Researchers across Germany have explained why animal research cannot yet be avoided, in more than 100 quotes collected by the advocacy body Tierversuche verstehen (TVV).

The statements – provided by scientists, animal care staff and heads of department at German research institutes – present a range of views from different research areas, all with a key message: that it is vital to support the replacement, reduction and refinement of animals in biomedical research (the 3Rs), but that animal research will still be needed as well.

Among those quoted, Dr Andreas Lengeling, of the Max Planck Society, and an EARA Board member, said: “Unfortunately, we cannot yet completely replace animal testing in research. However, it can also benefit animal welfare. We need it for the development of new treatments in veterinary medicine and for the training of veterinarians.”

Prof Olivia Massek, at the University of Bremen, said: “To paraphrase Feynman, ‘What I cannot create, I do not understand’: Complex processes such as cognition are not yet fully understood. Animal models are needed to test hypotheses and decipher mechanisms that are not yet accessible in the human system.”

And speaking on the care of the animals, Dr Katja Siegeler, of EARA member RWTH Aachen, said: “Living and conveying a culture of care, with a focus on the appreciation of people and animals, is the central element of my work as an animal welfare officer.”

Researchers have identified the importance of specialised blood vessels, in the bones of mice, that could provide a new understanding of bone deterioration during ageing.

To maintain strength and repair injuries, bones are constantly ‘remodeling’, during a lifetime, through specialised cells that remove mature bone tissue (osteoclasts) and replace it with new tissue (osteoblasts) – a process that is aided by specialised blood vessels, specifically, capillaries.

The research – led by EARA member the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Molecular Biomedicine, Germany, and also involving EARA members the Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University, both Sweden, and Stanford University, California, USA – used non-invasive techniques to analyse the tibia and femur bones in the legs of mice, and identified a previously unknown capillary, designated type R.

The study found that these capillaries play a vital role in bone remodelling during adulthood as well as when the body ages, by ‘communicating’ with the osteoclasts and osteoblasts.

In addition, the team saw that type R capillaries provide oxygen in low-oxygen environments, allowing bone tissue to survive and function properly.

When this does not happen, it can result in bone diseases such as osteoporosis, and so the finding may shed light on strategies for treatment, as well as for tackling bone deterioration during ageing.