Panorama

The 2024 Tecniplast Australia Animal Welfare Symposium, hosted by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), was a resounding success, thanks to the dedication and expertise of the organisers and participants.

One of the key figures behind this success was Ms. Karen Brennan (Director of Animal Services at UNSW Sydney), who served as an organiser, speaker, and moderator at the event. In this interview, Ms. Brennan shares her insights on the value of the Animal Welfare Symposium, which continues to grow and attract professionals from various disciplines each year. She reflects on the rewarding experience of organising the event, the importance of promoting the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement), and the benefits of collaborating with Tecniplast Australia.

Join us as Karen discusses with Vesna Valic (Tecniplast Australia Managing Director) the Symposium's impact, highlights from this year's event, and her anticipation for the 2025 symposium hosted by the Translational Research Institute in Brisbane.

Karen, congratulation on the success of the 2024 Tecniplast Australia Animal Welfare Symposium hosted by University of New South Wales and as an organiser, speaker and moderator at this event, can you tell our readers what you think is the value of the Animal Welfare Symposium, which grows year after year?

Thank you Vesna, on behalf of the organising committee at UNSW I can say that it was a pleasure to work with you and your team to bring the 2024 Animal Welfare Symposium to life. I have fresh appreciation for the planning and organisation required to host an event such as this, but we all certainly felt that the total experience was very rewarding. It was not only an opportunity to highlight some of the excellent work done at UNSW in development of alternatives to animal models, supported by the UNSW 3Rs grant, but also to hear about the latest in the refinements in animal welfare across Australia and overseas. I can highly recommend working with the Tecniplast Australia team in hosting this Symposium, if there are others who maybe be considering it.

Each year it has run, the Animal Welfare Symposium has provided a valuable forum for persons working across disciplines to come together to talk about how we can improve animal welfare. This year we saw attendance from animal technicians, veterinarians, biomedical and wildlife researchers as well as quality managers and regulators. It provided everyone a chance to interact and share experience with others from related LAS professions. It has been a valuable addition to the Australasian meeting calendar and the support from Tecniplast for the in-person events and on-line streaming has allowed many to participate.

The presenters all had a strong focus on the 3R’s with ethics, respect, and welfare of animals used in research in Australia and New Zealand as the guiding principle of the presentations. The Symposium is a great meeting to promote the important contributions of people working in the LAS industry and provides an opportunity to network with others in this field. Would you agree?

Absolutely! The chosen theme of our Symposium this year was the 3Rs: Back to the Future as we wanted to look ahead to the positive outcomes that are in development and those we are working towards.

We had the chance to hear about from recipients of the UNSW 3Rs grant award, Professor Terry Ord and A/Professor Lisa Schwarz on the refinements they are applying to wildlife studies in kangaroos and sea turtles, projects based in our unique wildlife species. We learnt about the latest standards in assessment of fish pain and also methods for assessment of fish injury during transport.

Our presenters were experts from diverse fields and could all speak of the positive welfare changes they have brought to surgical models in orthopaedics and cardiology, childhood cancer, neurobiology and behavioural studies. With some talks including our native fauna such as eastern grey kangaroos and platypus it was good to be reminded of the respect for animals that has long been upheld by our indigenous communities by Auntie Sharon Simms who offered the Welcome to Country.

Outside of the formal presentations and tours we had the chance to relax and get to know each other as well at the Trivia night. Some participants really showed us their star potential in the singing challenges, and others really know an impressive amount about the 80s. 

Would you suggest to Panorama Readers to participate in the 2025 Animal Welfare Symposium hosted by Translational Research Institute, Brisbane? If so, why?

I’m looking forward to it. Each host aligns the symposium to their own topics of interest, so I'm excited to hear what the TRI will bring to the programme as well as to see their facility with the new Apollo automation system.  Also the warmer weather in Brisbane, Australia during May is a very attractive point.

Do you have Tecniplast products in your facility? If so why were Tecniplast products selected? 

Yes, we are well equipped with Tecniplast products and IWT equipment including IVC caging for mice and rats, a DVC system for mice, Atlantis rack washers, bottle fillers and bedding stations. The quality of design and integrated way these products work together appeals to us. We can establish effective workflows from animal housing and health screening to material cleaning and decontamination. We are confident of local expertise from the Tecniplast Australia team and are satisfied that we will be able to maintain and replace the products for years to come.