Three research institutes have earned accreditation from the US-based Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) for their management of laboratory animals, paving the way to cooperate in international biomedical studies, academic sources reported yesterday.
The three research institutes -- the National Laboratory Animal Center (NLAC), the National Defense Medical Center (NDMC), and BioLASCO Taiwan Co -- passed the association's accreditation and assessment reviews in March, they said.
The institutes were informed of the final results only last week.
HUMANE TREATMENT
The association is an NGO promoting the humane treatment of animals in scientific research worldwide.
According to the NGO's Web site, 730 companies, universities, hospitals, government agencies and other research institutions in 30 countries have earned the accreditation, demonstrating their commitment to responsible animal care and use.
FIRST INSTITUTE
In 2000, the Development Center for Biotechnology became the nation's first institute to receive accreditation from the association for its management of test animals.
The three newly accredited research centers bring the number of accredited institutes nationwide to four, putting Taiwan in line behind China's six and South Korea's five among Asian countries.
`QUALITY CONTROL'
"Being recognized by the AAA LAC means that both the lab animal management and the research quality control in these institutes have attained a higher standard," NLAC researcher Chang Wei-cheng (張維正) said.
"Taiwan's efforts in biomedical research and development can thus be more easily accepted in other countries, facilitating international collaboration and helping made-in-Taiwan medicines gain wider market access," Chang said.
In the future, the NLAC and BioLASCO will both be able to provide laboratory animals that are treated in compliance with the association's standards.
Meanwhile, the NDMC will be in charge of providing qualified facilities for animal experiments, the institutes said.
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