
Ethics, Research
Laboratory Animal Science*