Meet the LAS Experts

Laboratory Animal Sciences 2018 is this week! With tracks for the conference covering Modernization of Animal Studies, Balancing Risk and Opportunities of Outsourcing Animal Research, and Refinement, speakers will present on the most discussed topics in animal sciences. The primary Keynote speaker this year will be Brianna Gaskill, PhD, Assistant Professor of Animal Welfare, Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, while a panel comprised of Natalie Bratcher, Sean Maguire, VMD, MS, DACLAM, and Laura Schaevitz, PhD will discuss the modernization of animal studies.

On Feb 07, 2018 at 7:30 AM PST don’t miss keynote speaker, Brianna Gaskill, PhD, Assistant Professor of Animal Welfare and Comparative Pathobiology at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine who will discuss “Male management - Recent Literature on How to Reduce Aggression in Male Mice.”

Dr. Gaskill focuses on welfare assessment of laboratory animals. She utilizes natural behavior, physiology, and affective state to assess an animal's overall well-being. She is especially interested how better welfare can translate into better and more robust science. Additionally, she has been involved in developing new and improved types of cognitive testing for mice that are used in psychiatric and neuroscience research. Conspecific aggression is a common problem amongst laboratory housed male mice. This session will delve into recent literature addressing home cage aggression in mice, reviewing results from multiple strategies instituted to attempt to behaviorally manage aggression particularly in C57BL/6 mice. Dr. Gaskill will review the biology of aggression in mice, the characterization of aggression, and the effect of multiple intervention strategies, specifically the effect of weaning age and different enrichments on conspecific aggression in C57BL/6 male mice. On Feb 8, 2018 at 10:30 AM PST there will be a panel discussion on “Modernization of Animal Studies,” with Natalie Bratcher, 3Rs Scientific Liaison & Animal Welfare Specialist at Abbvie, Sean Maguire, GSK Associate Fellow, Comparative & Translational Sciences Veterinarian at GlaxoSmithKline, and Laura Schaevitz, VP of Scientific Technologies at Vium. There is a growing debate about the usefulness of animal studies in biomedical research and drug development. Some of the challenges in translation from animals to human patients may be from weaknesses in how we conduct those studies.  Technological advancements are providing opportunities to expand the data we collect from animals and improve alignment to clinical data and data management. Areas of potential 3Rs impact include environmental monitoring and controls, physiological monitoring, behavioral monitoring and assessments and data management. Technologies are providing innovative approaches to determining optimal housing conditions, improved animal study reproducibility, physiologic and translationally relevant data collection and ability to iteratively learn from studies in perpetuity. The overall impact of these capabilities when integrated in meaningful ways could reduce animal use, reduce pain and discomfort and improve clinical predictivity. Participants will learn about various technological advances enabling 3Rs impact and potentially improved clinical predictivity. In addition, participants will learn about the gaps with current approaches in these areas and how new and future technological capabilities can be leveraged to improve the welfare and scientific impact and relevance of animal studies. Additional Speakers:

• Joseph Garner, PhD - Associate Professor of Comparative Medicine and, By Courtesy, of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center
• Yong Cheng, PhD - Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame
• Jamie Ahloy Dallaire, MSc, PhD - Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University
• Ignacio Alvarez Gomez de Segura, DipECLAM, DipECVAA - Professor, Anesthesiologist, University Complutense, Spain
• Eva Maria Amen, DVM - Clinical Veterinarian, Comparative Medicine, Basel, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel
• Kay Criswell, PhD, DABT, SBB, MT (ASCP) - Founder and Owner; Independent Consultant, Westbrook Biomarker and Pharma Consulting, LLC
• Marian Esvelt, DVM - Veterinary Resident, University of Michigan
• Megan Haney, DVM - Laboratory Animal Resident/Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Missouri
• John J. Hasenau DVM, DACLAM - Principal, Lab Animal Consultants
• Debra Hickman, DVM, MS, DACLAM, DACAW - Director, Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Indiana University
• Jennifer Jones, BS, RLAT - Animal Enrichment Coordinator, Lead Animal Technician, University of Michigan Medical School
• Jennifer Lofgren, DVM, MS, DACLAM - Associate Attending Veterinarion for Performance Standards and Enrichment, University of Michigan Medical School
• Paul Makidon, DVM, PhD, DACLAM - Senior Principle Research Scientist, AbbVie
• Tim McGuire - Life Sciences Director, Agenda Life Sciences
• Elizabeth Moore, DVM - Ph.D. Candidate, Weiss Laboratory, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
• Sarah Thurston, BS, LAT - Social Housing Coordinator, University of Michigan