question to biochemists/microbiologists

skinnygeness

Hi, just starting out a degree in biotech, and I'd like to get some feedback from biochemists and microbiologists re animal testing during your work/college career.
Were you ever involved, directly or indirectly, with animal testing? By that I mean any form of animal, from fruitflies to primates.

Thanks a million!

mhorda

skinnygeness wrote: »

Hi, just starting out a degree in biotech, and I'd like to get some feedback from biochemists and microbiologists re animal testing during your work/college career.
Were you ever involved, directly or indirectly, with animal testing? By that I mean any form of animal, from fruitflies to primates.

Thanks a million!

I have just finished a masters in biotech. You need a licence to use animals in experiments.

I only dealt with cells throughout my masters, but Phd's and post docs in my lab have used animal models, namely rats and mice, I think NUIG uses other animals models as well, but dont quote me on it.

KittyeeTrix

A friend of mine in 4th yr Zoology in NUIG is currently doing a population study on mice in a woodland.

The mice once counted and sexed are then collected and used by one of the universities in Dublin for research purposes (cannot remember which one).....

Bloody Nipples

I did my undergrad in microbiology, dissected a fish and a mouse in my time and I've just started a masters in biotech. A friend though did physiology and killed a fair few mice during her fourth year project (accidentally). R and D would be the only area i could imagine doing animal testing and you'd really have to work to get yourself in there so unless you're specifically aiming for it I wouldn't worry about it.

lockman

I did a postdoc in an Irish uni, and within the group i was working in, some colleagues were working with mice, rabbits, rats and when i left (~2 years ago), they had plans to use goats and further down the line, primates.

I did micro. Only dissected worms, rats and mice. Performed experiments on mice. I was told I had a great knack for opening the skulls of mice I've never had an issue with working with animals. Are you worried OP about doing this? Undergrads are usually allowed to not partake in such things with animals, but you will lose marks over it as you won't be completing all your work.

skinnygeness

thanks folks for your replies.
Biotech is quite a big field these days but I think I most certainly would like to do biochemistry. Anyway, I can always branch out later on

Starla, were you cracking mice skulls before or after 2002?

It was after 2002, and then were euthanised by someone with a license first.