Laboratory animals in scientific research 2025

Dear colleagues and members of CroLASA, scientists, and experts in the field of laboratory animal science,

We are honored to invite you to participate in the 4th Scientific Symposium “Laboratory Animals in Scientific Research” organized by Croatian Laboratory Animal Science Association (CroLASA) in collaboration with the Slovenian Laboratory Animal Society (SLAS).

Our aim is to bring together scientists and experts who use animal models, or their alternatives, in their work, to give an overview of scientific research in fundamental and translational studies. The symposium topics will include animal models for disease research and treatment development, new methods in laboratory animal research, advancement of standards for animal use in experiments with a focus on the 3R principles, and many others.

We are also pleased to announce a workshop on tissue engineering, hosted by MatTek Life Sciences, a global leader in developing innovative 3D in vitro human tissue models that enable testing without animals, reducing costs and providing human-relevant results.

We believe that the latest trends in research, combined with new approaches to working with laboratory animals, will foster constructive discussions, offer an opportunity to exchange findings, ideas, and proposals, and serve as a foundation for continuous professional development.

We invite you to contribute to the Symposium by attending and actively participating with poster or oral presentations.

On behalf of the Croatian Laboratory Animal Science Association Maja Lang Balija, PhD, DVM. President

Main Topics

Animal models of diseases and research methods on laboratory animals

Optimizing the design of experiments on laboratory animals
Welfare of laboratory animals and application of 3R principles in breeding and experimental work
Legislation, education and training, and scientific communication, related to the work with laboratory animals

General Information

Organisers

Croatian Laboratory Animal Science Association
Slovenian Laboratory Animal Society
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb

Venue

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb (Department of Parasitology and Invasive Diseases with a clinic), Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb

Time

February 5th -6th, 2025.

Organising committee

Ivan Butković, Erika Gamulin, Maja Lang Balija, Gordana Nedić Erjavec, Juraj Šavorić, Dubravka Švob Štrac, Sara Trnski Levak

Scientific committee

Ilija Brizić, Andrea Gudan Kurilj, Marija Heffer, Nataša Jovanov-Milošević, Duško Lainšček, Željko Pavičić, Martina Perše, Tatjana Pirman, Damir Sapunar, Daša Ševeljević-Jaran, Dražen Vnuk

Official language

English

Additional information

Registration and abstract submission

Early registration: 04. 11. 2024. – 20. 01. 2025.
Late registration: 21. 01. 2025. – 05. 02. 2025.
Abstract submission: 04. 11. 2024. – 13. 01. 2025.
Poster dimensions: 90 cm x 120 cm

CPD points (according to FELASA Continuing Professional Development (CPD))

Attendance at Symposium: 10 CPD points

Extra points:

Attendance at MatTek 3R workshop: 2 CPD points
Poster/oral presentation: 2 CPD points

Registration Fee

REGISTRATION FEE (EUR)	Early*	Late
ONSITE PARTICIPATION
MEMBERS OF CROLASA / SLAS / FELASA	200	250
OTHER PARTICIPANTS	250	300
STUDENTS**	100	150
ONLINE PARTICIPATION
MEMBERS OF CROLASA / SLAS / FELASA	100	150
OTHER PARTICIPANTS	150	200
STUDENTS**	50	100

* Early registration until January 20, 2025.
** Students of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies with a certificate confirming the student status

Additional information on Symposium program and abstract submission will be available on the CroLASA website, www.crolasa.com or by e-mail: crolasa14@gmail .com.

Time	Topic
WEDNESDAY 5TH FEBRUARY 2025
8:00 - 9:00 Entrance hall	REGISTRATION
9:00 - 9:10 Large hall	OPENING CEREMONY
9:15 -9:45 Large hall	PLENARY LECTURE: Bojan Polić: The use of laboratory animals in immunometabolic research
9:50 - 10:20 Large hall	PLENARY LECTURE Diana Cash: Preclinical brain imaging in neuroscience and translational drug discovery
10:20 - 10:40 Entrance hall	COFFEE BREAK
10:45 - 12:20 Large hall	SYMPOSIUM: Animal models of diseases and research methods on laboratory animals ILIJA BRIZIĆ Persistently primed microglia restrict the reactivation of latent cytomegalovirus at the expense of neuronal synaptic connectivity DAIVA BALTRIUKIENĖ Next-Generation Approaches: The Role of NAMs in Reducing Laboratory Animal Use MINI-WORKSHOP CARLOS OSCAR SORZANO Optimization of experimental design
12:25 - 13:25 Entrance hall	LUNCH
13:30 - 14:55 Large hall	SYMPOSIUM: Legislation, education and standard improvement related to the work with laboratory animals MARTINA PERŠE Basic and Continuing Education through the Lens of Directive 2010/63/EU and FELASA guidelines SREĆKO GAJOVIĆ Conversion of modern standards of conducting experiments on laboratory mice and rats into new spatial solutions on the example of BIMIS - Biomedical Research Center Šalata DAMIR KOVAČIĆ Breaking barriers in overcoming deafness: from animal models to neuroelectronic interfaces amid challenges in animal research in Croatia TATJANA PIRMAN Influence of genetic background, diet and sex on gut pH and volatile fatty acid profile in fat and lean mice
15:00 - 15:30 Large hall	PLENARY LECTURE Kirk Leech: Animal Reseach: Time to Talk!
15:35 - 16:35 Small hall Entrance hall	POSTER SECTION COFFEE BREAK
16:40 - 18:40 Large hall	SYMPOSIUM: Welfare of laboratory animals URTE JAEH Thinking Inside the Box: An Evolving Approach to Rodent Pathogen Detection Methods NGAIRE DENNISON Non-animal health monitoring MARIJA HEFER Home Cage monitoring: advantages, disadvantages and prospects DAVOR VIRAG TheBehaviourForum.org: The first online forum for discussing behavioural experiments and laboratory animal welfare VLADIANA CRLJEN Ethically acceptable ways of restraining experimental animals
THURSDAY 6TH FEBRUARY 2025
8:00 - 9:00 Entrance hall	REGISTRATION
9:00 - 10:35 Large hall	SYMPOSIUM: In vitro models as alternatives to animal testing MAJA SABOL Why are 3D in vitro models the future of cancer research? IVAN ALIĆ Advanced in vitro models: a powerful tool for 3Rs principle MARKO PENDE Tissue-clearing and light-sheet imaging. Two powerful tools for whole system 3D analysis SILVIA LETASIOVA Can 3D reconstructed human epidermis tissue models replace animal testing?
10:40 - 11:40 Small hall Entrance hall	POSTER SECTION COFFEE BREAK
11:45 - 12:45 Small hall	QUIZ
12:45 - 13:35 Large hall	The best poster presentation award Closing ceremony Annual meeting of CroLASA
13:05 - 14:05 Entrance hall	LUNCH
14:10 - 16:10 Small hall	MatTek 3R WORKSHOP Silvia Letasiova: Skin Irritation Test using 3D reconstructed tissue model of human epidermis

* The organizer reserves the right to change the program.

Confirmed Speakers

Download the CVs of the plenary lecturers(.pdf)

Bojan Polić, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka
Diana Cash, The Brain Centre, King’s College London
Kirk Leech, European Animal Research Association (EARA)
Silvia Letasiova, MatTek In Vitro Life Science Laboratories
Ilija Brizić, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka
Davor Virag, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb
Vladiana Crljen, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb
Urte Jaeh, Charles River Laboratories
Ivan Alić, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb
Marko Pende, MDI Biological Laboratory
Martina Perše, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana
Maja Sabol, Ruder Boskovic Institute
Daiva Baltriukiene, Life Sciences Center Vilnius University
Srećko Gajović, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb
Marija Heffer, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek
Ngaire Dennison, President of the European Society for Laboratory Animals Veterinarians (ESLAV)
Carlos Oscar Sorzano, National Center of Biotechnology (CSIC)

Registration Form

Abstract Submission Form

Abstracts should be written in English with a maximum of 2500 characters including spaces, font Times New Roman 12, single spacing. The abstract should contain introduction, materials and methods, results and conclusion, all in one paragraph, followed by acknowledgments, source of funding and 3-6 keywords. When writing the abstract, the authors should follow the PREPARE (https://norecopa.no/media/7893/prepare_checklist_english.pdf) and ARRIVE guidelines (https://arriveguidelines.org/sites/arrive/files/documents/Author%20Checklist%20-%20Full.pdf).

Download the Template (.docx)

If the link doesn’t open, you can download the template by right-clicking and selecting “Save link as…”

Note: Only active participants fill out the Abstract Submission Form

Anima Lab

https://animalab.eu

Animalab is a trading and service company developing its activity in the life science market since 2004. As a well-coordinated team of specialists with education and interests in various areas of natural sciences, we have extensive experience enabling effective consulting and comprehensive service for university centers, scientific units, pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies. We specialize in:

selling devices for in vivo and in vitro research,
supplying laboratories with animal models,
equipping animal facilities and laboratories.

MMK trgovina d.o.o.

https://mmktrgovina.hr

Rad tvrtke prvenstveno je usmjeren na potrebe laboratorijskih životinja namijenjenih za biomedicinska istraživanja (miševi, štakori, zamorčići, kunići, laboratorijske ribice).

Naš prioritet je kompletno opremanje vivarija za kontrolirani smještaj laboratorijskih životinja, certificirana hrana, stelja i elementi za obogacivanje okoline, održavanje higijene i redovita kontrola zdravstvenog statusa, što pridonosi dobrobiti za životinje a jednako tako ne manje važno zaštiti osoblja.
Uspjeli smo opremiti gotovo sve znanstvene i istraživačke ustanove na području Hrvatske, koje su na bilo koji način povezane sa laboratorijskim životinjama.