Reduction of Animal Testing
The Government of the United Kingdom revealed a comprehensive plan to decrease animal testing. The New Strategy will be an important step that will change scientific research and ethics. Researchers have established certain goals to reduce and replace animal testing with digital and human-based alternatives.
Some significant animal-based safety tests will be replaced with new approaches. This plan also aims to reduce the usage of the number of dogs and non-human primates used in drug testing by at least 35% by 2030.
This project satisfies an important promise in the Labour Party’s manifesto to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society” in order to phase out animal research. The Science Minister, Lord Vallance, told BBC News that he hopes to see animal testing almost eliminated in the future, but he acknowledges that this change will take time.
Animal Testing
In 2015, animal testing was more prevalent in the United Kingdom. Genetic modification experiments involving fish and mice resulted in more than 4.1 million procedures. Due to new scientific methods, the number had drastically decreased to 2.88 million by 2020. The government plans to involve advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, computer simulations, and tissues grown from stem cells.
Replacements
One of the newest methods to substitute animal testing is the “organ-on-a-chip.” Researchers at the Centre for Predictive in vitro Models (CPM) at Queen Mary University of London are using human cells to create small glass devices that mimic real organs like the liver or brain. They can find the reaction of the human body to the new drugs by attaching these chips to computers and electrodes. According to Prof. Hazel Screen, co-director of CPM, any organ could potentially be built on a chip. Then, they can use it to test a new drug. Also, human cells gave better results.
Changes and Future Goals
By the end of 2025, some animal testing will be reduced. The traditional pyrogen test, which involved rabbits to determine whether a drug caused fever, will be replaced. For Example, there will be studies involving human immune cells in a dish. Similarly, animal testing for microorganisms in drugs will be replaced by cell and gene-based technologies. Between 2026 and 2035, the government plans to rapidly develop non-animal methods, such as organ-on-a-chip devices and AI-driven testing. A new Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods will be established in order to speed up the change. This facility will make sure that new techniques are reliable, safe, and replace animal testing. The government also promised more funding, including ยฃ30 million for a specialised research centre and more grants to support training and innovation.
This plan has received support from the RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations. However, they also expressed the importance of carrying out these plans. Other researchers also worry that the need for rapid change might backfire.
Professor Robin Lovell-Badge worries about the need to use animal models in some scientific domains, especially those about the brain and behaviour. In a similar way, Prof. Frances Balkwill, a cancer specialist, noted that non-animal models are improving, but they still cannot adequately represent the factors of biological systems.
A Careful Balance
The strategy of the United Kingdom blends imagination and empathy, representing a significant change in scientific progress. Cages and lab animals may eventually be replaced by artificial intelligence and creativity. However, complete elimination of animal testing remains a long-term objective.
