Then Why Does Canada Lag So Far Behind?

Across the globe, 21st Century science is taking hold with advanced modelling techniques teplacing the use of animals in science. What are some of these sophisticated alternatives?

Organs-on-chips – these are innovative little devices which are used instead of animals to study biological and disease processes, as well as drug metabolism. For instance, heart-on-a-chip is just such a brilliant little microfluidic device that is helping researchers to understand heart issues and to develop new treatments for heart failure and other conditions.

Organoids – tiny, 3D version of an organ that mimic the key functional, structural, and biological aspects of the human organ being studied and provide a more realistic way to test new therapies. They offer a more accurate, human-based system than traditional animal models.

Human-derived cell cultures have been central to key developments in areas such as cancers, sepsis, kidney disease and AIDS, and are routinely used in chemical safety testing, vaccine production and drug development.

Human tissues – both healthy and diseased tissues donated from human volunteers can provide a more relevant way of studying human biology and disease than animal testing.

Computer models – of the heart, lungs, kidneys, skin, digestive and musculoskeletal systems exist that can be used to conduct virtual experiments based on existing information and mathematical data.

Advanced imaging techniques – imaging machines that can ‘see’ inside the body can be used to monitor the progression and treatment of disease. They can help researchers understand causation by comparison with healthy volunteers.

Microdosing – this can be used in volunteers to measure how very small doses of potential new drugs behave in the human body. These microdoses are labelled, injected into human volunteers and measured (usually in blood samples) using sensitive measuring devices. This set the stage for a new era of safer, personalized medicine.

Other countries are far ahead of Canada in using, developing and supporting these innovative new technologies. Australia is internationally regarded for its research capability in non-animal models and is a leader in their development and production. The Australian Organoid Facility has invested in state-of-the-art automation, imaging and analysis capabilities to produce high-quality miniature organs that can enable the rapid testing of new compounds. (By 2040, a report to the government predicts that Australia’s leadership in these new technologies will generate more than $1.5 billion and create 4,900 high-tech jobs. By contrast, Canada’s single facility focused on the development and validation of alternatives was forced to close its doors due to a complete lack of government support.)

In the US , federal agencies are realizing the need for change. In this past year, both the FDA and the NIH have made groundbreaking announcements that they plan to reduce and replace animals in drug testing and disease research. The FDA stated that “there is growing recognition that animals do not provide adequate models of human health and disease.” The National Institutes of Health Director declared that “For decades, our biomedical research system has relied heavily on animal models. With this initiative, the NIH is ushering in a new era of innovation.” The mandate that new drugs must be tested on varying species of non-human animals has ended.

Not so in Canada. It is estimated that more animals are used in experimentation here each year than in the entire EU, which itself is accelerating the transition to animal-free, human-relevant and humane science.

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