Safer Medicines

🚨 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

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

Azure and gray-green graphic with the following quote from an October 20, 2025 article in Nature by Herron et al.: ““To take advantage of the opportunities that NAMs now present — and of the growing number of initiatives aimed at boosting the development and use of these approaches — changes are needed in how scientific journals, regulators and funders operate.” DOI: 10.1038/d41586-025-03344-6

👏 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

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...

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...

Thanks Emily for this excellent thread 👏 There's also a short introductory blog: safermedicines.org/blog_post/ho...

Graphic titled, “Applying Bourdieu’s concepts to displacing animal experimentation in academia.” Adapted from Pound 2025, DOI: 10.1016/j.namjnl.2025.10005. Four concepts for action are discussed: dilute dominant powers; disrupt existing habitus; rethink scientific capital; and fully comply with laws. In the background are images of crumpled paper, a photo of a rat, and a hand holding a megaphone.

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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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…

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 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...

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 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 ...

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-...

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...

Defending animal research in the USA - our latest blog

safermedicines.org/blog_post/ho...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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/

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.

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...

“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.

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.

[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

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.

[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 good news we all needed! FDA announces to replace animal testing with more effective, human-relevant methods including #organonchip. Below, we've summarized the most important points. Curious about organ models? We help researchers bridge the gap between 2D cell culture and animal models.

Organ models trump traditional 2D models for studying barrier function. They recreate the complex microenvironments of specific organs and allow for a more consistent and reproducible way of measuring TEER.

Questionable pro-animal testing campaign planned Science lobby prepares massive PR push against reduction strategy Science lobby prepares massive PR push against reduction strategy In the run-up...

Dirty tricks campaign by pro-animal research lobby in Germany

www.aerzte-gegen-tierversuche.de/en/news/ques...

Patients are human: challenging animal experiments in medical research A common misconception suggests that patients with severe illnesses support animal experiments in the hope of finding a cure. But the reality is different. Many patients are speaking out against the…

👏❤️ The “Patients are human” campaign by @keintierversuch.bsky.social amplifies the voices of those fighting serious illnesses (ex: multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, endometriosis, epilepsy, prostate Cancer, bipolar disorder,...) & opposing animal experiments.

🔗 Learn more:

Thank you - enjoy!

Rat Trap by Pandora Pound - book review 🐀 The capture of medicine by animal research and how to break free

Fabulous review of Rat Trap by Carla Owen of
@afruk.bsky.social - thanks Carla 😀👏
Read the e-book or paperback now 🙏

open.substack.com/pub/animalfr...