Animal Research and Alternatives: Measuring Progress 50 Years Later: Workshop at George Washington University in Washington, DC on September 23-24, 2010.

目前，估计每年有1亿只动物被用于研究。今年是研究中保护动物的关键模式（通常被称为“3R”）发展50周年。这些标准首次发表在威廉·罗素和雷克斯·伯奇的《人道实验技术的原则》一书中，要求研究人员减少使用的动物数量，改善或限制动物将暴露的疼痛和痛苦，并在可能的情况下用非动物替代品取代动物的使用，或者使用被认为不太能承受疼痛和痛苦的物种。在过去的50年里，在科学上对动物认知功能的理解以及在研究中取代动物的技术方面取得了巨大的进步。有关伦理和福利准则的适当性、某些动物模型在预测人类结果方面的有效性以及非动物研究方法的可用性等难题已经提出。因此，乔治敦大学肯尼迪伦理研究所、约翰霍普金斯大学动物试验替代中心、体外科学研究所、乔治华盛顿大学和负责任医学医师委员会将联合主办为期两天的多学科会议，以推进围绕研究中使用动物的伦理和科学问题的研究。发言者和与会者将审查当前保护措施的充分性，以及开发有效替代动物使用的承诺和挑战。会议将汇集一批成熟的和早期的职业科学家，研究人员，医疗专业人员，学术和应用伦理学家和学生。

Currently, an estimated 100 million animals are used in research each year. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the development of the key model for protection of animals in research, often referred to as the "3 Rs". These standards, first published in the book The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique by William Russell and Rex Burch, ask researchers to reduce the number of animals used, refine or limit pain and distress to which animals will be exposed, and replace the use of animals with non-animal alternatives when possible or use a species considered less capable of pain and distress. The past five decades have been marked by tremendous progress in scientific understanding of animals' cognitive functions, as well as in technologies that replace animals in research. Difficult questions have been raised about the adequacy of relevant ethical and welfare guidelines, the effectiveness of some animal models in predicting human outcomes, and the availability of non-animal research methods. Accordingly, the Georgetown University Kennedy Institute of Ethics, the Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, The George Washington University, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine will jointly sponsor a two day multi-disciplinary conference to advance the study of the ethical and scientific issues surrounding the use of animals in research. Speakers and participants will examine the adequacy of current protections and the promise and challenges of developing effective alternatives to the use of animals. The conference will bring together a diverse group of established and early-career scientists, researchers, medical professionals, academic and applied ethicists, and students.