The Case for Modernizing Biomedical Research in Ireland through the Creation of an Irish 3Rs Centre

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The 3Rs principle indicates the measures to refine, reduce, and replace the use of animals in research. Thirteen out of the twenty-seven European countries already have 3Rs Centres. These support the development, acceptance, and/or implementation of methods that address the 3Rs principle at a research and educational level. To date, Ireland has no 3Rs centre. In this commentary, we present the reasons for Ireland to embrace the creation of a national Irish 3Rs Centre. We believe the centre will enable Ireland to be ready for the paradigm shift that is internationally occurring in biomedical research, towards the modernisation and replacement of tests carried out in animals when it is scientifically possible to do so. ABSTRACT: Since its publication, the 3Rs principle has provided a cornerstone for more ethical and humane biomedical and regulatory research. In Europe, the 3Rs principle has been incorporated into the European Directive 63/2010/EU, with the ultimate aim of fully replacing the procedures on live animals for scientific and educational purposes as soon as it is scientifically possible to do so. Thus, a critical shift in the discussion on animal use in biomedical and regulatory research is undergoing in Europe, a discussion where satisfying the “replacement” principle is becoming more and more defined as a scientific rather than ethical need. 3Rs Centres have been established in recent years across Europe. To date, Ireland has no 3Rs Centre, and the uptake of the 3Rs principle, and in particular of the “replacement” aspect, has been slow. In this Commentary, we present the Irish context of the use of animal models in biomedical and regulatory research, and urge for what, in the authors’ opinion, are the most critical actions that Ireland must undertake to align its biomedical (basic, applied and translational) research with the European 3Rs strategy.