A national watchdog group called on Wayne State University to take action Monday against a researcher responsible for a botched experiment last year that resulted in the euthanization of 63 mice that were likely in severe pain.
In July, a research integrity official from Wayne State alerted the National Institutes of Health of the bungled experiment, which he said violated university policy and federal regulations.
According to the report, a researcher performed an unapproved surgery on a mouse. While conducting an investigation, university officials discovered that researchers failed to properly provide 63 mice with pain medication after they underwent surgery.
“Due to the serious nature of the incident,” researchers euthanized the mice, and the federally funded experiment was suspended, according to Philip R. Cunningham, associate vice president of research integrity at Wayne State.
Cunningham said lab workers were required to retake animal science training and discuss the proper protocols.
That’s not enough, said Michael A. Budkie, executive director of Stop Animal Exploitation Now! (SAEN), a national watchdog group that investigates animal abuse and illegal activities at research facilities. His group is demanding that the university either fire the researchers or permanently ban them from conducting future animal experiments.
“Anyone who is so utterly incompetent should not be allowed to waste federal funding by violating regulations and rendering data useless [and] should not be permitted to continue in an area for which they have so clearly demonstrated their incompetence,” SAEN executive director Michael A. Budkie said in a letter to WSU president Kimberly Andrews Espy.
“Their actions are a blot on the reputation of Wayne State University. They should not be allowed to violate federal regulations further,” Budkie added.
In a statement, Wayne State said its Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee “upholds a strict commitment to compliance with policies and regulations governing animal research. Upon identifying the incident in question, the IACUC acted swiftly and decisively.”
The university added, “While this incident was serious, we believe that it also is evidence that our oversight protocols do work. The animal welfare program at Wayne State is fully committed to ensuring that animals used in discovering and developing knowledge and disease therapies for the benefit of humans and other animals are treated humanely and according to the ethical guidelines established by federal, state, and local oversight organizations. It is important to note that there have been no further incidents since the implementation of corrective measures, including additional training.”
SAEN has exposed numerous incidents of animal research fraud, as well as botched experiments, at the University of Michigan.
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