Minimum Information about a Spinal Cord Injury Experiment: A Proposed Reporting Standard for Spinal Cord Injury Experiments

JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA, 2014 · DOI: 10.1089/neu.2014.3400 · Published: August 1, 2014

Spinal Cord Injury Neurology Research Methodology & Design

Simple Explanation

The lack of reproducibility in experimental science is caused by a lack of transparency and precision in describing experimental approaches. Centralized databases are needed to facilitate the generation of new hypotheses for testing to improve transparency in experimental description. This article describes a minimum information standard for spinal cord injury (SCI) experiments, its major elements, and the approaches used to develop it.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

76 SCI experts

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Transparent reporting standards for experiments using animal models of human SCI aim to reduce inherent bias and increase experimental value.
2
The MIASCI draft standard has been proposed to capture SCI experimental details, including the investigator, organism, behavior, surgery, perturbagens, histology, immunohistochemistry, imaging, biomaterials, cell transplantation, and data analysis.
3
MIASCI provides a basis for establishing good laboratory practice in the modeling of SCI.

Research Summary

The MIASCI draft standard has been proposed to capture SCI experimental details, including the investigator, organism, behavior, surgery, perturbagens, histology, immunohistochemistry, imaging, biomaterials, cell transplantation, and data analysis. MIASCI provides a basis for establishing good laboratory practice in the modeling of SCI. Thus, establishment of transparent reporting standards in pre-clinical SCI research should facilitate experimental accuracy and lab-to-lab reproducibility, helping to speed up the development of novel therapeutic approaches to SCI.

Practical Implications

Improved Research Transparency

Adopting MIASCI enhances the transparency and encourages the use of best practices in SCI research.

Data Aggregation and Interrogation

MIASCI facilitates aggregation and interrogation of large SCI datasets through standardized terminology and annotation.

Enhanced Predictive Value

By reducing bias, MIASCI aims to enhance the predictive value of experimental SCI modeling, potentially reducing the number of animals needed.

Study Limitations

1
MIASCI relies on good faith and cannot prevent intentionally false statements.
2
The utility of MIASCI could be tested experimentally, for example, by a prospective study comparing relevant publications before and after inauguration of the MIASCI standard.
3
At present, the biomaterials section is minimal and there is no coverage of some molecular techniques, such as in situ hybridization or real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Spinal Cord Injury