Funding Needed to Restart Canada's Canadian Center for Alternatives to Animals Methods (CCAAM)

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In May 2024, the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods (CCAAM)—Canada’s only national centre dedicated to advancing non-animal research methodologies—was forced to close due to a lack of federal funding. This development represents a significant setback for both scientific innovation and ethical progress in Canada.

CCAAM was internationally recognized for its leadership, collaborative partnerships, and strategic vision under Dr. Charu Chandrasekera. While similar centres in other countries benefit from sustained federal investment, Canada has allowed its sole institution in this field to cease operations, despite its stated commitment to phase out animal-based toxicity testing by 2035.

Beyond ethical concerns, there are well-documented scientific limitations associated with animal experimentation. Animal models are poor predictors of human outcomes due to fundamental physiological differences between species. It is estimated that approximately 95% of drugs that pass animal testing ultimately fail in human clinical trials. Historical examples further illustrate this disconnect; for instance, penicillin is toxic to guinea pigs, yet remains one of the most effective and widely used antibiotics in human medicine.

Investing in human-relevant methods offers a more reliable and forward-looking approach. Technologies such as organ-on-a-chip systems, organoid and tissue models, in silico (computational) models, human derived materials and data, and in vitro and chemico tests are designed to better replicate human biology, improving predictive accuracy while reducing costs and ethical concerns.

CCAAM now has the opportunity to reopen in Ottawa, provided that sustainable federal funding is secured. Supporting its return would enable Canada to reestablish leadership in a rapidly growing global sector and align its actions with its policy commitments.

I respectfully urge the Government of Canada to provide the necessary funding to allow CCAAM to resume its essential work. Doing so would advance more accurate, humane, and effective scientific research for the benefit of both Canadians and the global community.

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