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Essentially all medical breakthroughs have depended on the use of animals at some level, and animal-based research continues to be critical in the search for treatments and cures for many diseases including cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases and infectious diseases. 

All use of vertebrates and invertebrates in research, teaching or testing at Â鶹´«Ã½ must be covered by an approved protocol. This includes the use of tissues and cells obtained at necropsy or from a slaughterhouse, as well as the use of eggs, protozoa or other single-celled organisms. This requirement also applies to collaborative work done with other investigators from other institutions and research conducted in the field.

With oversight provided by the university veterinarian, Â鶹´«Ã½'s animal ethics committees—the University Committee on Laboratory Animals (UCLA) on the Halifax campus and the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) on the Truro campus—are responsible for the review and approval of protocols proposing the use of animals. 

The Canadian Council on Animal Care is the national peer review agency responsible for setting and maintaining standards for the care and use of animals in research, teaching and testing throughout Canada.

Animal care staff

A dedicated team of veterinarians and animal care technicians work to ensure that research animals are treated with respect and compassion. These professionals have animal welfare as their first priority. They observe all research animals daily and provide them with first-class care and attention. 

Â鶹´«Ã½ also has a mandatory training program to ensure that scientists using research animals are trained and competent to carry out procedures in ways that will avoid or minimize distress in the animals.