The age of animal experiments is waning. Where will science go next?

"Last November, the UK government announced a bold plan to phase out animal testing in some areas of research. Animal tests for skin irritation are scheduled for elimination this year, and some studies on dogs should be slashed by 2030. The long-term vision is 'a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances'."

"Last April, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to make animal studies the 'exception rather than the norm' in drug safety and toxicity testing in 3-5 years. The same month, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed an initiative to reduce the use of animals in research that it funds."

"The number of biomedical publications using only NAMs grew from around 25,000 to 100,000 between 2006 and 2022, according to an analysis of studies on seven diseases by Animal Free Research UK. And China is investing heavily in this area: in 2024, it launched the Human Organ Physiopathology Emulation System, backed with an investment of 2,640 million yuan (US$382 million)."

The UK, US, and European governments are implementing policies to eliminate or drastically reduce animal testing in research. The UK plans to phase out skin irritation tests this year and reduce dog studies by 2030. The FDA aims to make animal studies exceptional rather than routine within 3-5 years, while the NIH is reducing funded animal research. The European Commission will publish a roadmap ending animal testing in chemical safety assessments. These regulatory shifts are driven by ethical concerns and accelerated by advances in alternative methodologies including organs-on-chips, organoids, and computational models. Publications using only these alternatives grew from 25,000 to 100,000 between 2006 and 2022. China invested $382 million in developing alternative methodologies through its Human Organ Physiopathology Emulation System.

Read at Nature