A worldwide survey on the use of animal-derived materials and reagents in scientific experimentation

The use of cell and tissue-based methods in basic, applied and regulatory science has been increasing exponentially in recent years. Animal-derived components, including serum, coating materials, growth factors and antibodies are routinely used in cell/ tissue cultures and in general laboratory practices. In addition to ethical issues, the use and production of animal-derived materials and reagents raises many scientific concerns, generally associated with presence of undefined components and batch-to-batch variability, which may compromise experimental reproducibility. On the other hand, non-animal materials and reagents, such as human cells, alternatives to animal sera or non-animal recombinant antibodies, are becoming increasingly available, and their use is encouraged by the EU Directive 2010/63 and the Guidance Document on Good In vitro Method Practices (GIVIMP). In an effort to map the current state of use of animal-derived reagents across different sectors and to identify the obstacles possibly hampering the implementation of non-animal derived alternatives, a global online survey was conducted with the goal to understand: 1) the most commonly used animal-derived materials and reagents, 2) the main issues associated with the production and use of animal-derived materials and reagents, 3) the current level of knowledge on available non-animal alternative materials and reagents, and 4) what educational and information sources could be most useful or impactful to disseminate knowledge on non-animal alternatives. This paper provides an overview of the survey replies and discusses possible proposals to increase awareness, acceptance and use of non-animal ingredients.

CASSOTTA Manuela;  BARTNICKA Joanna;  PISTOLLATO Francesca;  PARVATAM Surat;  WEBER Tilo;  D'ALESSANDRO Vito;  FERREIRA BASTOS Luisa;  COECKE Sandra; 

2022-09-13

WILEY

JRC126669

1618-0240 (online),   

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/elsc.202100167,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC126669,   

10.1002/elsc.202100167 (online),