Last month, the ground shifted in the world of science. After 25 years of admission by scientists and government that animal testing fails more than 90% of the time, we finally saw that recognition turn into action.
Both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced major policy initiatives to start phasing out animal experiments in favor of human-centered methods for safety testing and biomedical research.
As part of the phase-out, the FDA will encourage companies to submit data from experiments using tools like AI and lab-grown human tissue models for new drug approvals. In the next 3-5 years, the FDA states they will “aim to make animal studies the exception rather than the norm for pre-clinical safety and toxicity testing.”
The NIH plan to reduce animal experiments includes the creation of the Office of Research Innovation, Validation, and Application (ORIVA), to help advance the widespread adoption of non-animal methods like organoids and AI.
CAARE will continue to urgently push for alternatives to using animals, and to hold these agencies accountable. We know that with over 100 million animals in laboratory cages, it will take the concerted efforts of us all to compel the end to the habitual use of animals.
Today’s newsletter highlights three new studies that exemplify the kinds of biomedical advances that can come entirely from animal-free research in virology, immunology, and neuroscience. Using tools like 3D organ chips, computational models of human medical databases, and advanced single-cell imaging techniques, scientists gained a deep understanding of human diseases that animal models can’t capture.
Leiden scientists create first-ever dengue-on-a-chip
First new subtype of Castleman Disease discovered in 45 years
Castleman disease (CD) is a rare immune disorder that causes abnormal lymph node growth and symptoms that can range from mild to life-threatening. Until now, it has been divided into two subtypes: UCD which involves milder symptoms and iMCD, which is more severe. However, some patients don’t fall into either category. Now, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a new subtype through an animal-free study.
Scientists analyzed data from 179 patients using the ACCELERATE registry containing data from hundreds of CD patients and identified a third subtype they call Oligocentric Castleman Disease (OligoCD).
This information will allow OligoCD patients to be properly diagnosed and treated and prevent them from receiving overly aggressive procedures that can be harmful.
This discovery – the first major breakthrough for CD in 45 years – underscores the importance of collaborating with patient advocates to deliver human-relevant outcomes that cannot come from animal experiments.
Groundbreaking study reveals brain changes in Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by involuntary movements and vocalizations. The underlying causes have eluded scientists for decades. Despite experimenting on mouse models of TS for over 25 years, people living with the disorder still have limited treatment options.
To better understand how TS manifests in the human brain, researchers at Yale University used advanced single-cell analysis techniques to compare postmortem brain samples from people with and without Tourette syndrome. They found that compared to controls, people with TS had fewer interneurons in their basal ganglia, which are normally important for controlling movement. The brain cells of people with TS also showed signs of heightened metabolic stress and inflammation, pointing towards potential targets for future medications.
Lead investigator Flora Vaccarino, M.D. said, “While there is still much to be learned about the developmental causes of Tourette syndrome, we hope that these findings will inspire new therapeutic trials for individuals affected by this condition.”
Citizens for Alternatives to Animal Research & Experiments (CAARE), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, established to highlight and promote research without animals.
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