"This work outlines the technological landscape and future directions for biofabrication in a post-animal testing era." Don't miss this thorough new review on the role of #bioprinting in replacing the use of animals in biomedical research and testing. #3Dprinting 🧪

At University Hospital Bonn & @iobswiss.bsky.social, @ruizdealmodovar.bsky.social, @tamvir.bsky.social, & colleagues created transiently vascularized human retinal #organoids with enhanced retinal ganglion cell survival & function. #Ophthosky 🧪 💰 @volkswagenstiftung.de @dfg.de @erc.europa.eu

Using human pancreatic ductal #organoids, @utaustin.bsky.social scientists studied collective migration of epithelial cells, which plays a role in morphogenesis, wound repair, tissue homeostasis, & cancer metastasis. 🧪 Funded by @amdiabetesassn.bsky.social, @thewelchfoundation.bsky.social, et al.

We're raising the visibility of #WomensHealth in @apspublications! Explore #CallsForPapers on key women’s health research topics & submit your study journals.physiology....#WomensHealth#CallsForPapers#Alzheimers #AutoimmuneDiseases #BreastCancer #CVDisease #Menopause #Migraines #Pregnancy #Endometriosis #Preeclampsia

This sustainable, reusable liver model for surgical skills training was built entirely from materials already found in a simulation lab. Read in @healthcaresim.bsky.social ⬇️ www.ssih.org/news/constru... 🏥 @stratusbwh.bsky.social @harvardmed.bsky.social #MedSky #MedEd #SurgSky #SurgEd #Simulation

“For years, it’s always been thought that animals should be the default,” Valerie Speirs told @dianakwon.bsky.social for @nature.com 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/d41... Scientists are frustrated by slow progress & feel that papers & grant applications are still expected to include animal experiments.

For @thetransmitter.bsky.social, @suthanalab.bsky.social wrote about neuroscience's "species problem." www.thetransmitter.org/animal-model... "[T]he field has largely compartmentalized the findings, enabling parallel literatures to proceed with little pressure to reconcile them." #neuroskyence

"The age of animal experiments is waning," writes @dianakwon.bsky.social for @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41... Kwon covers the recent policy changes in the U.S. & U.K. that give major boosts to the use & development of non-animal methodologies. #NAMs #SciPol 🧪

ICYMI💡 My badass colleague @katherineroe.bsky.social sat down with Dr. Mia Wood, host of the @labroots.bsky.social podcast "The Life of Her Mind," to discuss what drives women scientists like her to challenge the status quo. Give it a listen: www.labroots.com/podcast-seri...

"You can say, ‘Oh, it’s just public relations.’ Public relations matter." Why would they remove 'Primate' from their name? Maybe it's because the social license for AND the scientific necessity of experimenting on monkeys is at an all time low. They see the writing on the wall.

He was a young baboon. Two days after entering a Columbia University laboratory, he was dead. His death illustrates how the animal research oversight system does not exist to eliminate harm to animals. Rather, it expects harm and exists to manage it. riseforanimals.org/news/baboon-... #animalrights

Plot Twist 🔃 Scientists don’t want to be experimented on. A new qualitative study by @c-rp.bsky.social et al. asked animal research professionals to imagine themselves as the test subjects, under the control of hyperintelligent extraterrestrials applying the #3Rs to experiments on humans.

New review in @natrevcardiol.nature.com on #OrganOnChip models that recapitulate aspects of human pathophysiology for diseases like inherited cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, viral myocarditis, atherosclerosis, & thrombosis, & contribute to the development of new therapeutics. 🧪

#PeerReview is meant to be critical, but sometimes it's unprofessional or outright mean. This can be a demoralizing experience for authors. In @nature.com, Katarina Zimmer explored peer-review bullying and what authors can do to avoid and push back on it: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧵 👇

I love this so much. Will post more thoughts after reading fully link.springer.com/article/10.1... By @c-rp.bsky.social

“I feel more at ease knowing that we are not contributing to animal suffering.” - A surgeon describing the positives of a newly described non-animal, open-source pediatric laparoscopic surgery simulator based on 3D-scanned anatomical models. #MedEd #MedSky #SurgEd #SurgSky

✨ #AAASmtg Highlights! ✨ The 2026 @aaas.org Science @ Scale theme brought big ideas from across the research landscape. From climate & public health to biomedical innovation, it was inspiring to step outside our orbit—and even convert a few particle physicists into #organonchip fans. 🔗 below 👇

Did you miss Dr. Catharine Krebs’ recent webinar about #AnimalMethodsBias? The recording is now online! If you’ve been looking for a comprehensive overview of our work from the last four (‼️) years, this is it! #PeerReview #Bias #PhDChat 🧪

New publication from MIMETAS 🧠 A scalable 3D human BBB model under gravity-driven, unidirectional flow. Built with self-assembling triculture microvasculature, it combines physiological relevance with higher-throughput capability for BBB research and drug discovery. 🔗 www.mimetas.com/news/mimetas...

Useful new data from @faunalytics.bsky.social's @andreapolanco.bsky.social 👇

To support delivery of the UK Government’s alternatives strategy, we are working with @innovateuk.bsky.social on a Contracts for Innovation competition, with £2M available for non-animal approaches in pharmacokinetic prediction and cardiovascular safety. Learn more: nc3rs.org.uk/news/working...

New law review article by @amandaelyse.bsky.social of @seattleulaw.bsky.social on why it makes absolutely no sense to use animals for preclinical #psychedelic research. 🐭🍄 🥼 It's already done in humans! ✅ Long history of safety ⚖️ Harm w/o scientific benefit 🧍 Policy shifts toward #NAMs

YES! 👏 👏 Another excellent take by @mbolotnikova.bsky.social for @vox.com Just because animal use has *been* a part of the process does not prove it *needed to be* A broken clock is right twice a day...

For the first time in almost 180 years, the #AAASmtg plenary was given by graduate students! Long overdue 👏 So inspired by these young scientists in the @snapcoalition.bsky.social! Check them out: snapcoalition.org Moderated by @holdenthorp.bsky.social #AAAS2026 @aaas.org

📣 Attending #AAASmtg? Make sure to add this talk by SAO's Gabby Vidaurre, PhD to your Saturday schedule. As global & U.S. initiatives accelerate toward #NAMs, Dr. Vidaurre will unpack the scientific & policy landscape driving this shift & what still needs to be pushed forward. @aaas.org #AAAS2026

At #AAASmtg in Phoenix! Excited to connect & re-connect with my #SciPol peers. So much happened in 2025 for those of us working to modernize biomedical research away from animal use. Go hear Gabby Vidaurre, PhD talk about it on Sat at the Expo Stage during the 2:30-3:30 postdoc talks! @aaas.org

How Animal Suffering Can Ruin Lab Experiments Interesting perspective from @renzocee.bsky.social on his 3 greatest revelations while writing his new book, The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals. 1⃣ Rats have feelings 2⃣ Suffering messes up experiments 3⃣ Science can improve the lives of animals 🔗👇

#Xenotransplantation is presented as a solution to the global organ shortage, despite ongoing scientific, ethical, & regulatory concerns. This new issue from @lynncornell.bsky.social explores these questions from diverse perspectives. Check out some highlights: www.linkedin.com/pulse/februa...

ICYMI 🧪 For @snexplores.bsky.social, Avery Hurt broke down how AI, organs-on-a-chip, and other human-based models are delivering better research at lower cost and in less time. Feat. experts from @jhucaat.bsky.social, @harvardmed.bsky.social, & NIH. www.snexplores.org/article/rese... #NAMs

In Jan, SAO submitted a response on NSF’s 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, which asked for input on ensuring “American excellence and national security through investments in transformative research and innovation.” Read our full response: www.scienceadvancement.org/wp-content/u... #NSF #SciPol 🧪

BREAKING 🚨 The motion to allow OHSU to negotiate with NIH toward transitioning the primate center to a sanctuary has just PASSED by unanimous vote from OHSU's board. Thank you for taking action!

It’s giving… NAM‑biguity 🧪 #NonAnimalMethods? #NewApproachMethodologies? In this timely new paper, Donna Macmillan, Phi Holcomb, and Kristie Sullivan (ICCS & IIVS) take on the great vocabulary swirl of animal‑free science and call for some much-needed clarity. www.altex.org/index.php/al...

U.S. researchers: Don't forget to check NIH's Highlighted Topics page when considering your next grant application! grants.nih.gov/funding/find... Recent topics of interest to #NAMs researchers are listed in the graphic. #NIH #NIHfunding 🧪

There is currently no cure for #HSV, and patients can develop resistance to the drug used to manage symptoms. But thanks to NCATS' 3D Tissue Bioprinting Program, scientists now have the best model yet for testing new treatments. ncats.nih.gov/news-events/... #3Dprinting #bioprinting #virosky 🧪

HonorHealth and the University of Arizona developed a 3-D human tumor chip that better reflects cancer biology and therapeutic evaluation than animal tests. medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01...

🚨 OHSU's Board of Directors is deciding whether to shut down its primate lab—urge them to vote YES and transition the facility into a sanctuary for thousands of monkeys. Send your letter by noon PT on Friday, 2/6 to make it count: actionnetwork.org/letters/shut...

📢 ACTION NEEDED TODAY! Please submit comments to [email protected] with the subject line "For public comment." Ask OHSU’s Board to approve the resolution & permit negotiations with NIH for the proposed phase-out and sanctuary plan. #AnimalRights #AnimalWelfare

THIS is how it's done! 👏 This is NIH putting its money where its mouth is: ➡️ April '25: Sets agency-wide priority to support NAMs & reduce animal use ➡️ Sept '25: Allows grant funds to be used for animal retirement & rehoming ➡️ 2026: Takes decisive action to see where the transition can be made

Fewer than 10% of cancer drugs succeed, partly because animal models don’t reflect human biology. Human‑relevant tools—organoids, chips, AI—are already improving modeling & treatment. Some highlights from the field: www.linkedin.com/pulse/world-... #WorldCancerDay #UnitedByUnique #SciPol

In Jan, SAO responded to NIAID’s CTOT RFI, urging the program to continuing focusing only on allotransplantation (no xeno), & to support DCD donation, advanced organ‑preservation tech, & risk‑adjusted acceptance frameworks. We emphasized the urgent need to expand the pool of *human* organs.

Check out this new piece by SAO’s Donya Mand, MD! ⚕️ Dr. Mand highlights how med students can advocate for non‑animal training, why live‑animal use isn’t a standard, & why programs should clearly disclose it so trainees can make informed, ethical choices. 📖 In Global Surgical Education, 🔗 below

Colleagues & I worked with @usgao.bsky.social for a year to clarify a major discrepancy in NIH's reported spending on animal experimentation. Now GAO has re-released its report to more accurately reflect what we do & don't know about NIH’s use of public funds: www.gao.gov/assets/gao-2... 🧵👇

Just in time for #AmericanHeartMonth 🫀 In primary human vascular smooth muscle cells, @metecivelek.bsky.social's lab used state-of-the-art tools, including lentiMPRA & #CRISPRi, to pinpoint functional risk variants for coronary artery disease. www.nature.com/articles/s44... #CardioSky 🧪

The National Commission on Research Ethics—a partnership between @gwlaw.bsky.social & Phoenix Zones Initiative—is developing a new #BelmontReport to advance the principles of respect, beneficence, and justice to animals used in experimentation. Tune in Feb 18 at noon EST for an update. 🔗 below

Impressive new in vitro model for studying intestinal physiology from @uwbioe.bsky.social The epithelial cells change their growth, shape, & behavior depending on the matrix, for which stiffness can be tuned up for down. @ioppublishing.bsky.social iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

We've got a new paper over at @thecolaab.bsky.social !

In @ajpathology.bsky.social, Takano et al. find that nitric oxide may drive retinal cell death in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy patient–derived #organoids. It also disrupts their metabolic profiles. ajp.amjpathol.org/article/S000... 🧪 🧬 #ophthosky #LHON

TY, @americanbar.org TIPS Animal Law Committee for the invitation to speak in last week's subcommittee meeting. We risk losing brilliant young minds when we equate science with harming animals. Thankfully, new initiatives are showing students that compassion strengthens, not weakens, good research.

Jan is #CervicalHealthAwarenessMonth, & Fri was #MaternalHealthAwarenessDay! ♀️ Women’s health research is already underserved. Animal models that don’t reflect human biology slow progress even more. Read the SAO article linked below to learn for why we need a human-based research approach. 🧪

In @smithsonianmag.bsky.social, Sarah Kuta provides historical context for the Dec enactment of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which prohibits the use of live animals in any live-fire trauma training conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense. www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/u...