STAT+: NIH plans to reduce animal testing in federally funded research
In a significant move, the NIH said it would reduce its reliance on animals in federally funded research and instead prioritize human-based alternatives.
In a significant move, the U.S. National Institutes for Health said it would reduce its reliance on animals in federally funded research and instead prioritize investment in human-based alternatives, the second time this month that a key government agency has taken such a step.
To achieve its goal, the NIH plans to establish a new office for overseeing innovative research and coordinating agency-wide efforts to “develop, validate and scale” the use of “non-animal approaches” to biomedical research. The new office will also expand funding and training with an eye toward assessing suitable research methods and make them more accessible to researchers.
“For decades, our biomedical research system has relied heavily on animal models. With this initiative, NIH is ushering in a new era of innovation,” Director Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement.
