Project Objectives
- Develop and optimise palatable agar‑based oral mini‑pills, to replace oral gavage in mice.
- Formulate pills containing sugars, flavourants, or biological materials.
- Assess whether mice require training to accept the new formulation.
- Monitor complete voluntary consumption of each dose.
- Compare immune responses between voluntary ingestion and traditional gavage.
- Evaluate feasibility for broader applications across research fields.
How This Advances 3Rs Implementation
- Establishes a non‑invasive dosing method that improves animal welfare.
- Enhances consistency and reliability of immune‑response studies.
- Reduces procedural errors and distress‑related confounders.
- Offers a scalable refinement suitable for widespread adoption.
- Supports future reductions in high‑stress procedures across animal research.
Background
Oral gavage is widely used to administer vaccines, drugs, and test compounds in mice, but the procedure involves restraint and the insertion of a gavage needle through the mouth and into the stomach, causing significant stress, discomfort, and potential injury. Studies show that stress from gavage increases heart rate, blood pressure, corticosterone levels, and may cause mortality, jeopardising scientific outcomes, particularly in immunological studies.
In developing an oral SARS‑CoV‑2 vaccine using JAX‑K18‑hACE2 mice, the research team identified the need for a refinement that avoids these confounding effects. The proposed solution, palatable agar‑fortified mini‑pills voluntarily consumed by mice, eliminates the need for restraint or invasive tools. This approach aims to provide a low‑risk, welfare‑friendly alternative applicable to both pharmacological and toxicological research.
