Progress in Using Systematic Reviews of Animal Studies to Improve Translational Research
Afin d'améliorer la qualité des travaux de recherche translationnelle, cet article plaide pour le développement de revues systématiques d'études menées sur des animaux
During the last decade, new developments and initiatives have been introduced to improve the quality and translational value of animal research. We summarize these here, focusing on quality of study conduct, reporting, and replication; systematic reviews and meta-analyses; and study registration, publication bias, and data sharing.
Systematic reviews of animal studies should be conducted routinely. Funding agencies should subsidize systematic reviews, not simply for transparency, but also to avoid waste of financial resources and unnecessary duplication of animal studies.
An international register for animal studies should be established and funded. Journals should publish “negative and neutral” results, and promote data sharing.
Improving the quality and translation of animal research requires co-operation from the wider scientific community, journals, researchers, regulators, funding bodies, peer reviewers, and patients. Systematic reviews of preclinical studies should be included in the Cochrane Library.
PLoS Medicine , article en libre accès, 2012