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Alternatives
Section III. D. 3. of the TAMU Animal Use Protocol requests information regarding a search for alternatives to procedures that may potentially cause more than momentary pain or distress to the animal subjects. This is in accordance with Policy #12 set forth by the USDA APHIS requiring a Written Narrative for Alternatives to Painful Procedures and Policy #11 dealing with Painful/Distressful Procedures. Alternatives to be considered would include the "three R's": reduction of the number of animals used, refinement of procedures to lessen animal pain/distress, and replacement of research animals with less sentient species or non-animal models.
In addition to providing your search criterion on the AUP, you must include a short summary of the RESULTS of your search. A list of citations is not sufficient.
There are several databases that can be searched for alternatives (besides Medline and Agricola). Searching multiple databases (such as Biosis and Current Contents) will improve your results. Please visit the Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC), which lists a variety of useful search engines as well as other information on searching for alternatives. (AWIC Tips for Searching for Alternatives to Animal Research and Testing may be especially useful.)
Using
alternative keywords in addition to those specific to your research may
also yield more thorough results. The National Agricultural Library has an Animal
Use Alternative Thesaurus to help your search.
The Medical Science Library at Texas A&M University has trained staff available to assist with alternative searches
Other useful links:
ALTWEB - Alternatives to Animal Testing on the Web
ICCVAM - Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods
Model Organisms for Biomedical Research
National Library of Medicine - Specialized Information Services
NORINA Database - Norwegian Inventory of Alternatives
UCCAA - University of California Center for Animal Alternatives
FRAME - Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments. Includes examples of a flow chart that may be used during the planning of a project and an example of an alternative search.