“We want tests and models that can tell us which treatments work, and in what patients, and a mouse cannot tell us that.” www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

‘A mouse can’t tell us what works’: UK scientists to grow miniature human organs for drug testing

Organoids and tissues grown from human cells promise more accurate results, with £20m Cambridge project to create standardised models

theguardian.com

The government’s willingness to accommodate industry pressure [...] emphasises a broader structural problem at the heart of a health system conceived with the intention of delivering equitable, patient centred care, now reduced to underwriting risk in global pharmaceutical markets.

Global Justice Now@globaljusticenow.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The next Prime Minister must change direction, stand up for our NHS, and unpick the mess left by their predecessors - our full reaction 👇🏽 www.globaljustice.org.uk/news/bmj-pap...

The UK government has agreed a deal with Donald Trump that will hike NHS drugs prices by £9 BILLION a year by 2036. Tell Wes Streeting to give MPs a full debate and vote on this deal. act.globaljustice.org.uk/node/4686

Tell Wes Streeting: give MPs a vote on NHS deal with Trump

The UK government has agreed a deal with Donald Trump that will see the NHS pay pharma companies much higher drugs prices. This will cost the NHS £9 billion a year by 2036 – but so far the government ...

act.globaljustice.org.uk

Human-focused life sciences are moving from vision to implementation. #betterscience is #humanrelevant Huge thanks to all the brilliant participants 👏 safermedicines.org/royal-societ...

Royal Society meeting a great success! - Safer Medicines

Our 2-day Science+ meeting, co-organised with Professor Geoff Pilkington on behalf of the Alliance for Human Relevant Science, was an exceptional experience. We were deeply honoured to have so many ou...

safermedicines.org

Registration for live-stream closes Monday 2nd Feb. On-demand recording will be available soon. #betterscience is #humanrelevant royalsociety.org/science-even...

A human focus for 21st century life sciences | Royal Society

Science+ meeting organised by Professor Geoffrey J Pilkington, Ms Rebecca Ram, and Ms Kathy Archibald

royalsociety.org

The UK roadmap: it sounds good - but will it work? If the aim really is to replace animal experiments, then it will not work without much more attention to phase-out measures, particularly in the basic sciences. Read our blog: safermedicines.org/blog_post/th...

The UK roadmap: will it work? - Safer Medicines

On November 11th 2025, the UK Government published its long-awaited strategy, ‘Replacing animals in science’. Addressing both regulatory and ‘discovery’ research, it includes a range of measures to he...

safermedicines.org

The Alliance for Human Relevant Science welcomes the government's roadmap to phase out animal testing. We are ready to help deliver and accelerate this vital transition. #betterscience #humanrelevant www.humanrelevantscience.org/replacing-an...

Replacing animals in science - Human Relevant Science

The UK Government has (11.11.2025) published its strategy for “Replacing animals in science”, to deliver on a key pledge from the Labour Party’s election manifesto to set out a clear plan to reduce an...

humanrelevantscience.org

🚨 The UK needs a clear plan to end animal testing. We want to see a roadmap that is detailed and action-focused. ✍️ Sign the petition today: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/a-real-roadmap-to-phase-out-animal-testing

Film review: ‘How to make drugs and feel great about everything’ considers the science and ethics of drug development. Our verdict: Well worth watching and even funny! safermedicines.org/blog_post/ho...

How to make drugs and feel great about everything. First Spark Media. September 2025 - Safer Medicines

The film ‘How to make drugs and feel great about everything’, by director Journey Wade-Hak and co-producer / writer Keegan Kuhn covers what will be familiar ground to many – the translational failure ...

safermedicines.org

The time may come when we look back and realise that animal experiments have been a huge and costly distraction, a path we might have done better to completely avoid. #betterscience #humanrelevant safermedicines.org/blog_post/mi...

Misplacement, replacement, displacement - Safer Medicines

When considering the use of animals in research intended to have relevance for human health, the time may come when we look back and realise that animal experiments have been a huge and costly distrac...

safermedicines.org

👏 Don't miss this excellent commentary in @nature.com. Nonanimal methods are revolutionizing research, yet many editors, reviewers, and funders still overlook their robustness and value—leaving researchers struggling for recognition despite #NAMs’ potential to deliver better results. 🧪

Are you a researcher with an interest in human-focused #biomedical technologies? Join our upcoming Science+ meeting in London. You can also apply to present your poster at the meeting: royalsociety.org/science-even... @safermedicines.org

A brilliant paper by my brilliant colleague Pandora Pound, with a short blog to introduce it - an essential read! safermedicines.org/blog_post/ho...

How can a sociological perspective facilitate the transition from animal research to non-animal, new approach methodologies? - Safer Medicines

In our new paper, Safer Medicines Trust Research Director, Pandora Pound, explores whether a sociological perspective can help explain why animal research persists within academia despite the availabi...

safermedicines.org

In a powerful new article, Pandora Pound of @safermedicines.org uses sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s ideas on power and legitimacy to ask why animal experimentation still dominates academia—despite scientific advances and increasing external pressure for change. 🧵 #sociology #scipol #philsci 🧪

Most animals used in experimentation are still in academic settings. Pound argues this isn’t due to scientific necessity, but because the enculturated paradigm is a powerful source of symbolic and economic capital, due to its history and systems of inertia. 2/

She explores how academics' "reluctance to relinquish their models" is a defensive tactic, given that "the animal research field is fully open to external forces and its autonomy and legitimacy are at risk as never before." 3/

Pound also calls for a rethink in how we talk about change. Rather than using “replacement” (which still treats animal experimentation as the default), she suggests “displacement” — a term that signals the intent to phase it out entirely. 4/

This shift in language matters. “Replacement” implies there’s something that must be preserved. “Displacement” reframes the goal: not to replicate animal models, but to move beyond them toward more innovative, human-relevant approaches. 5/

There's a lot to unpack here, some of which is summarized in the graphic above. Sit down with a coffee or a cocktail this weekend and give it a full read. 🔚 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A sociological perspective on the challenges of displacing animal research within academia: the contribution of Bourdieu

The use of non-animal, new approach methodologies (NAMs) is increasing but there has been no associated decrease in animal use. Reasons may include th…

sciencedirect.com

The UK government promised to phase out animal testing. A promise isn't enough. We need an ambitious roadmap with firm deadlines, not more delays. Sign the petition demanding a real plan to bring UK science into the 21st century. you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/a-...

A real roadmap to phase out animal testing

It's time for the UK to catch up and focus on modern, human-relevant science. Add your name to the petition calling on the government to create an ambitious and detailed roadmap to phase out animal te...

you.38degrees.org.uk

Sign and share this petition to make sure animal testing is REALLY phased out in the UK! #betterscience #humanrelevant you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/a-...

A real roadmap to phase out animal testing

The government promised to work towards phasing out animal testing. Now they're creating a roadmap to make it happen, but it needs to be an ambitious and detailed plan, with clear milestones to drive ...

you.38degrees.org.uk

Defending animal research in the USA - our latest blog safermedicines.org/blog_post/ho...

How are US organisations that promote animal research responding to recent developments? - Safer Medicines

Recent developments in the US have taken us all by surprise, not only because they were unanticipated, but also due to their breadth and ambition. First the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared...

safermedicines.org

Will the UK government's forthcoming strategy to reduce the use of animals in science reflect the bold developments in the US? safermedicines.org/blog_post/fd...

FDA-NIH Workshop: Reducing Animal Testing - Safer Medicines

A cultural shift Much has been written about Nicole Kleinstreuer’s announcement in the joint workshop between the FDA and the National Institutes for Health (NIH), namely that all new NIH funding oppo...

safermedicines.org

Patients would benefit from human-relevant science in place of preclinical animal tests that risk incorrect predictions of safety and efficacy. #betterscience #humanrelevant safermedicines.org/blog_post/on...

On Clinical Trials Day - May 20 2025 - Safer Medicines

May 20th every year marks Clinical Trials Day, to recognise the day in 1747 when James Lind, a ship’s surgeon in the British Royal Navy initiated what is considered to be one of the first ever clinica...

safermedicines.org

UK government needs to quickly up its game, or be left in the dirt by the forward-thinking US FDA, NIH and EPA, who now realise that #betterscience is #humanrelevant safermedicines.org/blog_post/as...

Astonishing April! - Safer Medicines

It all began on 10th April, when the US Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) announced its intention to take ‘a groundbreaking step to advance public health’ by using ‘more effective, human-relevant meth...

safermedicines.org

Vivodyne human tissues are making human-first drug testing a reality... yielding rich human data without relying on animal vivariums 👏https://www.contractpharma.com/exclusives/advantages-and-impact-of-fdas-plan-to-phase-out-animal-testing-for-mabs-and-other-drugs/

Advantages and Impact of FDA’s Plan to Phase Out Animal Testing for mAbs and Other Drugs

Andrei Georgescu of Vivodyne discusses key advantages of its humanized drug testing platform and the impact of the FDA’s policy shift.

contractpharma.com

Experimental methods that don’t use animals, like tissue chips and computational models, lead to the development of safer and more effective therapies and pharmaceuticals. #betterscience #humanrelevant utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/04/16/k...

Kudos to the FDA and EPA for planning to phase out animal testing • Utah News Dispatch

Commentary: The Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency say they will start backing off of animal testing.

utahnewsdispatch.com

“This is a lot easier than I thought!” We hear this often after our workshops. And it's true #organonchip doesn't need to be complicated as long as you start with the small questions & increase complexity with time. The video shows our Online Academy, an e-learning platform for learning #ooc tech.

[𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠] Only ~10% of drugs have been tested for safety in pregnant women, risking unexpected side effects. In collaboration with esqLABs, Bayer & Placenta Lab we developed an #organonchip platform to study if small molecules can cross the blood-placenta-barrier. Read it here: shorturl.at/5gfpY

3D Intestine-on-chip model to understand fungal infection

Summary of our recent publication on an intestine-on-chip model for gaining a deeper understanding of the pathogenicity mechanisms of Candida albicans.

shorturl.at

[𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠] The PDAC-on-Chip – A New Dimension in Pancreatic Cancer Research. Read a summary of the most important findings of our recent study with the team of Prof. Dr. Nicole Teusch at the University of Düsseldorf here: zurl.co/7pdot #drugdevelopment #cancer #spheroids #preclinic

The PDAC-on-Chip - A New Dimension in Pancreatic Cancer Research

A new biochip replicates key aspects of the PDAC microenvironment, providing a powerful tool for drug development and reduction of animal testing.

dynamic42.com