FOI2025/00525: Use of Animals in Research relation to Sepsis
Case reference FOI2025/00525
Received 23 May 2025
Published 4 August 2025
Request
Request Received: 23 May 2025
I am writing to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 for the disclosure of information relating to the use of animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
In particular, I am interested in programs of work relating to sepsis, in which animals are deliberately induced to suffer from sepsis, conducted at the Medical Research Council Harwell Biological Services [and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology]. For example, this may include the induction of sepsis via cecal/caecal ligation and puncture, administration of lipopolysaccharide, toxins or bacteria, colon ascendens stent peritonitis or other methods not stated. Please provide:
1. The number of currently held project licences and licence applications in progress, pertaining to sepsis research as described above.
2. Copies of the Home Office project licence(s) relating to sepsis research conducted at your institute for the period of 23 May 2020 to the current date.
a. Please include the project protocols (including information on the methods pertaining to sepsis research) and information relating to the 3Rs (replacement, refinement and reduction).
b. Information on the duration of active project licence(s), including the expiry date.
c. Details on the number and species of animals used as part of the active project licence(s).
3. Photographs and/or video footage of the methods performed to induce or study sepsis as part of the above projects.
4. A copy of all written materials relating to the above licence(s) produced by and for the university's Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB), including minutes from relevant AWERB meetings and non-technical summaries.
5. Where applicable, a copy of any retrospective review of procedures described in the project licence(s) (or any part of it) that has been conducted.
Response
Response Sent: 23 June 2025
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) does not hold any information relevant to your request. Please see the information below.
We note that you have sent the same request to both MRC Harwell Biological Services and the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB). As both MRC Harwell and LMB are institutions of the Medical Research Council (MRC) and all the research councils, Innovate UK and Research England have been brought together under UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), your requests have been combined and handled as a single request by UKRI.
We can confirm that work on sepsis is not carried out at MRC Harwell or MRC LMB, therefore UKRI does not hold any information relevant to your request.
Documents
This is UK Research and Innovation's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.