Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Switzerland, the most significant of the States that are not
members of the European Union, has ratified the Conven-
tion. The use of nonhuman primates for biomedical
research in this country is addressed by additional federal
and cantonal requirements, including specific ethical eval-
uation of the proposed research.
Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Ministry
of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the Science
Council of Japan (SCJ) issued Guidelines for Proper
Conduct of Animal Experiments. Of particular note, related
to nonhuman primates, the SCJ Guidelines require atten-
tion to the Three Rs in the planning and conduct of
research, acclimatization, and protection from zoonotic
disease.
Canada
The Canadian constitution precludes federal legislation
pertaining to the use of animals in research, testing, or
education because such use is under provincial jurisdiction.
Six provinces have established legislation regarding animal
research, five of which reference the Canadian Council
on Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines and policies (
http://
www.ccac.ca/en/CCAC_Programs/Guidelines_Policies/
GDLINES/Guidelis.htm
) (see section “Canadian Council
on Animal Care” below). Contractors performing work for
the Canadian government are required to adhere to CCAC
guidelines, many have applicability to specific nonhuman
primates used in research, testing or teaching (e.g. choosing
an appropriate endpoint, facility design, social and behav-
ioral requirements of experimental animals, etc.), as spec-
ified in the Public Works and Government Services Canada,
Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions Manual,
Section 5
, Subsection A, Clause A9015C: Experimental
Animals.
Singapore
Singapore's National Advisory Committee for Laboratory
Animal Research published the Guidelines on the Care and
Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes in 2004 (NACLAR,
2004), adapted from the Australian Code of Practice for the
Care And Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (National
Health and Medical Research Council, Australia); the
Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals,
volume 1 (2nd edition) (Canadian Council on Animal Care,
1993); the Good Practice Guide for the Use of Animals in
Research, Testing and Teaching (National Animal Ethics
Advisory Committee, New Zealand); the Guide for the
Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Academies
Press, Washington, D.C., USA, 1996); the Public Health
Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory
Animals and the Arena/OLAW Institutional Animal Care
And Use Committee Guidebook (Office of Laboratory
Animal Welfare, National Institutes of Health, USA).
Appendix III of the NACLAR Guidelines contains specific
recommendations regarding nonhuman primate care and
use.
India
The cessation of the export of primates from India occurred
in 1978. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Wildlife
(
http://envfor.nic.in/divisions/awd/awd_overview.html
)
established the Committee for the Purpose of the Control
and Supervision of Experiment on Animals (CPCSEA)
under the 1960 Protection of Cruelty to Animals Act. Given
how primates are regarded from a religious, cultural and
political aspect in India, there are particular controls on the
use of such larger species, including avoiding prolonged
restraint (e.g. chairing), considering windows in housing
areas, social housing, access to a run for “free ranging
activities,” and accommodating locomotion behavior
(
Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision on
Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), 2003
). Any project
using primates must first be approved by an Institutional
Animal Ethics Committee. Plans to address the rehabilita-
tion of the primates used in the study are an element of the
protocol approval process.
China
The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has
issued regulations regarding the care of laboratory animals
since 1988. Since that time, and certainly applicable to
nonhuman primate research, is the requirement for adher-
ence to standards pertaining to husbandry and trans-
portation to promote animal welfare. MOST documents
also reference the Three Rs (
Kong and Qin, 2010
).
NONLEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES THAT
AFFECT THE CARE AND USE OF
NONHUMAN PRIMATES
As well as formal legislative provisions, there are a wide
range of nongovernmental standards, systems of accredi-
tation, information from professional bodies, national and
regional networks, and controls by not-for-profit founda-
tions that affect the care and use of nonhuman primates.
Professional standards are published documents on selected
topics prepared by experts in respective fields of veterinary
Japan
In 2006 as a result of the amended Law for the Humane
Treatment and Management of Animals (amended 2005)
and at the request of the Ministry of Education, Culture,
