Activities of the ICLAS Regional America Committee

ICLAS-ARC 2025 TRAVEL AWARD LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE SPECIALIST AALAS National Meeting in Long Beach, California, USA November 9-13, 2025
Deadline for Applications: July 31, 2025

The American Regional Committee of ICLAS would like to announce that the deadline to apply for three travel fellowships is extended till July 31, 2025.Thanks to the support of Avidity Science, Charles Rivers' CHARTER programme, and PMI Nutrition International, there is one grant available to a member of FeSAHANCCCAL, one for member of FESSACAL, and a third one for the best remaining candidate regardless of association membership. Please follow this link for details and how to apply for this great opportunity link

VI EDITION OF THE COURSE
"Actualización en Concepto de Investigación con Animales de Laboratorio"

Thanks to support from ICLAS, the VI edition of this course on "Updating on the Conception of Laboratory Animal Research" took place in Tandil, Argentina, from 6th to 10th of March 2023 at CITEVAN (Tandil Centre for Veterinarian Research). The course was well attended with a good representation of different professional profiles on the field of Animal Research. We encourage you to read the report here. Dr. Luis I. Álvarez, director of CITEVAN wanted to express his gratitude to ICLAS on this letter.

FESSACAL II INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS

With support from ICLAS, the presidents of the Federation of South American Laboratory Animal Science Federation, held a meeting at the beginning of December last year, with the title of Integration, Harmonisation and Dissemination of knowledge.The Presidents of the member associations met in a retreat to forge links with each other and between their respective associations to discuss how to achieve the objectives of the Federation. Read here their report.

AACyTAL Meeting 2021

ICLAS sponsored the 2021 Scientific Meeting of the Argentinian Association for Laboratory Animal Science and Technology (AACyTAL) on 27-29 October 2021. You can review the Program, the Abstracts, and the Report of this activity.

Launching of the BMRT Journal by SBCAL

The Biological Models Research and Technology Journal (BMRT) was launched on July 1st, 2021. It is a journal linked to SBCAL but in a new format with a professional web page and a new submission and review electronic system. BMRT journal will be the main scientific and technical channel of communication among the Latin American LAS community and with the world. Funding was used to cover the costs to host the webpage and for the submission and review systems. The report of this activity funded by ICLAS can be found here.

ICLAS funding of LAS Course in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 2021

Congratulations to Cleidy Falcone and her team at The Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil on presenting a short course on Management, Legislation, Ethics and Safety in Laboratory Animal Care held this past June, 2021. ICLAS is proud to have supported this most successful event. Please see the detailed report here.

ICLAS funding of training activities in Cuba

The ICLAS Americas Regional Committee is proud to have provided funding for recent training events in Cuba. ICLAS funding supported the travel/accommodations for Dr. Veronica Casanova to travel from Argentina to Cuba during the period of November 3-13, 2019. During this time , Dr. Casanova participated in several training events including: lectures and panels during the International Congress of Veterinary Medicine (Nov. 4-7), Workshop on Management of Projects that use Laboratory Animals held by the Cuban Association of Veterinary Medicine (Nov. 8) and Workshop on University Techniques in Integral Management of Animal Facilities at the University of Havana, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Nov. 11-12). Thanks go out to the Cuban Society for Laboratory Animal Science (SCCAL) and Dr. Lazara Martinez for their efforts in organizing these opportunities for those working with laboratory animals in Cuba.

Report of SCCAL on ICLAS-funded activity in Cuba

The Cuban Society of Laboratory Animal Science (SCCAL) reports on activities performed on November 2019 with ICLAS funding. See report here.

Award Ceremony for the ICLAS Americas Regional Committee (ARC) 2019 Travel Awards

The Cuban Society of Laboratory Animal Science (SCCAL) reports on activities performed on November 2019 with ICLAS funding. See report here.

Dr. Andreia Henzel of Brazil was the FESSACAL winner, and was sponsored by Lab Products. With her in the photo is company representative Pedro Yunis.

Dr. Daniel Goulart of Brazil was the best overall winner, and was sponsored by PMILabDiet. With him in the photo is company representative Jose Espinal.

Dr. Jilma Laporte of Costa Rica was the ACCMAL winner, and was sponsored by Charles River Laboratories. With her in the photo is company representative Dr. Guy Mulder.

Reports from ICLAS funded activities

Report from the Encontro Regional da Sociedade Brasileira de Ciéncia em Animais de Laboratório 2019

See here the report from Claudia Madalena Cabrera Mori who attended a course in Brazil in March 2018

Read here a report on the II International Congress of the South American Laboratory Animal Federation: Integration, Harmonization and Dissemination of Knowledge.

FESSACAL ASSEMBLY 2018
The FESSACAL + FESAHANCCCAL assembly was held during the 15th SBCAL-ICLAS Congress. You can see here a summary of this important meeting of these affiliate and scientific ICLAS members.

Activities related to travel awards

AALAS national meeting awards
Sponsors: LabDiet, Charles River, Lab Products
Information about the ARC Travel Award to the AALAS Meeting
The Americas Regional Committee Travel Award program provides opportunities for 3 laboratory animal scientists from Central America, South America, and the Caribbean to attend the national meeting of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. The 2016 meeting was held October 29 – November 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. The costs of transportation, lodging, and meals were covered by generous sponsors: Lab Products, Inc, PMI LabDiet, and Charles River. AALAS donated meeting registration fees, and AAALAC provided a luncheon at which the recipients were honored and received plaques of recognition. Dr. Glicerio Ignacio of the University of North Carolina provided the awardees a private tour of the university research animal facilities. The 2016 awardees were Dr. Isabel Quadros of Argentina (representing FESSACAL), Dr. Humberto Morris of Cuba (representing ACCMAL), and Dr. Hector Sandoval of Mexico (representing Latin America).
Here is the reaction of Dr. Morris to his experience as a Travel Award recipient:”Thank you very much for the possibility of attending to this excellent meeting! Dr. Chandra Williams announced a vibrant schedule of seminars, special topic lectures, workshops and panel discussions and the meeting surpassed any expectative. I sincerely thank ICLAS-ARC for this fabulous opportunity given to young specialists devoted to laboratory animal science in our region of exploring and discovering new concepts and ideas on lab animals, to access to educational prospects and for interacting with commercial meeting partners providing technical information through their presentations. A significant space was opened for building bridges in laboratory animal science in the Americas region. I personally enjoyed the visit to animal facilities in the David H. Murdock Research Institute at the Research Campus of North Carolina guided by Dr. Glicerio Ignacio. I learned a lot and for the first time, I saw non-human primates’ facilities.On the other hand, I felt so excited with the Awards Presentation Ceremony held at the Westin Hotel organized by AALAS, AAALAC International and ICLAS. I will never forget this experience!! I greatly appreciate the support given by Charles River Laboratories through the CHARTER Program and the occasion for meeting Dr. Marilyn Brown and Dr. Guy Mulder and to know more about their efforts in promoting animal welfare and the 3Rs implementation. I met so many people active in this field. Now, I have the responsibility of disseminating the acquired knowledge to my colleagues of the Cuban Society of Laboratory Animal Science as well as to our students at both graduate and post-graduate levels.Finally, I´m in loved of the “Queen city”, Charlotte, and its fantastic people!!

Americas Regional Committee Travel Award winners and sponsors at the AAALAC luncheon at the national meeting of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, November 2, 2016.
Left to right: Mr. Pedro Yunis (Lab Products, Inc), Dr. Isabel Quadros (Argentina), Dr. Humberto Morris (Cuba), Dr. Guy Mulder (Charles River), Dr. Cynthia Pekow (ICLAS Secretary General), Dr. Hector Sandoval (Mexico), Mr. Hose Espinal (PMI LabDiet)

Activities to Encourage activities that promote LAS

Promote educational meetings, workshops, symposia
- Disseminate information via email, web, publications
- Help by promoting mentorship (places with successful programs mentor others new to putting on programs)
Publicize scientific publications and web communications
Assist with educational exchanges
- Provide information on successful programs
- Publicize opportunities
- Suggest where such exchanges might be created
Promote development of certification activities and programs
NOTE: work with ICLAS Education Committee on this goal

Activities to Encourage participation from all countries in the region

Maintain and update contacts in each country
Encourage communication between members (web, email, publications, visits)
Survey member nations to learn their needs and how the ARC can assist
- Hold open forum sessions at national and regional meetings
- Survey via email web

Activities to Promote Latin America LAS seminars at national AALAS meeting

Procure funding to assist participants
Advertise the sessions

Become a Iclas Member

New membership