This March, we’ve been MARCHing…

Just like the title, we are marching to the big kick-off of the project.
March was marked with great achievements in the preparation stages. Early this month, we submitted the ethics for the experiment. We do not underestimate the importance of treating animals with respect – and we’re happy to report that the project has gained a favourable ethical opinion from Animal Welfare and Ethics Review Board – University of Brighton (yayyyy!). This approval means that the experimental design of the project, including the number of animals and procedures used, are in accordance with tenets of partial replacement, reduction, and refinement from the 3Rs. Next, we also have identified suppliers and the procurement route (including agreements) that has to be cleared before any ordering can be made (thanks for the support of our fabulous Project Manager and the UoB finance team). Of course, collaboration is key for REDPOL, so before starting the experiment we also had an intensive discussion with our partners. With their expertise, we have identified (and also purchased) some compounds to be used for the first batch of the experiment. After liaising with the Technical Office School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, we have finalised the technicals for our experiment. Lastly, as health and safety is of paramount importance to our research project, we are ensuring that health and safety assessments are in place before any work starts – this includes COSHH and risk assessment.

Now….
Ethics: checked
Health and safety: checked
Administration: checked
Logistics: checked
Technical: checked
Me: always checked…. 😉

So, let’s roll…..!