This week on the #podcast, Carla & Dr Gemma chat with Dr Adjanie Patabendige on how an irregular heartbeat may raise dementia risk + her human-cell research replacing animal models. We also cover @chrishinchliff.bsky.social backing #HerbiesLaw 🐶 Listen: animalfreeresearchuk.org/our-podcast

Can an irregular heartbeat increase dementia risk? 🫀 Dr Adjanie Patabendige’s animal-free research at the University of Derby uses a human blood-brain barrier model + real ECG rhythms to uncover the link. Hear more on today's 🎧 #podcast! #AnimalFreeLabcast #DementiaResearch #AnimalFree

🧠 Human “mini-brains” are changing Alzheimer’s research! Dr Tom Piers @exeter.ac.uk uses stem cells + animal-free methods to grow human brain tissue to study early-stage Alzheimer’s, which can't be modelled in animal tests. #WorldAlzheimersMonth #AnimalFree

🧠 Dr Patricia Ragazzon @keeleuniversity.bsky.social is creating a human cell model to understand how stress affects brain cells in Alzheimer’s, and how it might accelerate damage. This work could unlock new insights - paving the way for reliable, ethical treatments. #WorldAlzheimersMonth

THANK YOU to everyone who came to #Bude groups Sunshine Celebration and made the evening so wonderful! We raised a fantastic £1,174.77 which will be winging its way to @afruk.bsky.social to support the fabulous work at the laboratory in Exeter under the leadership of Professor @lornah.bsky.social 😘

It's @afruk.bsky.social #Bude Group's 10 Year Anniversary in 2025 so we are aiming to raise £10,000 this year..so far we have raised an impressive £9,382.37 thanks to the generosity of #Bude Community 😍 Christmas Craft Fayre next... @trevstaxibude.bsky.social @lornah.bsky.social

⚠️ Melanoma causes ~60% of skin cancer deaths despite making up just 1% of cases. @drabiddle.bsky.social and his team at QMUL found rare “cancer stem cells” at tumour edges - highly adaptable, drug-resistant & key to spread. Targeting them could save lives. 🎯 #KinderScience #SkinCancer

📣 Yesterday in Parliament, @chrishinchliff.bsky.social urged the Govt to include #HerbiesLaw in their non-animal methods strategy. 👏129 cross-party Parliamentarians back it – is your MP one? Check & write to them here 👉 www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/supporting-h... #KinderScience #BrighterFuture

Say goodbye to animal gelatin & hello ThermoPIGs 🐷 Every year, ~65M animals are used to make gelatin for research + medicine. Dr Sam Aspinall’s synthetic “ThermoPIGs” mimic gelatin – but without animals. We talk to Sam on tomorrow's #AnimalFreeLabcast #podcast! #KinderScience

🚗🐾 At 87, Rosie is retracing her journey across Ireland – this time by car with husband Irvine – while walking 1–2 miles every day to support a future without animal testing. She’s already walked 85+ miles! 👏 Support: www.justgiving.com/page/rosies-journey #HerbiesHeroes #KinderScience

Upfront investment aside, new animal-free methods are often more cost-effective in the long run. ⚡ Faster results 📊 More reliable data 💸 Lower maintenance costs ♻️ Less waste Going #AnimalFree isn’t just ethical – it’s smarter science. 🌱 #MythBusterMonday #KinderScience

Help us build support for #HerbiesLaw at the Lib Dem Conference! We’ll be at Stand 37 with giant Herbie + our buzz wire game. Got a Lib Dem MP? ✅ Tag them! ✅ Email them with our simple tool: secure.animalfreeresearchuk.org/page/176823/... #LDConf #KinderScience #AnimalFree

A Future of Possibility 🌱 Prof. Julian Ma’s plant-based antibodies for rabies are advancing toward human trials in South Africa. Next, he aims to explore treatments for COVID-19, flu, TB, cancer, and more – shaping a greener, #AnimalFree future. #KinderScience

🌱 Professor Julian Ma is pioneering planti-bodies: producing monoclonal antibodies in plants instead of animals. His vision? A kinder, safer & more affordable future for medicine 💚 Read the interview: animalfreeresearchuk.org/get-to-know/professor-julian-ma #AnimalFree #KinderScience #PlantiBodies

In Ep41 of the #AnimalFreeLabcast, Dr Gemma Davies tackles your top Qs: ❌ Why do we still test on animals, despite the risks 🧬 Which diseases use the most animals 👩‍🔬 Why Gemma walked away from research Listen: animalfreeresearchuk.org/our-podcast #Podcast #KinderScience

Monoclonal antibodies save lives, but often at the cost of animals 🐭🐹🐮🐴 We're funding pioneering 'planti-bodies' to replace animals, making treatments safer, cheaper & accessible. Help bring this breakthrough to patients by donating today 💚 animalfreeresearchuk.org/plants

From replacing horses in rabies treatment back in 2012-2015 to developing affordable, animal-free therapies for cancer, dementia & more in 2025 🌱 #KinderScience Prof. Ma’s planti-bodies could transform global health, but he needs your support. 💚Donate: animalfreeresearchuk.org/plants

Millions are priced out of lifesaving treatments for cancer, malaria & rabies. 🌱 Prof Julian Ma is developing plant-based antibodies – safer, cheaper & animal-free. 💚 Help bring planti-bodies from plants to patients: www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/plants #AnimalFree #KinderScience

At ‪@citystgeorges.bsky.social‬, leaves are being transformed into something extraordinary 🍃 #KinderScience Instead of using animals, Professor Julian Ma and his team are turning plants into living factories to produce life-saving medicines. animalfreeresearchuk.org/project/from-plants-to-patients

⚠️ It’s a failure rate we can’t afford to ignore. Outdated animal testing methods are slowing progress and putting lives at risk. Please share to support #HerbiesLaw, for smarter, safer, and kinder science. www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/herbies-law #KinderScience #BrighterFuture #AnimalFree

Your voice is making change happen 💚 🧬 MPs visited our ARC during #BritishScienceWeek 🐶 Debate on banning dog experiments 🐾 MPs had a pic with Giant Herbie 📢 Debate on phasing out animals in research 📃 60+ MPs & celebs signed a letter for #HerbiesLaw #KinderScience

MPs are in their constituencies this summer - the perfect time to meet them & speak out against animal testing. We'll provide notes so that you're confident & informed. 💚 Be the voice animals in labs need: animalfreeresearchuk.org/summerrecess #HerbiesLaw #AnimalFree #KinderScience

Dr Nick Peake is changing #BowelCancerResearch with models that use donated human surgical tissue, delivering results that truly reflect the human body. Hear more on ep31 of the #AnimalFreeLabcast: animalfreeresearchuk.org/our-podcast #KinderScience

Meet Rosie, aged 87 - she's retracing a journey across Ireland, first made on horseback in 1999 to raise funds for a future without animal testing. Rosie hopes to walk 60-70 miles during her challenge! Sponsor her: justgiving.com/page/rosies-journey #HerbiesHeroes #ChallengeForChange

🙌 Ethical research progress! Dr Livia Rocha dos Santos at Nottingham Trent Uni has developed a human muscle model to study sarcopenia – replacing animal testing & animal-derived products like FCS. A win for science, patients & animals! #KinderScience #BrighterFuture

🚨 5 animals are used every minute in UK experiments. 5 innocent lives, every 60 seconds. Share the truth & join us in calling for #HerbiesLaw. Help us bring an end to animal testing – forever. animalfreeresearchuk.org/herbies-law #KinderScience #BrighterFuture

📢Over 55 MPs & Peers signed a letter urging the Govt to set a timeline to end animal testing. Endorsed by Dame Joanna Lumley, Alan Cumming, Will Young, Diane Morgan, Deborah Meaden, Carol Royle & Kirsty Gallacher. 👉Share or tag a friend – lets make #HerbiesLaw a reality!

🍂 Good news - the #HerbiesHeroes 100km Challenge is extended into autumn! There’s still time to walk, run, skip or dance your way to a kinder future. 🎁 Free pet bandana for all sign-ups 🏅 Raise £50+ for a badge & certificate! Sign up: animalfreeresearchuk.org/herbies-heroes-challenge

Congratulations to the amazing Jacky Rhodes & Belle for completing the 100km for Herbie walk challenge 😍 They have raised an incredible £419 plus £87.25 gift aid. Thank you #Bude Community for supporting them 👏 @afruk.bsky.social @lornah.bsky.social @trevstaxibude.bsky.social

🧬 Diseases like Alzheimer’s & HIV don’t occur naturally in animals 💊 Animals process drugs differently to humans ❌ 92% of drugs fail in human trials after passing animal tests Animal experiments often fail to translate to real benefits for people. #KinderScience

On today's #podcast Dr Stephanie Modi reveals why animal-derived antibodies are holding science back, and introduces our pioneering database to help researchers switch to more ethical and reliable alternatives 🔬 Listen: www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/our-podcast #KinderScience #AnimalFreeLabcast

Antibodies are vital in medicine & research, but most are still made using animals. It’s unethical, unreliable & fuelling a reproducibility crisis. 🧬 On tomorrow’s #AnimalFreeLabcast, Dr Stephanie Modi shares why animal-free antibodies are the future. #KinderScience

Delighted to join @greenjennyjones.bsky.social and @adrianramsay.bsky.social in supporting #HerbiesLaw with @afruk.bsky.social, handing in letter calling for phase out of #AnimalTesting

Over 60 MPs & celebs have signed our cross-party letter urging the Govt to set a clear timeline to end animal experiments. 📣 Huge thanks to all who emailed their MP & to those who helped deliver the letter in Parliament Square today! #HerbiesLaw #KinderScience #BrighterFuture

🚨 Hot off the press! A new paper by Dr Lauren Hope & Dr Jarrod Bailey reveals why 92% of drugs that pass animal tests fail in humans — and calls for urgent investment in human-specific research. Read more: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #KinderScience #BrighterFuture

46 MPs & Peers have signed a cross-party letter urging the Govt to replace animal experiments with humane alternatives! 🌱 Celebs incl. Dame Joanna Lumley, Will Young & Deborah Meaden back the call. ✍️ Ask your MP to sign: secure.animalfreeresearchuk.org/page/174317/... #HerbiesLaw #KinderScience

In this new review by @afruk.bsky.social , Lauren Hope and Jarrod Bailey discuss why species differences critically matter in biomedical research and identify strategies to advance human-relevant methodologies. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #NAMs #scipol 🧪

Why are millions of animals still used in UK labs when we have powerful animal-free tech like AI, organ-on-a-chip & 3D cell models? 🐾 Outdated 'gold standards' 💰 High upfront costs 📋 Confusing rules It’s time to break the cycle. #MythBustingMonday #KinderScience

@afruk.bsky.social #Bude took part in Bude Animal Friends Awareness Day today raising an amazing £425.75 which included £100 donation from Christina & Ryan Ives 😍 2025 total now stands at £7,546.35! We only need £777.19 to hit £70,000 since we began in 2015 😁 #10thAnniversaryYear @lornah.bsky.social

Dr Fiona Saunders is building ethical, human-specific models to replace animal use in breast cancer research. With a wealth of experience, she’s driving science forward - the kinder way. www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/project/get-to-know-dr-fiona-saunders #KinderScience #BrighterFuture

Animals to be replaced: Cows 🐄 Dr Fiona Saunders is replacing foetal calf serum (FCS) in breast cancer research with animal-free alternatives. www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/project/replacing-fcs-in-breast-cancer-research #KinderScience #BrighterFuture

Meet Prof Ian Copple 👋 He’s leading the charge to make liver research fully animal-free – replacing foetal calf serum with kinder, more reliable alternatives! www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/project/get-to-know-professor-ian-copple #KinderScience #BrighterFuture

Animals to be replaced: Cows 🐄 Prof Ian Copple is developing better ways to grow human liver cells without using foetal calf serum – a problematic ingredient used in labs worldwide. www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/project/transforming-liver-research-with-animal-free-methods #KinderScience

Did you know that almost every lab in the world uses foetal calf serum to grow human cells? The good news is that ethical alternatives are now available & are becoming more widely used. ❤️‍🩹 Please donate to help us fund alternatives to FCS - animalfreeresearchuk.org/donate

👨‍🔬 Meet Dr Ethan Perkins from ‪@uniofbradford.bsky.social‬! With a background in industry, Ethan’s now developing animal-free models to help discover new prostate cancer treatments. Find out more: www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/get-to-know/get-to-know-dr-ethan-perkins #KinderScience #BrighterFuture

Animals to be replaced: mice & rats 🐭 Dr Ethan Perkins is building a human cell model of prostate cancer to predict treatment effects & side effects – no animals needed. www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/project/predicting-side-effects-to-improve-prostate-cancer-treatment #KinderScience

🌱 Meet Prof. Julian Ma from @CityStGeorges, Uni of London! He’s using plants—not animals—to create affordable monoclonal antibody treatments for infectious diseases in low- & middle-income countries. www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/get-to-know/professor-julian-ma #KinderScience #BrighterFuture

Julian Ma @citystgeorges.bsky.social is developing animal-free ways to make life-saving treatments in plants – cheaper, ethical & accessible. Animals to be replaced: hamsters, cows, mice & horses. www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/project/from-plants-to-patients-growing-tomorrows-medicines-today