Inovação e ética nas Comissões de ética no uso de animais (CEUAs)

Abstract

The Animal Ethics Committees (AECs) were created by Law n° 11.794/2008 and must be composed of veterinarians, biologists, researchers and/or teachers, as well as representatives of animal protection societies. It is responsible for evaluating and approving teaching/research projects in accordance with the ethical principles for animal experimentation and forwarding such information to the normative agency (CONCEA). In case of non-compliance with the terms defined by the agency the institution may be penalized. To fulfill the routine of activities, Committees’ members are often faced with situations that compromise the analysis of the project submitted both in compliance with the legal aspects and in the application of 3Rs principles (replacement, reduction and refinement). This thesis discusses the difficulties faced by AECs in carrying out their work, with a view to the full protection of non-human animals, vulnerable beings in an asymmetrical power relationship, and the ethical conduct of experimental research. Ethical issues such as the role of the CEUAs in the bioethical training of researchers, the application of the 3Rs principle as the minimum factors necessary for the development of the Commissions' work, the conflict of interest that influences decision-making and the need to apply other bioethical resources such as the ethics of prudence to deliberations, as well as the implementation of technological innovations with substitute methods for the use of non-human animals, are addressed and discussed in three articles with the aim of collaborating in the analysis and drafting of proposals to support AECs in their work, aiming to raise awareness among agents involved in projects involving non-human animals, in the application of legal precepts and, above all, ensuring that non-human animals are considered morally and recognized in their vulnerability in the context of animal experimentation.