SEATTLE — Animals used in experiments at Seattle Children’s Research Institute were denied proper care, according to inspection reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Seattle Times reported that the institute, which is part of Seattle Children’s Hospital, was cited twice for letting animals experience unnecessary “pain and distress.” The documents were released this week as part of a USDA complaint filed by the animal rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now.
In one set of experiments held in late 2013, six pigs struggled during surgical procedures, indicating that they were in pain and were not properly anesthetized, the report said. The lapse may have contributed to the animals’ deaths. The inspector also noted a thick layer of dust on surgical lights above an operating table, which could have exposed animals to “infectious or other harmful materials.”
A second incident, in 2014, involved spiny mice, a species commonly used in research. Several of the animals had wounds or lesions that should have been treated with a painkilling gel, the report said. But researchers didn’t administer the required medication because it might have interfered with efforts to measure inflammatory response.
Seattle Children’s spokeswoman Alyse Bernal told the newspaper in an email that the institute voluntarily reported problems with the pig experiments to the USDA and stopped the experiment. The spiny mouse project was also halted.
“The institute worked to determine the cause of these incidents to ensure they do not happen again in future studies,” Bernal said. “Seattle Children’s Research Institute is committed to upholding the highest standards for animal research.”
The institute is housed in multiple buildings between downtown Seattle and South Lake Union and conducts research on childhood cancers, brain science, genetics and infectious diseases. According to its most recent annual report to the USDA, the institute used 445 animals — mostly spiny mice and pigs — in research projects in 2014. The pig experiment sought to find treatments for newborns with lung failure. The mouse project focused on how to heal wounds.
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