{"id":772530,"date":"2023-05-20T07:59:22","date_gmt":"2023-05-20T11:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=772530"},"modified":"2023-05-20T08:28:30","modified_gmt":"2023-05-20T12:28:30","slug":"rats-cocaine-and-electroshock-university-halts-animal-experiment-after-complaint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=772530","title":{"rendered":"Rats, Cocaine and Electroshock: University halts ‘barbaric’ animal experiment after complaint"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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The research project involved shocking the foot of rats that were also administered cocaine. The electroshocks were administered for longer than approved. The experiment is one of three in the last six months involving animal research gone awry, according to records.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\n

AMANDA SHAW:<\/strong> The University of South Carolina said an experiment involving cocaine-addicted rats being electrically shocked has been stopped for now. In November, the university received an anonymous complaint about a research project conducted by the psychology department that involved shocking the foot of rats that were also administered cocaine. The project is aimed at understanding the effects of drug addiction on the brain and why many addicts continue to use substances despite the negative consequences.<\/em><\/p>\n

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded the project a $248,216 grant in 2022. It is the fourth grant in four years that the assistant professor leading the research has been awarded by the National Institutes of Health, totaling more than $824,000.<\/em><\/p>\n

USC\u2019s investigation into the complaint revealed protocols approved by their Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) were violated, although a spokesperson said the procedures were within generally-accepted research practices. The electroshocks were administered for longer than approved, according to a letter from USC\u2019s director of research compliance to the federal Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare…<\/em><\/p>\n

Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN) sent a letter to USC President Michael Amiridis on May 10, calling for the neuroscientist leading the project to be banned from animal research. The nonprofit, which would like to see animal experimentation eliminated entirely, called the research methods \u201cbarbaric.\u201d \u201cThis is the kind of thing that gives people like me nightmares,\u201d said SAEN Executive Director Michael Budkie. In his letter to Amiridis, Budkie said he is \u201cappalled the USC IACUC approved this protocol to begin with”…<\/em><\/p>\n

Budkie, who contends that the electrical shock of any animal is unethical, said his letter to Amiridis has gone unanswered. The experiment is one of three in the last six months involving USC animal research gone awry, according to records.<\/em><\/p>\n

Another report sent by USC to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare says two rats had breathing issues after they were administered an oral gavage treatment in February. The Department of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) instructed the investigator on the project to euthanize the two rats. One rat died before it could be euthanized, but the other was not euthanized until a day later, the report says.<\/em><\/p>\n

When DLAR visited the lab, the report says they observed the procedure repeated proficiently but found the cleanliness of the metabolic caging in the lab to be unacceptable. They could not find any sanitation records, according to the report.<\/em><\/p>\n

Another correspondence with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare says unauthorized procedures were performed on mice as part of a project funded by the National Institutes of Health in November. Six mice on a breeding-only protocol were injected with nanoparticles as part of an experimental procedure.<\/em><\/p>\n

The mice had to have their tails amputated after they suffered unexpected necrosis, which may have been caused by the injections. The Office of Research Compliance said the researcher cannot use the compound that was injected into the mice anymore unless a plan to prevent tail necrosis is approved by the IACUC.<\/em><\/p>\n

When asked about these other two incidents, Stensland reiterated \u201cUSC is committed to upholding the highest standards in the ethical treatment and responsible use of animals on its campuses.\u201d \u201cAll complaints are thoroughly investigated and corrective action is implemented when warranted,\u201d he said. SOURCE…<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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