What types of animal testing does WUR perform?

Wageningen University & Research uses animal experiments for education, scientific research and statutory tasks. This includes research on species conservation, sustainable food production, food safety and human and animal health.

In research, the laboratory animal can serve as a model for humans, but it can also serve as a model for the animal itself. Much of our research with animals is done for animals, which is called target animal research. WUR has special expertise in this field.

Conservation of animal species

Some of the animal research at WUR is done to better protect animals from human influences and conserve biodiversity. Examples include monitoring fish stocks, research on reintroduction of endangered species, such as the otter, and ecological research on animal behaviour, for example of the great tit. When animals are fitted with transmitters or trackers, it may already be considered an animal experiment.

Example: protection of vulnerable fish species

Fish form the largest category of experimental animals at WUR. An example of this research is into protecting vulnerable fish populations such as glass eels. We do this on behalf of governments and water boards.

WUR is conducting research to find out which segments of fish
populations are being negatively impacted by human activity (as
indicated by mortality or delayed development), what the key problems
are that affect migration, what problems cause the greatest delays, the
effect of interventions to address these problems, how fish respond to
the problems, and the factors that determine certain behaviours. This
allows us provide evidence-based advice to authorities.

As glass eels are relatively small, no non-invasive transmitter can be used, but they are marked subcutaneously with a needle under anaesthesia. This
means the research is considered an animal test. Depending on the
location, anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of fish have
to be tagged to ensure that a certain amount will be recaptured. This
has led to a sharp increase in the number of fish used.

Sustainable food production

Wageningen researchers also study sustainable food production and reducing its ecological impact. This includes, for example, research into sustainable animal husbandry systems, circular animal nutrition and reducing emissons from barns. A very small part relates to plant health, such as the development of tests to detect plant diseases and ensure food security.

Human and animal health

Examples in the field of human health and well-being include studies into nutrition, lifestyle and metabolic disorders. Often the mouse is used as laboratory animal in these studies. Target animal research involves, for example, improving health and welfare in livestock farming or research into diseases that animals can transmit to humans.

Example: research with mice into fat storage and diseases

Many human diseases are characterised by an excess storage of fat in
cells. For example, an accumulation of fat and inflammation in the liver is associated with an increase in fat storage in the liver cells. Researchers at WUR would like to improve their understanding of the relationship between cells and fat. We want to find out why an excess of fat harms most cells, and what people can do to prevent this. To do this, our researchers look for new factors that influence the storage of fat in cells.

We have by now been able to show that a certain protein, HILPDA, increases the accumulation of fat in cultivated liver cells. However, we do not know whether HILPDA has the same role in the human liver.

To find this out, mice were used as an animal model for humans. This is a special type of mouse that is no longer able to produce the HILPDA factor. It was examined whether the absence of HILPDA affects the storage of fat in tissues and whether this has consequences for the development of certain diseases, such as steatohepatitis and diabetes. Initial results show that the absence of HILPDA does in fact result in less fat accumulation in the liver. The next step for WUR is to examine what effect an absence of HILPDA has on other cells, such as fat cells and white blood cells.

Example: improving chicken welfare

An example of this research is aimed at increasing resilience in broiler chickens. This enables them to cope with stressors such as infections, changes in food or transportation, and improves animal welfare.

Chicks were raised in optimum conditions until day 14 by leaving them to hatch in the coop and providing them with a surrogate mother and a warm, dark rest area. These chicks were compared with control chicks that were not raised in such optimum circumstances.

Our researchers monitored behaviour in the coop, the composition of the microbiome in different segments of the intestine and immunological characteristics. They also looked at the chicks’ response to a mild stressor in a behavioural test, such as removing the chicks from the group for two minutes and noting how often a chick peeped (a sign of stress).

This provides insight into underlying mechanisms of resilience and health, as well as possible associations between the microbiome composition, the response to the behaviour tests and the expression of natural behaviour in the coop, such as scratching in the dirt, preening and taking dust baths.

Statutory tasks for the government

A large part of WUR’s research are statutory tasks commissioned by the Dutch government. Examples include the diagnosis and identification of notifiable animal diseases, safety and efficacy tests, identifying trace contaminants, and toxicology research. Wageningen also carries out research into the toxicity of substances in the environment. This research directly contributes to the provision of safe environments for humans and animals.

Developing alternatives to animal testing

Finally, test animals are also required for the development and validation of
alternatives to animal testing. This is because an existing animal test is often required to demonstrate the reliability of the alternative.