EARA Newsletter

17 de Novembro de 2025

EARA News Digest 2025 - Week 47

Welcome to your Monday morning update, from EARA, on the latest news in biomedical science, policy and openness on animal research.

This week: UK unveils strategy to accelerate reduction in the use of animals in science; Pig study offers insights into pancreas development; The Transmitter highlights the value of primate research in neuroscience; First EARA conference wraps-up, with participants boasting about its success.

UK unveils strategy to accelerate reduction in the use of animals in science

The UK government has unveiled a new roadmap to accelerate the phase-out of animals used in science by supporting researchers to transition to alternative methods.

The plan, which was developed collaboratively with stakeholders from life sciences, business sectors and animal welfare organisations, recognises that animal use can only be phased out when reliable and effective alternatives with equivalent safety levels become available. By working closely with partners, providing new funding streams, and streamlining regulatory processes, the UK government aims to enable research teams to pivot safely toward alternative methods. To achieve this transition, the government is committing £75 million in funding to advance alternative approaches, including organ-on-a-chip systems and artificial intelligence.

The roadmap represents a comprehensive approach that acknowledges the continuing necessity of certain areas of animal use - particularly those used to determine the safety of products like vaccines and to assess the environmental impact of chemicals such as pesticides.

Animal welfare organisations and experts have reacted to the strategy welcoming it as both ambitious and timely, reflecting growing scientific capabilities in developing human-relevant testing systems. The plan signals the UK's commitment to leading innovation in alternative research methods while maintaining rigorous safety standards for products that affect public health and environmental wellbeing.

Pig study offers insights into pancreas development

A study in Germany revealed that pig pancreas development closely resembles humans, making pigs valuable for studying pancreatic diseases, including diabetes.

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research examined more than 120,000 cells from pig pancreases from various stages of pregnancy. To compare between species, the researchers used datasets from human foetal pancreas samples and mouse embryos. The team found that the pancreas in pigs and humans share the same developmental timeline and gene activity, including how insulin-producing beta cells - which malfunction in diabetes - mature.

The study also identified a special cell group, the primed endocrine cell (PEC), which can differentiate into cells that produce hormones and are present in both pig and human embryos, but not in mice.

“This knowledge is essential for regenerating beta cells in people with diabetes as a causal therapy in the future," said Heiko Lickert, lead author of the study published in Nature Communications.

Current strategies for regenerating insulin-producing beta cells require a protein called neurogenin-3, which is sometimes mutated in diabetes patients and is not required by PEC cells. "These PECs could represent an alternative source for the regeneration of insulin-producing beta cells,” added Lickert.

The Transmitter highlights the value of primate research in neuroscience

A recent opinion article in The Transmitter by US neuroscientists Cory Miller, from the University of California, San Diego, J. Anthony Movshon, from New York University, and Doris Tsao, from the University of California, Berkeley, raised concerns over the recent policy changes in Europe and the US that would scale back animal research – including in primates.

They highlighted that research using monkeys is foundational to human research, stressing that future breakthroughs in neuroscience, such as “brain-machine interfaces, neurotherapeutics and biologically inspired artificial intelligence”, rely on monkey research. “If the NIH truly wants to emphasize human-based approaches, including monkey research is essential. Otherwise, the future of neuroscience is in doubt.”

Even though research using monkeys is a small fraction of the NIH budget, it has resulted in many life-changing devices that are now making their way in the private sector. The authors point out that the type of work that has led to these discoveries would not be possible if it relied on private funding alone.

“The stakes could not be higher. We are witnessing revolutions in neuroscience, medicine and AI, and monkey brain research is a vital engine powering them all… If we abandon this research now, we lose knowledge that would save lives and generate immense economic opportunity,” share the researchers, while referring to how China has strategically invested in primate research, intensifying global competition.

First EARA conference wraps-up, with participants boasting about its success

The first EARA Conference (#EARA2025) took place on 6–7 November at the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) in Berlin, co-organised with MDC and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The event gathered over 200 participants from 23 countries, including researchers, animal welfare officers, journalists, communicators and policy specialists, to exchange ideas on transparency, ethics and effective science communication.

Opening keynote speaker Fiona Fox, Chief Executive of the UK Science Media Centre, warned: “If we don’t talk about animal research, others will — and they’ll get it wrong.” She described how openness “pulled the rug from under the activists’ core accusation — secrecy,” transforming how the UK media covers the topic.

In the Effective Science Communication and Media session, Sascha Karberg (Der Tagesspiegel) observed, “Acknowledging emotion does not replace rigour; it strengthens trust.” Volker Stollorz (Science Media Center Germany) urged continued cooperation between scientists and journalists as, “a counterweight to misinformation and a guardian of quality.” Alba Morán-Álvarez (PhD) highlighted her outreach on TikTok: “People make health decisions from TikTok and AI — so experts have to show up there.” Andy Ridgway (University of the West of England) noted, “AI will not replace reporting, but it will reshape it.”

The final evening keynote by Lucie C. Côté (McGill University Health Centre) shared Canada’s rapid move towards a national transparency agreement: “Be ready, be open, be coordinated.”

On the second day, Susanna Louhimies (European Commission) reviewed 15 years of EU transparency and officially launched the redesign of the ALURES Non-Technical Summary Platform. “We use animals under a privilege — our side of the bargain is openness, accountability and rigour.”