Wetenschapper in Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (Canada) gebruikt muizen in experimenten zonder vergunning

U of S cancer researcher probed over use of mice

12-02-2010 By Lori Coolican, The StarPhoenix, Canada


A senior scientist with the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency has had his experimental work with laboratory mice suspended after an animal attendant noticed last month that he'd been injecting small numbers of the rodents with listeria bacteria -- without getting the necessary biosafety and animal care approvals.

In an interview Thursday, university officials said they expect to have the final reports from two separate investigations of the incident by the end of next week. Until then, the potential long-term ramifications for Dr. Jim Xiang are unclear.

The incident was discovered and reported Jan. 4, and the university terminated all of Xiang's work with animals three days later.

Xiang specializes in molecular tumour immunology -- trying to get the body's own immune system to target tumours. His lab, located in a locked facility on the top floor of the Saskatoon Cancer Centre, employs a large staff and contains hundreds of cages of mice.

Dr. Svein Carlsen, vice-president of research for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, said the experiments at issue involved five mice in one cage, with virtually no risk of infection to laboratory staff or the public.

Xiang has a total of four animal care approvals for the different types of research he's conducting, "and it just happens that this particular experiment was not included in his permit," Carlsen said.

"It's just that the animal attendant happened to notice it. They do reviews, and each cage is labelled and so on. It can easily be missed. The time of the experiment is only 10 days, I believe, and so it's easy to miss that. . . . And I think the fact that they did find it and discovered it really shows that the system is working and that we are on the lookout for infractions. It's a very rare thing, but it can happen."

Xiang also has a biosafety permit for his laboratory, but neglected to have the listeria bacterium added to that permit, Carlsen added.

The procedure Xiang was using is not a new one, he noted.

"The listeria bacteria is just one mechanism to stimulate the immune system, and similar experiments have been done by other researchers to show that you can stimulate the immune system using these listeria bacteria.

"So he was just applying it to his particular model system that he was working with."

Xiang could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Listeria is a common bacteria found in soil, vegetation, water and manure, which can be unknowingly carried by animals and humans. When ingested it can lead to typical "food poisoning" symptoms -- or to listeriosis, a rare but potentially deadly infection of the brain or bloodstream. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk.

Listeriosis made headlines across the country in 2008 when an outbreak traced to contaminated cold meats was linked to 22 deaths.

(Bron: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/)
(Bron foto: archief Kraaijer)