CME on animal experimentation on February 24-25

ALIGARH.The Department of Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Nehru
Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University is organizing a National
Workshop cum CME on “Alternatives to Animal Experimentation in Medical
Science Education" on February 24-25, 2014.Dr. Syed Ziaur Rahman, Organizing Secretary said that animal experiments
are an integral part of teaching at medical colleges. However, in
consonance with the recent guidelines by the Ministry of Environment and
Forests, Government of India, experimentation on animals for training
undergraduate and post-graduate students in colleges has to be stopped and
use of its alternatives such as computer-aided simulators need to be
adopted.

He said that the UGC and MCI have recommended not sacrificing animals for
teaching in undergraduate classes. Moreover, it is difficult to experiment
with animals because of problem in procurement of animals, strict
regulations, ethical issues, change in attitude for animal experiments and
finances.

He said that the main objective of organizing the workshop is to provide
participants an opportunity to explore the expanding possibilities of
alternatives to animal experimentation, to train and instill confidence for
use of alternatives, to encourage participants to adopt these alternatives
in their teachings and to start similar labs in their colleges and
departments.

Dr. Rehman said that eminent scientists engaged in the development and
designing of alternatives to animal experimentation, both in Pharmacology
and Physiology, will be attending the workshop as resource persons. Prof.
M. A. Akbarsha, Chairman, Mahatma Gandhi Doreinkemp Centre for Alternative
to Animal Experimentation in Medical Science Education, Bharatidasan
University, Trichirapally, Prof. K. C. Singhal, Department of Pharmacology
and Vice Chancellor, NIMS University, Jaipur, Prof. Sandhya T. Avadhany,
Department of Physiology and Vice Dean, St. John’s Medical College,
Bangalore, Prof. R. Raveendran, Department of Pharmacology, JIPMER,
Pondicherry, Prof. C. R. Patil, Department of Pharmacy, R. C. Patel College
of Pharmacy, Karvand Naka, Shirpur, Dhule, Gujrat, Prof. S. K. Bajaj,
Department of Physiology, MAMC, New Delhi, Dr. Mohd Tariq Salman,
Department of Pharmacology, Era Medical College, Lucknow and Dr. Varun
Gupta, Head Education Solutions on Alternatives, Elsevier, Gurgaon are
expected to participate in the workshop.