Use of Animals in Research and Teaching at the Faculty of Medicine – UiB
At the Faculty of Medicine, laboratory animals are used in research and teaching to advance medical knowledge and develop new treatment methods. Mice and rats are the most commonly used laboratory animals at the faculty, and excluding fish, they are also the most frequently used research animals nationwide.
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Animals are only used when no suitable alternatives exist, and all use is regulated by strict ethical and legal requirements.
The faculty adheres to the 3R principles (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) to ensure good animal welfare and high scientific quality.
Changes in Reporting and Use of Laboratory Animals
In 2017, new regulations for reporting animal experiments were introduced in Norway. Statistics show that cancer research still accounts for the largest share of animal experiments.
The category “other” includes metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
The use of pigs and rats has decreased, while the use of mice has increased, mainly due to greater availability of genetically modified mouse models that provide more precise research results.