The relationship of the animal facility in biomedical research and animal-assisted therapy

Abstract

The current view of the animal research process considers the contribution of the animal facility's functions as part of the factors involved in protocol development. Therefore, the convergence of different elements, both infrastructure and human factors, is required to maintain the quality of research. From an ethical and research quality perspective, research must adhere to bioethical principles and the 3Rs, which contribute not only to animal welfare but also to elevate the quality of experimental research. Therefore, any protocol using animals must be subject to the approval of an institution's Research Committee and the Internal Committee for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (CICUAL). Under this framework, the optimal implementation of an experimental protocol considers the functions of the animal facility and facility staff, as well as the training of users and researchers in the implementation of an experimental protocol, in compliance with national and international standards, and in our country, primarily NOM-062-ZOO-1999. In the field of animal-assisted interventions and rehabilitation, further research is needed, considering multifactorial protocols, since the use of animal models in human rehabilitation involves not only physical aspects but also emotional and cognitive ones.