WHG AT THE 9th IC-3Rs SYMPOSIUM
On September 18th, Wildlife Health Ghent attended the 9th IC-3Rs Symposium at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The annual symposium brings together researchers, regulators, industry and animal welfare experts to discuss progress in the implementation of the 3Rs principle: Replacement, Reduction and Refinement.
This year's theme, "Beyond Boundaries: The 3Rs Across Disciplines", highlighted how the 3Rs are being applied across a wide range of research areas, from pharmaceutical development and animal research facilities to cosmetic safety assessment. The day started with an opening address by Elke Van den Brandt, Minister for Animal Welfare of the Brussels-Capital Region, who reflected on writing passionate letters about animal welfare as a child. Now receiving similar letters from young people herself, she described them as some of the most inspiring correspondence she receives. Throughout the day, speakers shared perspectives on current challenges and opportunities in the development and adoption of alternative methods.
As part of the poster session, Wildlife Health Ghent presented ongoing work on alternative models for studying amphibian chytridiomycosis, a devastating fungal disease caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal).
For many years, research into chytridiomycosis has relied heavily on experimental animal infections to investigate host susceptibility, pathogen virulence and disease mechanisms. To reduce the need for animal use, our group has developed a range of complementary in vitro and ex vivo infection models. These include epithelial cell culture systems that support infection by both Bd and Bsal, as well as amphibian skin explant models that preserve the natural tissue architecture of the host.
Together, these models provide additional tools for studying host-pathogen interactions, virulence mechanisms and disease progression while helping to reduce the number of animals required for exploratory and hypothesis-driven research. The approaches have been applied in studies ranging from comparative virulence assessments to investigations of host-pathogen interactions in different amphibian species.
Best Poster Presentation Award
To top off a great day of discussions and networking, our poster "Replacing and reducing animal use in chytridiomycosis research" was awarded the Best Poster Presentation Award. The award reflects the growing interest in developing practical alternatives that can contribute to the implementation of the 3Rs, including within wildlife disease research. It was a pleasant surprise and a rewarding end to an inspiring day of scientific exchange.
Looking Ahead
The IC-3Rs Symposium once again demonstrated the importance of collaboration between academia, industry and regulatory agencies in advancing alternative research approaches. Beyond the presentations themselves, the discussions throughout the day provided valuable opportunities to exchange ideas and learn from ongoing initiatives in different research domains.
We would like to thank the organisers for hosting a successful event and congratulate all presenters. We look forward to following future developments in the field and continuing our efforts to support the application of the 3Rs in wildlife disease research.
This work is part of GLOSSI, an ERC-funded project. Visit our GLOSSI-page to learn more about this project.
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