Teaching and Education of 3R Approaches

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Specific outcome aims:

  1. Identification of target groups and their specific educational needs.
  2. Compilation and analysis of existing 3Rs courses and identification of gaps to be filled.
  3. Identification of concepts for teaching new scientific aspects of 3Rs approaches (integrated testing strategies, computer modeling, toxicology for the 21st century etc.)
  4. Outline of a strategy to collaborate in creating 3Rs knowledge and educational material


 Abstract:

CAAT represents two academic centers in the US and Europe and has been dedicated to the idea of the education of the 3Rs for three decades. Such teaching is today even more important, because of the rapid development of new in vitro and in silico methods and the evolution of the idea of the 3Rs in the context of the paradigm shift in toxicology according the National Academy of Sciences vision for a toxicology for the 21st century.

Today, teaching of 3Rs is dispersed at many different places, in various formats and for a variety of target groups. For the broader implementation in curricula for toxicology and other areas an exchange between the academic teachers covering the many aspects of these fields is most promising. Moreover, a harmonization of curricula is essential.  The three chairs for alternative methods established at the Universities of Konstanz, Utrecht and Johns Hopkins established by the Doerenkamp-Zbinden Foundation have put forward1 a vision of a collaboration of academic teachers in the field, building up a communication platform sharing contents of lectures and establishing a central depository of teaching materials, disseminating methodical and theoretical concepts, addressing regulatory as well as technical obstacles and contributing thereby to 3Rs research. This workshop aims to bring together academic teachers experienced in 3Rs teaching to support collaboration, to exchange experiences, lecture contents as well as didactic strategies.

Teaching the 3Rs today should address alternative methods, risk assessment, critical discussion of the predictive power of current approaches and the ethics underling the 3Rs.

(1) Hartung T, Blaauboer B and Leist M. Food for thought… on education in alternative methods in toxicology. ALTEX 2009, 26:255-263.


Time planning:

Meeting: October 25th to 27th 2010.


Venue:

Steigenberger Inselhotel, Konstanz, Germany