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Fiona fox's blog
The continued development of NAMs (New Approach Methodologies) – including models such as cell cultures and organoids that attempt to mimic human tissues, as well as computational approaches – has contributed to reducing the use of animals in certain areas of research. This welcome development – funded, pioneered, and promoted by the life sciences community, reflects a collective commitment to the 3Rs – Reduction, refinement, and replacement of animals in research. This direction of travel has been seized on by many in governments and regulatory bodies around Europe and the US who are increasingly talking of phasing out all animal research as a key policy goal.
Many scientists in the UK animal science community however believe that the use of animals to answer many scientific questions will be a reality for many years to come. They claim that NAMs are effectively helping us to reduce animals in research but are not yet anywhere near enough to replace all animals. Speakers at this briefing will highlight their concerns that failing to be explicit about the realistic prospects of replacing all animals research could lead to falling funding for certain kinds of research, impacting the development of new life-changing therapies.
The SMC has been picking up on these concerns for some time, but the decline in media interest in recent years means the scientific community’s concerns have not yet been aired in the media. The SMC brought together a panel of leading animal sciences experts to spell out their concerns to science journalists.
Speakers included:
Prof Fran Balkwill, Professor of Cancer Biology and Director of Research at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Dr Sara Wells, Director of the Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell
Prof Robin Lovell-Badge, Group Leader, Francis Crick Institute
Prof Sarah Bailey, Professor of Neuropharmacology, University of Bath
Dr Chris Powell, Director, Cambridge BioPharma Consultants Ltd