Animal testing

The latest sponsored DDW Sitting Down With podcast features Ruth Roberts and Michael Morton, co-founders of ApconiX, and Dr Kimberly Rockley, ApconiX, who discuss novel alternative methods and the impact of the FDA Modernisation Act 2.0 in relation to seizure liability as well as talking about the importance of evaluating seizure liability. The speakers outline […]

This is the latest episode of the free DDW narrated podcast, “Innovating now to reinvent the future of drug discovery”. It covers three articles written for Volume 23, Issue 2 – Spring 2022 of DDW. They are called “Predictive biomarkers in the age of spatial biology”, “Exploiting the microbiome to drive nature – inspired innovation”, […]

Dr Megan MacBride and Dr Caroline Horizny Mitchell, Taconic, examine recent changes to animal testing in drug design. Drug discovery and development is an arduous process that can cost upwards of $2.6 billion and take over 10 years. While the discovery phase – which includes target discovery, target validation, lead compound identification, and lead compound […]

Jantzen Sperry, PhD, Director of Scientific Operations at Certis Oncology looks at how the adoption of orthotopic PDX models can elevate the impact of cancer research and improve translation in oncology drug development. The recent passage of the FDA Modernization Act, which removed the requirement for animal testing when suitable alternatives are available, has highlighted […]

By DDW Editor Reece Armstrong A lot has already been said about the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Modernization Act 2.0 and for good reason. The decision by the Biden administration to end the federal requirement for drugs under development to be tested on animals represents a significant step forward for the life sciences sectors. The legislation […]

A new study has found that highly purified gelatin biomaterials could enhance the reliability and reproducibility of 3AD in vitro models, creating new possibilities for replacing preclinical animal trials. The joint study by the University of Twente, The Netherlands, and Rousselot Biomedical investigated for the first time the impact of endotoxins on 3D breast tumour-immune […]

A research group from the National Institutes of Health has successfully developed a vaccine against Sudan virus (SUDV) based on the licensed Ebola virus (EBOV) vaccine.   SUDV, identified in 1976, is one of the four viruses known to cause human Ebolavirus disease. The new vaccine, VSV-SUDV, completely protected cynomolgus macaques against a lethal SUDV challenge. […]

As of late December 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) no longer needs drugs to be tested in animals to receive approval, according to legislation signed by President Joe Biden1 – the Modernization Act 2.0. This news has been shared widely as a landmark moment, especially in the eyes of animal welfare organisations but […]

The University of California, Davis, has received over $12 million from the National Institutes of Health for the third and final five-year phase of the Knockout Mouse Phenotyping Project (KOMP2). ‘Knockout’ mice are bred in a laboratory with specific genes silenced or ‘knocked out’. They have been valuable tools for research on a wide range of […]

Listen to this article on the DDW Podcast: FRAME (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments) Education and Outreach Manager Amy Beale discusses how current legislative and regulatory requirements for animal research could be strengthened to help prevent animal experiments and accelerate change. She also considers the factors influencing the lack of change within […]

FRAME, a medical research charity that aims to reduce the number of animals used in scientific testing, has awarded a total of £29,000 to three projects with the potential to replace animal use in biomedical research.  The award  FRAME’s innovation grant funding stream is designed to provide small grants to enable the next generation of […]

Listen to this article on the DDW Podcast: John Couse, PhD, Vice President, Scientific Services, Taconic Biosciences, explains how focussing on best practices for animal models can reduce a project’s timeline, budget, and total number of animals used.   Research organisations engaged in drug discovery rely on animal models, including genetically engineered mice, to support and […]

The UK government has released a national statistics report, “Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain, 2020”. DDW recently reported the ABPI comment. The medical research charity FRAME’s Education & Outreach Manager Amy Beale has made further comment. Beale said: “Whilst the headline figures in the Annual Statistics for 2020 are encouraging […]

The UK government has released a national statistics report, “Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain, 2020”. In summary, 2.88 million procedures were carried out in Great Britain involving living animals in 2020. Key results of the report include the fact that the 2.88 million procedures in 2020 is a decrease of […]

Over two-thirds of Britons want an end to animal experiments in medical research in UK labs, a new poll reveals. The YouGov survey, carried out on behalf of charity Animal Free Research UK, showed strong public support for ending animal experiments and replacing them with non-animal alternatives, such as artificial intelligence and using human cells […]