Serdang, 28 May 2025 – Three officers from the Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuklear Malaysia) participated in the Specialized Technique Workshop on The Care and Use of Rats In Research 2025, a two-day event held from 27 to 28 May 2025.

The workshop was a continuation of discussions between Nuklear Malaysia and Comparative Medicine and Technology (COMeT) held on 8 October 2024 and is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen competencies in handling laboratory animals among researchers and lab assistants at Nuklear Malaysia.

During the training, participants were exposed to the latest procedures carried out in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act 2015 under the ethical code for the use of research animals (MyCode). The training was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), with reference number IACUC: UPM/IACUC/AUP-T011/2025.

This advanced-level workshop focused on more challenging Level 1 techniques in rodent laboratory animal studies. Techniques taught included blood collection via tail vein, wound stitching using simple interrupted and simple continuous patterns, terminal blood withdrawal methods, and necropsy procedures.

“This initiative is important to support lifelong learning aspirations for officers and staff involved in laboratory animal research,” stated the workshop organizer.

One of the participants, Dr. Siti Suhaila Md Izah, a researcher from Nuklear Malaysia, expressed her excitement about the new techniques learned by describing the experience as “Exciting and interesting!”

Mr. Saifullizan Mohamad shared his hope to further explore survival surgery techniques for rodents in the future, while Mr. Muhammad Ridzuan Rosdi expressed his wish for a future workshop to be held focusing on emergency situations involving laboratory animals.

The workshop concluded with a certificate presentation session for all participants. It is hoped that the strong collaboration between the Malaysian Nuclear Agency and COMeT, Bioscience Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), will continue to be strengthened for the advancement of laboratory animal research in the country.

Date of Input: 29/05/2025 | Updated: 29/05/2025 | azah