The Ethics Committee for Animal Care and Use (ECACU) in collaboration with Office of Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS) and Department of Continuing Professional Education (DCPE) conducted a two-day course on Principles of Laboratory Animal Science on May 17-18, 2019. The practicum was attended by external participants from DOW University of Health Sciences, PNS Shifa Hospital, The Women University and SZABIST. Internal participants representing major departments of AKU Karachi including Medicine Gastroenterology, Oncology, Pharmacy, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Surgery, Pediatrics and CRM also joined the course.
Designed for individuals that are engaged in laboratory animal-based research, the course covered basic scientific facts and principles that are essential for the humane use and care of animals and to ensure research integrity. Day 1 of the practicum featured lectures by facilitators from Aga Khan University (AKU), Government College University, Faisalabad (GCU) and University of Management and Technology, Lahore (UMT) on a wide array of topics including, animal handling, biological/physiological measurements and modeling human diseases as well as practical exercises on blood collection and drug administration.
Day 2 commenced with a talk on the code of conduct in animal laboratories and an overview of the Ethics Committee for Animal Care and Use (ECACU) at AKU. A dissection (necropsy) demo was conducted to provide students with practical knowledge and expertise in the field of animal research. The attendees were also invited to perform a site visit of the new animal facility at AKU which was developed in line with international standards to facilitate pioneering research. Participants with full attendance were awarded certificates at the end of the course.
