The student shall achieve knowledge on animal research and demonstrate that they can apply this knowledge in a new context, for example when planning own experiments or when evaluating or give input to plans of animals experiments. They must achieve knowledge necessary and useful when they are performing procedures in practice or evaluate suggested practical solutions.

They must be capable of evaluating common practice on light of new knowledge about alternative ways to do animal experiments. This includes methods that reduce negative impact on the animals (refinement), means that improve the conditions for the animals (refinement), planning and designing experiments to optimize knowledge output with the use of as few animals as possible (reduction) and use alternatives to animals whenever they are available (replacement).

The course shall cover the core module of Mattilsynets and the EU-directives (2010/63) demands to theoretical tra8ining for persons performing procedures (function A) and designing experiments (function B).

LAS303 focuses on fish as research animals. Generic topics are covered in LAS301.

The aim is to give the students an introduction to central topics in LAS and make them available to apply this when panning and performing own experiments.

Laboratory animal science (LAS) is a multidisciplinary branch of science contributing to human use of animals and collection of informative, reproducible and unbiased information

In LAS303 the following toips are covered

• Basic biological needs and behaviour.
• Reproduction and gene-modified animal
• Health qualities and health monitoring
• Diet and nutrition
• Environmental conditions
• Anaesthesia and pain relieve
• Aseptic and surgical techniques

Persons performing procedures (function A) at UiB go through the same training program as function B, and in addition they must demonstrate that they master procedures properly to work independently without negative impact on the animals or on the experiments. Practical training must be tailor-made to the specific experiment and is therefore not a part of LAS303.

After the education the students shall have achieved the following learning outcome.

Knowledge:

• Basic physiology, reproduction and behaviour that influence research
• Dietary needs, practical feeding. Storage and preparation of food.
• Describe studies showing that fish have similar properties that we find on other ¿higher¿ animals that legitimates need for protection as a research object in a similar wat than for mammals.
• Describe common disease in fish and how they can influence research.
• When relevant, describe how modulation of genome can influence phenotype
• Suggest appropriate routine for housing and husbandry of the species taking considerations both to fish and research.
• Describe how photoperiod can influence animal experiments
• Describe Biological consequences of acclimatising, habituation and training
• Pain recognition in fish.

• Litterature/pensum (approx. 265 pages)
• Tradisjonal lectures
• E-learning
• Demonstrations

Lectures 

Participation in group work