“When I explain to my friends and family the rigorous regulations in place to ensure ethical treatment of experimental animals, they seem surprised.
 
It is important that people know that researchers that use animals are obliged to have appropriate qualifications and training. That scientific projects are evaluated to ensure that the use of animals is needed, beneficial and that no unnecessary harm is inflicted. And that the highest standards of housing conditions must be provided by the facilities where animals are housed.
 

A study published in mid-April in the journal Nature Communications by Leopoldo Petreanu and his team, from the Cortical Circuits lab at Champalimaud Research, concludes that sensory processing by the visual cortex’s is not purely visual. More to the point, the study shows that, right from the early stages of sensory processing, the visual cortex integrates information from other sensory modalities, such as sounds.

Reported today in Science, the researchers found that mice given a diet rich in vitamin D had better immune resistance to experimentally transplanted cancers and improved responses to immunotherapy treatment. This effect was also seen when gene editing was used to remove a protein that binds to vitamin D in the blood and keeps it away from tissues.

Host

Carlos Minutti, Principal Investigator, Champalimaud Research

Venue

Seminar room