Animals in Science at Queen's

The use of animals in science is a privilege.

Animal research has played a vital role for both human and animal health in virtually every major medical advance of the last century, and continues to be an important aspect of disease prevention and treatment for humans, pets, and food-producing animals, and care of wildlife and the environment.

Queen's researchers have used animals in science to explore new targets for cancer therapies, new therapies targeting human mobility, gene therapies for bleeding disorders, the potential for emerging cardiac therapeutics to target heart disease, new strategies to identify early markers of chronic disease, and treatment modalities for brain degenerative disorders.

Queen's upholds the principle of the 3Rs for the ethical use of animals in research.

Whenever possible, we strive to:

Replace animal use in science

Reduce the number of animals used

Refine methods to improve animal welfare

As part of our commitment to the principle of the 3Rs,
our researchers use the most basic organisms or species suitable
to achieve success in any research that is undertaken.

The use of animals in science at Queen's is done with the supervision and approval of the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), a Canadian peer-reviewed organization responsible for setting, maintaining, and overseeing the implementation of high standards for animal ethics and care in science on a national scale.

More on the ethics and care of animals in research