July 31, 2024
Written by:
Marsha Loll, Associate Director of BioScience (Federal)
RaShae Cook, Associate Director of BioScience (Academia)
Animals are truly one of the most precious and sacred components of our interaction with the natural world around us. In industries that collaborate intimately with animal partners, such as agriculture and research, ensuring their proper care and well-being goes far beyond a mere ethical obligation – it is a moral responsibility that must be upheld with the utmost reverence.
Within SoBran’s bioscience division, we are steadfastly dedicated to establishing new, lofty standards in animal care practices. Our conviction stems from the firm belief that the quality and integrity of any scientific research endeavor should always work in tandem with the compassionate treatment of our animal partners and by outsourcing certain facets of their care to specialized teams, we empower researchers to tap into an unrealized and sometimes underutilized source of expertise while pushing compassionate care to the forefront. Many highly skilled veterinary and animal care professionals assume these crucial responsibilities, allowing our scientists to concentrate singularly on their core research objectives – a win-win scenario.
Key Advantages
One of the key advantages for outsourcing these vital tasks is the outsourced teams’ specialized training and finely honed observational acuity. From swiftly identifying medical concerns, organizing and managing any necessary dietary needs, to nipping emergent behavioral issues in the bud before they jeopardize ongoing studies, this proactive, holistic approach elevates research quality and humane practices. For example, a researcher studying the behavior of a specific mouse species might not be fully attuned to the nuanced signs of illness or distress exhibited by those mice. However, an experienced rodent caretaker brought in could quickly recognize subtle changes in behavior, fur condition, activity patterns, or feeding habits that indicate an underlying health issue beyond the research scope. This intervention could prevent the issue from compromising the broader research project.
Moreover, partnering with expert animal care providers like SoBran reassures these research teams that from the top down, there will be compliance with all relevant regulatory standards and ethical guidelines governing scientific research. Our contractors come with comprehensive mastery of all levels of animal welfare regulations and guidelines like the USDA, PHS, AAALAC, and OLAW that can ensure all research activities uphold ethical principles and legal mandates to the highest degree. This mitigates institutional risks for possible noncompliance while reaffirming our steadfast commitment to responsible, principled scientific practices. Sometimes these standards can change quickly, which can necessitate someone with their finger on the pulse of these regulations and rules.
Cost Savings
One final, crucial benefit of partnering with outsourced animal husbandry experts is the significant cost savings it provides. For an individual company or research facility to establish and maintain the necessary comprehensive care that an in-house animal care vivarium requires is an immense financial and logistical undertaking. The costs of equipment, infrastructure, and retaining an entire team of elite veterinary and technical personnel are staggering. By outsourcing strategic aspects of animal care, organizations avoid shouldering these burdensome overheads alone. Instead, they gain affordable access to a highly specialized staff that come in- leveraging economies of scale to help provide world-class services and expertise without breaking the bank. Without this approach, some of these top-tier resources could simply remain out of reach for many organizations limited to operating solely through their own in-house means.
At its essence, partnering with SoBran to outsource key elements of animal care empowers organizations to streamline research operations, which at its core leads to higher quality studies and improved outcomes, ultimately promoting responsible scientific advancement. The result? The potential to discover and create life-changing medical discoveries that could help people around the world live happier, healthier lives.