Animal research watchdog files federal complaint against UNT Health Science Center
An animal research watchdog group filed a federal complaint Tuesday against the University of North Texas Health Science Center in response to an experiment that resulted in the deaths of four rabbits earlier this year.
The Ohio-based Stop Animal Exploitation Now filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, claiming that UNTHSC committed “major violations of the Animal Welfare Act” and requesting that the health center be “fully investigated and prosecuted.”
The complaint cites a USDA inspection report from July that the university center failed for “significant changes” being made to contracted research organization protocol in the experiment without the review and approval of an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. These committees provide oversight of animal care in research settings.
The experiment involved inducing diabetes in the rabbits, then administering glucose injections. The USDA inspection found that the researchers did not perform the necessary monitoring, and the rabbits are believed to have died from diabetic shock.
“Any violation which takes even a single life is worthy of prosecution,” SAEN said in its complaint. “But in this case, UNTHSC’s failure to effectively supervise this project led directly to the deaths of four rabbits, and easily could have caused even more deaths.”
A UNTHSC spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the center, in conjunction with the North Texas Eye Research Institute, contracted with researchers from a Finland-based company called Experimentica to perform the study. The UNT center’s role involved managing the facility and providing an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
But the Experimentica researchers made changes to the study’s protocol without getting approval from the committee, resulting in the rabbits’ deaths, the spokesperson said.
“The Health Science Center promptly reported the matter to the USDA, resulting in the first critical citation in the history of the program,” the spokesperson said. “Following an internal investigation of the occurrence, HSC severed the relationship with Experimentica.”
The center cut ties with the company on Aug. 1, he said.
“The University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Animal Care and Use Program is committed to managing an exemplary environment for animals in biomedical research, with a primary focus on the animals’ welfare,” the spokesperson said.
Experimentica did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
A USDA spokesperson said the agency’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service “takes all Animal Welfare related complaints very seriously” and that it is reviewing the matter.
The Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service has performed 11 inspections at UNTHSC over the last decade. The July inspection was the first in which it was found to be noncompliant.
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 2:34 PM.
