New Three Rs Learning Scenario: Take Your Students Inside a Virtual Cell Culture Lab!

The Three Rs project, led by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in collaboration with Scientix®, has developed a new learning scenario: The Future of Scientific Research: Learning about Cell Cultures inside a Virtual Lab. As part of the project's ongoing mission to bring the three Rs principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal use in science into classrooms across Europe, this resource gives secondary school students (ages 14–18) a hands-on introduction to the future of biomedical research, inside the EURL ECVAM Virtual Lab.

In this activity, students take on professional roles (researcher, safety inspector, or quality assurance inspector) to explore how human cell culture could be used to replace or reduce animal testing in real laboratory settings. Through guided inquiry and immersive exploration, they investigate key topics such as biosafety, contamination control, cell culture, automation, microscopy and scientific reproducibility and reflect on both the advantages and limitations of in vitro methods for studying human biology. The learning scenario fits into a single 45-minute lesson, with optional preparatory and extension activities including a debate, a hands-on task and works on standard desktop devices or Meta Quest 2 headsets.

Download the Learning Scenario here and bring ethical and innovative science into your classroom!

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To learn more about the EC Joint Research Centre (JRC) click here: EU Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing (EURL ECVAM) - Joint Research Centre.