News on non-animal methods
MAY 04 - 08, 2026
NEWS, REPORTS & POSITION STATEMENTS
1. European Parliament strengthens ECHA’s role
At its plenary session on Wednesday 29 April, European Parliament (EP) adopted its negotiating position regarding the reform of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) (526 votes in favour, 56 against and 69 abstentions — report by Christophe Clergeau, S&D, French). The proposed changes aim to ensure that the Agency has the necessary resources and flexibility to fulfil its expanding mandate, including clearer procedures and more efficient risk assessment processes. The vote follows the Council’s adoption of its position in December 2025.
The EP also adopted its position on the Omnibus VI proposal, which aims to simplify EU chemicals legislation (540 votes in favour, 60 against and 45 abstentions). This follows the adoption of the draft report by the ENVI and IMCO committees’ earlier in April. The vote confirms the Parliament’s position on the Commission’s proposal to streamline requirements across key regulatory frameworks, including the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation, the Cosmetics Regulation and the Fertilising Products Regulation.
Following the plenary vote, the EP is now ready to begin negotiations with the Council and the Commission to agree on a final text.
2. Using model-informed strategies to maximize the value of ADCs
Antibody – drug conjugates (ADCs) are among the most promising and complex modalities in development for oncology today. But like any other developing healthcare technology, success cannot be defined by approval alone. The real challenge lies in how best to integrate the technology in the real-world clinical setting by optimizing dosing, expanding access and use into new populations, and realizing the full value potential across the full product lifecycle from early development through post-approval and market access.
To address this, teams are increasingly turning to model-informed drug development (MIDD) for ADCs as outlined in the ICH M15 guidance to bring together pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and real-world evidence into a more unified, decision-driven framework. In a recent blog post, Certara outlines how model-informed strategies can extend the value of ADCs beyond regulatory approval.
Merck & Co., Inc. partnered with Certara to determine an optimal pediatric dosing strategy for an ADC:Read the case study
3. When molecules react: New software visualizes biological processes in motion
Chemical reactions drive life. Researchers have been using computer simulations for years to study the behavior of molecules. However, one important property has mostly been left out so far in order to keep the simulations within the limits of what is feasible on today’s supercomputers: While molecules move realistically in many simulations, chemical bonds cannot break or form anew.
A research team at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI‑P) in Mainz has now developed a method to overcome this limitation. The new software KIMMDY (KInetic Monte Carlo MolecularDYnamics) combines various computational approaches and uses machine learning methods to calculate when and where chemical reactions can occur. “This allows us not only to track how molecules move, but also how they react with one another,” says Professor Frauke Gräter, director of the “Biomolecular Mechanics” department at MPI‑P. “This, in turn, opens up entirely new possibilities for investigating complex biological processes on a computer.”
INTERVIEWS, NOMINATIONS & AWARDS
4. An ‘AI scientist’ can tackle drug R&D: What does that mean for pharma?
Pharma companies already use artificial intelligence (AI) for tasks like optimizing clinical trials, identifying drug targets and developing predictive models for risk detection. But AI’s next iteration promises to take the technology a step further with “agents” that act autonomously.
Among those at the forefront of this shift is Owkin, an AI company whose clients include Sanofi, Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck & Co. Its autonomous “AI scientist” can tackle complicated questions about topics like commercialization and drug discovery in a fraction of the time human researchers could.
Featured in PharmaVoice, Owkin Co-CEO Pascal Weinberger discusses how AI agents are transforming drug discovery.
5. OHSU secures $9.2 million to build next generation OOC for bone related cancers
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) has received more than $9 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to develop advanced microphysiologic models — also known as organs‑on-chip (OOC)— that recreate how cancers grow, spread and respond to treatment within bone and bone‑associated tissues.
Two new awards, led by Alexander Davies, D.V.M., Ph.D., and Luiz Bertassoni, D.D.S., Ph.D., build on a $3.5 million NIH grant awarded to Bertassoni in 2025 and are affiliated with the Knight Cancer Precision Biofabrication Hub, a strategic initiative of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. Together, the three grants total nearly $9.2 million, establishing OHSU as a leader in using engineered human tissue models to study bone cancers and cancers that grow to the bone — an area of critical unmet medical need.
6. Antibody Champions recruited to deliver 3Rs impact across the UK
Batch-to-batch variation in animal-derived antibodies impacts target specificity and reproducibility between experiments. To tackle this issue, the joint Only Good Antibodies (OGA) community/NC3Rs Antibody Champions scheme has recruited 16 researchers to help drive the validation and use of high-quality antibodies across the research community.
The Champions are based in the UK and work across a range of disciplines, from stroke-on-a-chip and stem cell dementia models to snake venom biology and kidney imaging. Over the 12-month programme, Antibody Champions will be given training in antibody selection and validation, ensuring that antibodies selected for use are the most likely to give accurate and reproducible results.
7. Solid IO’s co-founder recognised as Biotech Founder of the Year
Dr. Heidi Haikala, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Solid IO, has been awarded Biotech Founder of the Year at the Biotech Stars Awards, organised by Finnish Bioindustries (FIB — Finland’s biotechnology industry association). This distinction recognises outstanding leadership and innovation within Finland’s biotechnology sector, highlighting individuals who are driving scientific excellence and contributing to the development of impactful health technologies.
Through its tumor-on-chip platform, Solid IO is developing patient-specific, human-relevant models to improve treatment prediction in oncology. Such recognition underscores the increasing importance of translating cutting-edge science into solutions that can improve both R&D processes and patient outcomes.
Read the announcement on Solid IO’s LinkedIn page
TOOLS, PLATFORMS, CALLS
8. French Korean call for proposals in “Biotechnologies using Artificial Intelligence” 2026 edition
AI and biotechnology are two rapidly expanding fields that offer unprecedented opportunities for innovation and the development of breakthrough solutions. Even more so in a global context where AI is profoundly transforming the landscape and practice of science and technology.
Therefore, French National Research Agency (ANR) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea are launching a 2nd call for proposals dedicated to Biotechnologies using AI. The objective of this call is to promote collaboration between French and Korean academic researchers with a view to exploring and developing AI applications in the field of biotechnology. Through bilateral funding both agencies seek to fund innovative binational projects that demonstrate strong synergy between the teams in each country and real integration of joint work.
Deadline for full proposals submission : June 04, 2026, 17:00 CEST.
To see more calls: Check out our calls interface
INDUSTRY, BIOTECH & PARTNERSHIPS
9. Pistoia Alliance: In Vitro Pharmacology cross-industry project
In vitro assays are essential for evaluating the safety and efficacy of active substances, metabolites, and impurities in IND and NDA submissions. However, there is currently no consistent data standard for in vitro pharmacology (IVP). The goal of the In Vitro Pharmacology cross-industry project is to develop an open-shared data template that couples the detailed and standardized description of the in vitro methodologies used for investigational drug safety characterization with a repository of annotated in vitro assay methods. The IVP Working Group aims to develop standardized data formats and tools for in vitro bioassays in collaboration with regulators (including the FDA), industry, and vendors.
The IVP Assay Repository — an important deliverable and milestone of the project — is now live and the coordinators ask for community feedback.
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES & PROTOCOLS
10. iPSC-cardiomyocytes vs. adult human heart: A transcriptomic comparison
Epigenetic modulators such as histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone acetyltransferases (HATs) are known master regulators of gene expression that substantially impact cardiac electrophysiology.
In a new study, researchers used small interfering RNAs to individually suppress each of the known HDACs, including sirtuins (SIRTs), in human induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs), iCell2. Performing RNA sequencing to track how gene expression changed, the authors then compared these results with data from adult human heart tissue from the GTEx database, and further applied statistical and computational modeling tools tomap the relationships between key gene regulators and cardiac genes. This combined approach helps identify key regulatory mechanisms and assess how closely hiPSC-based models replicate adult human heart biology.
Read more in the Journal of Precision Medicine: Health and Disease
11. Induction of fibrosis in human kidney organoids
Developing regenerative therapies to restore kidney function in patients with progressive renal disease represents a major challenge for modern molecular nephrology. Kidney organoids have emerged as a powerful tool to study kidney development, physiology, and mechanisms of renal disease in vitro. However, the fibrotic phenotype in kidney organoids and its utility as a disease model remain to be fully characterized.
In a recent study, researchers observed that the activation of TGF-β1 signaling in kidney organoids induced hallmarks of human kidney fibrosis, such as tubular atrophy, glomerulosclerosis, and interstitial fibrosis. RNA sequencing highlighted differential regulation of key pathways in kidney fibrosis. Identifying candidate mediators of kidney fibrosis such as the JAK-STAT downstream target PIM1, the researchers concluded that kidney organoids are an amenable system for modeling kidney fibrosis and may guide therapeutic discovery.
Read more in Stem Cell Research & Therapy
WORTH (RE)SHARING
New e‑book with the participation of Prof. Thomas Hartung (Johns Hopkins University): “The Economics of Non-Human Animals”
Recent Panel Discussion hosted by Justify “The Human Cost of Animal Research: When Compassion Becomes Moral Injury”
Perspective from Alfonso Tedeschi — Greenstone Biosciences: “The Animal Model: A formal Apologia and Its Scientific Successors”
UPCOMING WEBINARS, WORKSHOPS, SYMPOSIA
Webinar: “Advocating for Human-Based Research in the NIH Strategic Plan”, with Catharine E. Krebs, PCRM — 11 May, 12:00 ET (online)
ZonMW, Stakeholder event: “Accelerating the Global Transition Towards Animal-Free Research & Innovation” — 13 May, 12:00 – 17:00 CET, (The Hague)
