The NIH and FDA efforts to shift away from animal testing, promoting “new approach methodologies” (NAMs) like AI, organoids, and organ-on-a-chip systems are not finding unanimous support in the scientific community. The goal is to improve research efficiency, lower costs, and reduce harm to animals. While some scientists support the move as overdue, others warn that NAMs can’t yet replace animal models in many areas, like cancer and radiation research. Experts are also concerned about the speed of implementation and the risk of compromising scientific rigor. The shift comes amid broader federal cuts to basic science funding, raising doubts about how far these changes can be effectively realized.
You can read the entire article in STAT News here.
“The reason we have made all the progress and have such amazing science that we do today is in large part thanks to the animal models,” Sally Thompson-Iritani, Assistant Vice Provost of animal care at the University of Washington, told STAT.
“The NIH decided to put this name on it, ‘new approach methodologies,’ but they’re not new. We’ve been doing this for decades, constantly working in parallel,” Deborah Fuller, Director of the Washington National Primate Research Center at the University of Washington, told STAT.