Animal-testing alternatives will require a cultural change in research institutions

"Your News Feature highlights advances in animal-testing alternatives, known as new approach methodologies (NAMs), which are increasingly used in scientific research, product development and regulatory assessment (see Nature 650, 812-814; 2026). Strategies from the UK, US and Canadian governments, announced last year, include commitments to accelerate the development and uptake of NAMs and highlight the need for targeted funding to support this transition."

"But the key barrier to implementing these commitments is institutional rather than technical. It requires changes to the established routines, norms and cultures supporting regulatory science."

Advances in animal-testing alternatives, known as new approach methodologies (NAMs), are increasingly used in scientific research, product development, and regulatory assessment. Government strategies from the UK, US, and Canada commit to accelerating the development and uptake of NAMs and emphasize the need for targeted funding to support the transition. The main barrier to implementing these commitments is institutional rather than technical. Implementing NAMs requires changes to established routines, norms, and cultures that currently support regulatory science. Without shifts in how regulatory work is organized and practiced, adoption of NAMs may not keep pace with technical progress and funding commitments.

Read at Nature