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" I loved animals and dreamed of becoming a veterinarian! I went to university by default and obtained a master's degree in oceanography, and then wrote a thesis in a laboratory that was working on cystic fibrosis. After that, I specialised in blood disorders in the haematology department of the university hospital (CHU). There, I developed a set of standardised models to test new molecules. Later, I led the project to upgrade the animal facility at the Department of Medicine. It was not easy because I found myself in a man's world - and what's more, doctors! In 2007, I obtained a research technician post and became responsible for the animal facility, while managing the department 's research activities. In 2010, a government directive gave greater status to animals whose well-being and sensitivity needed to be considered. I was to orchestrate a major overhaul at the University of Western Brittany (UBO), the objective being to make UBO a model in terms of animal experimentation.

I love my job and people do not always understand the duality between I love animals / I work on animals. For me evaluating a drug that provides a new therapeutic solution is always a triumph. I oversee the training and skills development in animal experimentation of approximately 100 researchers. They must write projects to the ethics committee and obtain approval. I was responsible for the creation of an “animal welfare” structure to support researchers in order to ensure that the UBO is beyond reproach. I explain to students that they will obtain better scientific results if the process is effectively managed from start to finish. Researchers are responsible for managing their projects and they must thus care for their animals daily. I am the guarantor for compliance with and maintaining authorisation regarding the meticulous veterinary controls of the animal facility."

Séverine Loisel,
Research technician, University of Western Brittany

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