Updates from the FY2024 Appropriations Bills and Accompanying Reports
The FY2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act was passed in two parts during March. These bills, along with the accompanying reports, contain provisions that support human-relevant research methods and recognize the risk to human health posed by animal exploitation across different industries. Each year, the Center for Contemporary Sciences focuses effort on educating Members of Congress on […]
118th Congressional Session Aims to Protect Dogs Used in Research
Beagles made headlines in 2022 when 4000 of them were rescued from the Envigo breeding and research facility. The facility was found to have dozens of violations of federal regulations. Envigo and other facilities like it work with pharmaceutical and biotech industries to breed, sell, and transport animals like dogs for animal experimentation. While it […]
New Acronym Mayhem (NAM): Why we need a consistent definition of NAMs
NAMs is a common acronym used to represent human biology-based methods in biomedical research. This acronym often refers to human-relevant testing methods like organ chips, organoids, and in silico models, but sometimes can include methods that are not human-relevant, but play a role in reducing the use of animals in testing. In the United States, […]
A Call for More Human-Relevant Research at NIH
For decades, animal experimentation was considered the “gold standard” of biomedical research, but today a growing number of well-known scientists and researchers begin to challenge that assumption. It is clear that the underlying molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms of animals being distinct from humans can lead to poor predictions in humans. This unreliability is the […]
Medical Countermeasures: More Potential for the FDA Modernization Act
In December 2022, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 was passed by Congress as part of the FY2023 Omnibus bill. The FDA Modernization Act updated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FFDCA) by lifting the requirement for animal testing and allowing applicants for market approval for a new drug to use the best methods available […]
The Role of Animal Experimentation in Endangering Species
On May 19th we celebrated Endangered Species Day, dedicated to learning about and taking action to protect endangered and threatened species. 2023 also marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark Endangered Species Act—a silver lining in the face of a sixth mass extinction. The Endangered Species Act (ESA): Establishes protections for wildlife (including fish) and […]
The Animal Welfare Act Protects Animals, Right?
Few federal laws are considered household names. One of these is the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The AWA was the first United States federal law to regulate animals used in research. The law was initially called the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act (1966) and was enacted to combat theft of pets to be sold into research. […]
FDA Modernization Act and Beyond: Updates from the FY2023 Omnibus Bill and Accompanying Report Language
You may have heard that on December 29th President Biden signed the FY2023 Omnibus bill. This $1.7 trillion spending package includes some major wins for human health, animals, and the planet. The FDA Modernization Act 2.0 is what we view as one of the most significant inclusions in the bill, and one of the biggest […]
A Poignant Last Act by Congressman Alcee Hastings
Earlier this month, Congressman Alcee Hastings, a Democrat from Florida, died from pancreatic cancer. My heart goes out to Hastings and his family for what they must have surely gone through. I know just how terrible pancreatic cancer is. It’s one of the most painful cancers to suffer through. My grandfather died from this disease […]