England fasar ut djurförsök

Animal testing to be phased out faster as UK unveils roadmap for alternative methods

New plan backs researchers to seize on new and developing opportunities to phase out animal tests with specific commitments for the coming years.

• Government vows to phase out animal tests as alternative methods come on stream with new strategy welcomed as ‘ambitious’ and ‘timely’ by animal welfare and life sciences organisations
• New £75 million funding will help bring forward new testing methods for products that can save lives and make path to regulation clearer for researchers
• Strategy developed by government with life sciences, business and animal welfare organisations, meeting government’s manifesto commitment

Animal testing in science is set to be phased out faster under a new plan to deliver on the government’s manifesto commitment, unveiled by Science Minister Lord Vallance today (Tuesday 11 November). 
The comprehensive roadmap backs researchers to seize on new and developing opportunities to replace certain animal tests, which are currently still used – where necessary – to determine the safety of products like life-saving vaccines and the impact chemicals like pesticides can have on living beings and the environment. 
The strategy recognises that phasing out the use of animals in science can only happen where reliable and effective alternative methods, with the same level of safety for human exposure, can replace them. By working in tandem with partners, backing researchers with new funding and streamlining regulation, the plan will enable teams to pivot safely to methods like:  

• organ-on-a-chip systems – tiny devices that mimic how human organs work using real human cells
• greater use of AI to analyse huge amounts of information about molecules to predict whether new medicines will be safe and work well on humans
• 3D bioprinted tissues could create realistic human tissue samples, from skin to liver, for testing – providing lifelike environments for studying human biology and checking if substances are toxic

Government sets out plan to phase out animal experiments

Lord Vallance told BBC News that he wants to re-ignite the fast downward trend by replacing animal testing with experiments on animal tissues grown from stem cells, AI, and computer simulations.

Asked by BBC News if he could envisage a world where animal tests were "near zero", he said: "I think that is possible, it's not possible anytime soon, the idea that we can eliminate animal use in the foreseeable future, I don't think is there.

"Can we get very close to it? I think we can. Can we push faster than we have been? I think we can. Should we? We absolutely should."

"This is a moment to really grasp that and drive these alternative approaches," he said.

According to the government's newly detailed plans, by the end of 2025, scientists will stop using animals for some major safety tests and switch to newer lab methods that use human cells instead.

This organ on a chip can hold small amounts of human cells from different organs and be used in place of animals for some types of experiments

UK invests £60m to phase out animal testing in preclinical trials

The UK’s announcement to phase out animal testing follows similar moves by the FDA and European Commission.

Abigail BeaneyNovember 12, 2025

The UK Government is investing £60m ($78.76m) to push pharma and biotech to use alternative preclinical models in a pull back from animal testing.

UK Science Minister Lord Vallance has given the industry a timeline in which to phase out previous animal models to position the UK as a global leader in the regulation of alternative methods.

The government wants the industry to consider models including organ-on-a-chip, A), and 3D-bioprinted tissues to test the early toxicity of therapeutic candidates before they move to Phase I trials.

The UK Government will also provide foundational training in alternative methods for early career researchers from 2026. To keep on target, there will be published lists of research priorities for alternative methods at least every two years, which will also start next year.

Finally, the government will support research funders with alternative methods and increase the visibility of these, including through academic journals.

Min kommentar
USA`s tidigare besked om att fasa ut djurförsök får så återverkningar även i Europa.

Man identifierar organ-on-a-chip (Lab-On-a-Chip) som ett intressant alternativ för att få fram nya läkemedel. 

Icke Infärgade Celler från människa tillsammans med nya substrat att studeras i mikroskop och...voilá.

Jag har tidigare berättat om forskare som anser denna teknik överlägsen djurförsök.

Engelska regeringens initiativ att bekosta utbildning i alternativen för nyexade forskare är mycket lovvärt då denna nya generation forskare snabbare implimenterar ny teknik och förhoppningsvis sätter en ny standard inom läkemedelsframtagning. Kan man hoppas på att lilla PHI har ork och resurser till att vara med i starten på Englands forskningsomvälvning? En dedikerad brittisk partner med bra kontaktytor och stadd kassa skulle sitta som en fläskläpp i startfasen.

                                          Mvh the99