Featured news

Are pets at risk of catching and transmitting mpox?

Animals in orbit: why animals live on the International Space Station

Inviting protestors to talk

The animal research behind a new device to treat epilepsy

Ten organisations account for half of all animal research in Great Britain in 2023

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2023

Could AI replace animal research?

Openness in Animal Research Conference Returns in 2026

New fact-checking video series from UAR

New video from UAR: Growing cancer in chicken eggs

The shameful case of Nellie Burnham

Improving openness: a survey to understand the student perspective

EU-wide animal research statistics, 2022

New video series from UAR: Why is this animal used in research?

New study finds that “just 5% of animal-tested drugs” make it to market… and other things we already knew

Introducing the Biomedical & Animal Research News (BARN) Digest

Standing up for animal research

An MBE for Sara Wells, mouse geneticist and animal research advocate

What has the Labour Party said about animal testing?

New video from UAR: Inside MBR Acres

After successful animal trials, gene therapy restores hearing in toddler

Leaders in Openness 2024–2027

Research with mice suggests new treatment for children with neuroblastoma cancer

A decade of openness on animal research

Bird flu in cows: is it a human problem?

Openness, a powerful tool to support science

Long Covid, can animals provide the answers?

MPs (still) don't understand animal research

UK government doubles funding for the 3Rs

Letter from Lord Sharpe of Epsom responding to the ASC forced swim test report

UK animal rights extremists cleared of ‘psychological warfare’ on businessman

The woman behind the genomic scissors CRISPR-Cas9

Register now for the Openness in Animal Research Conference 2024

UAR’s Top Animal Research Stories of 2023

UAR forces Daily Mirror to correct misleading article

Animal Research News: November and December 2023

Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2023

Procedures carried out on animals in Northern Ireland, 2022

"Sex and drugs: my rock and roll": Introducing the 2023 Paget Lecturer, Professor Amrita Ahluwalia

What does Will Young have to do with animal testing?

Animal Research News: October 2023

Animal research behind Donanemab, the new Alzheimer’s drug

The animal research behind the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Sponsorship Opportunities for Openness Conference 2024 NOW OPEN

The animal research behind the first ever womb transplant in the UK

Testing skin care products without animals

Animal Research News: September 2023

Animal Research News: August 2023

Engaging with the public about animal research: The Francis Crick Institute

Abstract and Workshop Submissions for Openness Conference 2024 NOW OPEN

Humane Animal Research honoured with a British Empire Medal

Ten organisations account for half of all animal research in Great Britain in 2022

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2022

Animal Research News: June and July 2023

Why do 90% of new drugs fail?

Animal Research News: May 2023

What sheep brains can tell us about Huntington’s disease

Leaders in Openness 2023 - 2026

Mice in research: what types of mice are used in research?

Openness in Animal Research: A Conference to Celebrate a Decade of the Concordat

Celebrate openness with #MiceInResearch (9 - 12 May 2023)

Animal Research News: April 2023

Contact lenses and animal testing

EU-wide animal research statistics, 2020

Animal Research News: March 2023

Supporting neural plasticity – the 2023 Brain prize

Frogs in medical research

Why using both male and female animals in experiments matters

The reality of chicken research

Animal Research News: February 2023

Another flawed petition, another woefully misinformed debate in Parliament

Women influencing the animal research sector

A career devoted to caring for lab animals

Animal Research News: January 2023

Studying liver disease in animals

The reality of rabbit research

UAR's Top 10 Animal Research Stories of 2022

Animal Research News: November and December 2022

The importance of non-human primates in neuroscience

Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2022

Introducing the 2022 Paget Lecturer

How animal models help prostate cancer research

DNA sampling in fish, the non-invasive way

The animal research behind a new Alzheimer's drug

Animal Research News: October 2022

Procedures carried out on animals in Northern Ireland, 2021

On the search for a mouse model of ADHD

Monkeypox is not a monkey disease

Animal Research News: August and September 2022

Fighting deadly brain-infecting fungi

Animal Research News: June and July 2022

EU-wide animal research statistics, 2019

A history of mice in scientific research

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2021

Ten organisations account for half of all animal research in Great Britain in 2021

Animal Research News: May 2022

25 years after Dolly the sheep – cloning today

Huntington’s disease: 30 years after the discovery of the gene

Leaders in Openness 2022 - 2025 Announced

How do you study stress in mice?

How to handle mice to minimise their distress

Using mice to understand the complexity of ovarian cancer

#MiceInResearch celebrating the 8th anniversary of the Concordat on Openness

Animal Research News: April 2022

How to create a sector-leading website on animal research

What’s the problem with a ‘scientific hearing’ on animal tests?

Parkinson’s disease: What are we looking for now?

Animal Research News: March 2022

Talking to your colleagues about animal research

Learning to walk again: the history of spinal cord implants

The gender gap in heart disease research

Animal Research News: February 2022

How are flu vaccines made?

Is animal research ethical?

How women are paving the way for welfare in animal research

Animal Research News: January 2022

Pig to human heart transplants: how did we get here?

Vlogging about animal research

UAR’s animal research highlights of 2021

100 years of diabetes research

COVID-19 research must go on

Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2021

Sixty years on: the history of the thalidomide tragedy

Introducing the 2021 Paget Lecturer

Ten times Dr Ray Greek misled Ricky Gervais about animal testing

Zebrafish at the heart of regeneration therapy

Do fish feel pain?

Fighting the world's most deadly animal: the mosquito

Procedures carried out on animals in Northern Ireland, 2020

Zero carbon labs

Antibodies factsheet

2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Discovering how we feel heat and touch

Depression and magic mushrooms: could synthetic psilocybin cure untreatable depression?

How is climate change affecting Antarctic animals?

What is an AWERB and how does it help promote high standards of animal welfare in research?

New Zealand launches an Openness Agreement on Animal Research and Teaching

EU-wide animal research statistics, 2018

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2020

Ten organisations account for half of all animal research in Great Britain in 2020

A new animal model for late-stage multiple sclerosis

What exactly is a culture of care? And why is it important for animal welfare?

Can you give a brain organoid Alzheimer’s?

Leaders in Openness 2021 – 2024 Announced

What does it mean to genetically modify an animal

Researching new antidepressants with swimming mice

A history of vaccines

Animal research and malaria

The COVID-19 vaccine for animals

Why caring for laboratory animals is a rewarding career

Endometriosis: a painful lack of research

How effective is the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine?

Cancer avatars: the future for personalised medicine?

Top 10 COVID-19 vaccine myths

RNA vaccines: a new tool against COVID-19

Antibiotic resistance: superbugs that kill

The secret lives of mice: using the public to research mouse behaviour

Biofluorescence: mammals that glow in the dark

T'is the season to be ... a zombie deer?

Leaders in Openness 2020 – 2023 Announced

Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2020

COVID-19: From your toilet to the sea, will your waste kill seals and whales?

Why we must stop Covid-19 gaining a foothold in animals

Study in mice shows that allergies can be passed on to offspring

Covid-19 may affect sperm and future generations

Procedures carried out on animals in Northern Ireland, 2019

Why are scientists tickling rats?

How virus tracking can help us prevent future pandemics

The secret lives of naked-mole rats

Animal research and COVID-19

Factsheet on the forced swim test

FBI: the bureau for fish welfare

2020 Nobel Prize for Chemistry awarded for the development of a method for genome editing

2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded for discovery of Hepatitis C virus

‘Young’ microbiota can reverse ageing of the immune system and boost vaccines

Beyond blue blood: the horseshoe crab debate

Childbirth: Why some women experience less pain than others

Could a drug for cat coronavirus cure COVID-19?

Backup livers grown in pigs

A new smartphone device to detect horse respiratory diseases

Free eLearning resource on 'blinding' in animal experiments

Did you know elephants can get herpes and die from it?

From humans to cats: learning more about Lyme disease in felines

The Milky way of Medicine: want a cup of drugs?

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2019

Ten organisations account for half of all animal research in Great Britain in 2019

The increase in zoonotic diseases: the WHO, the why and the when?

How social isolation affects your body

The science of sniffs: disease smelling dogs

How organoids are bringing the study of bats to the lab

COVID-19 research exposes activists' lack of evidence

Masks reduce COVID-19 transmission between hamsters

What mice studies can tell us about the effect of anxiety on sleep

Remdesivir trials effective against coronaviruses in animals and humans

Could llama antibodies treat viruses like COVID-19?

Do we need to test all new drugs in two species?

High public acceptance of animal research to find treatments for COVID-19

Animal research and pregnancy testing: a history

Can we fight COVID-19 without animal testing?

Is COVID-19 isolation making your dog as anxious as you?

Can your cat catch coronavirus?

Warning signs of the coronavirus: why we knew about it and couldn't stop it

Why we need more women in labs

What happened to wildlife after Chernobyl?

The benefits and risks of neutering pets

I wail, you wail, we all wail for whale day

Chair of UAR Council, Jeremy Pearson, awarded MBE

EU-wide animal research statistics, 2017

Plastics are ruining the sex-lives of worms and could be affecting yours too

To study the brain we need monkeys

Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2019

Introducing the 2019 Paget Lecturer

Procedures carried out on animals in Northern Ireland, 2018

Respiratory disease: asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Why do bats have such a bad reputation?

Drug Discovery with Venom

Bony research: how zebrafish are helping osteoarthritis research

2019 Nobel Prize: sensing and adapting to oxygen

Preventing Bad Law with UAR's Policy Work

Our Favourite Posts From the Last 10 Years

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2018

Ten organisations account for half of all animal research in Great Britain in 2018

Animals Help us understand Motor Neurone Disease

How sickle cell protects against Malaria

Celebrities impact public view of animal research

Animals to humans, how blood saves lives

Researching for a cure for multiple sclerosis

Reddit AMA with Frances Wiseman

Creating the European Animal Research Association

Researching stroke using zebrafish

Leaders in Openness 2019 - 2022 Announced

How do you study stress in an animal?

Why vaccinate your pets?

Haemophilia, the royal disease

Advances in 3R’s

Highlighting the role of vets in research

10 years of rat research – how stroke studies have evolved

Tuberculosis in Zebrafish

Ricky Gervais doesn't understand animal research

Did animal tests delay penicillin by 10 years?

Why we need female mice in drug trials

Using mainly male mice in drug trials can be problem for women health.

Why do so many promising compounds never become drugs?

Why do possible drugs fail to make it to the chemist?

A journey to the clean side

How we made our 360 degree lab tours

Human diseases are threatening chimpanzees

A human common cold can be lethal to a chimp

The Nipah Virus – a rare but deadly disease

Ten years of research with mice

Ten years of research with mice

Some highlights from a decade of research with mice

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Timeline of cancer research and treatment

Recent advances in cancer research

Ten years of Understanding Animal Research

UAR's new strategy

Primate research in 2018

Vote animal research scientist for new £50 note

Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2018

Ten universities account for a third of all animal research in Great Britain in 2017

Additional animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2017

Animal research in conversation

Procedures carried out on animals in Northern Ireland, 2017

Nobel Prize 2018

BA faces legal challenge for refusing to fly lab animals

In defence of animal testing

Migrating small birds flying at 4000m

Guide to writing non-technical summaries

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2017

Manchester University animal unit virtual tour

Tracking killer T cells in pigs for flu vaccine development

Killer fungus comes from Korea

3Rs prize for cardiac model

Alzheimer’s Researchers win 2018 Brain Prize

UAR's response to the Draft Animal Welfare Bill inquiry

Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2017

Procedures carried out on animals in Northern Ireland, 2016

Understanding Drug 'Prediction'

Ten universities account for a third of all animal research in Great Britain in 2016

No changes to EU Directive proposed in European Commission review

Circadian rhythm science wins 2017 Nobel

Dr Mark Dallas Reddit Ask Me Anything

Zebrafish host human cancers

Roger Lemon Reddit Ask Me Anything

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2016

Why the anti-vivisection movement took an absolutist view

UAR at Cambridge BRAINFest 2017

Four animal laboratories open their digital doors to the public

Karen Mifsud Reddit Ask Me Anything

World Parkinson’s Disease Day 2017

Cambridge shows how animal studies are helping us understand OCD

Postcards from the post-fact front line: Pseudoscience and non-sequiturs as a rationale against research

Artificial 'embryos' created in the lab

Bird flu in China

Tilapia lake virus discovered

Hearing restored in deaf mice using gene therapy

'Tinder' for orangutans

Cats as intelligent as dogs?

60% of primates face extinction

Evolution of menopause

Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2016

Ten universities account for a third of all animal research in Great Britain in 2015

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2015

Male biased mice studies

Drug trail against Ebola

20 years since Dolly the Cloned Sheep

Cancer resistance in naked mole-rats

How chickens store sperm

Human-pig embryo for transplants

Vaccine against cancer

Pig cornea transplant cures sight in 200 blind people

New leaflets from UAR

Dogs catch infectious cancer while mating

Bd: Frog Plague

Gene edited cows make no horns

Fat labradors give clues to obesity epidemic

Memory formation mapped in rats

Grubby mice help immune research

21 Belgian research organisations unite in support of animal research

Tiger numbers up

British public misled over cosmetic tests

Pig heart beats for two years in a baboon

Animal welfare at Oxford University

Animal research at Imperial College

British harbour seals fitted with smartphone technology

Fungi help woodpeckers create new nest-holes

Zika: monkeys, mice, and mosquitoes

Reversing cancer in frogs

Interview with Xavier Montagutelli, Pasteur Institute

Vision restored in rabbits following stem cell transplantation

Could this tarantula be a solution to chronic pain?

Pro-Test 10-year Anniversary

Pro-Test 10 Year Anniversary

3D-printed body parts

The year of anniversaries

Colin Blakemore Reddit Ask Me Anything

Mice with bear bacteria got fatter

Destroying worn out cells makes mice live longer

Telling stories with numbers

Human ear grown on the back of a rat

Does the recent death in a clinical trial in France make us reconsider animal testing?

Scientists create cow cartilage in the lab

Singing mice - monitoring ultrasound for animal welfare

Acute myeloid leukaemia genes identified

Training monitor lizards not to eat toxic toads 

This year in animal research - 2015

A subjective review of the years animal research stories

This week in animal research 18/12/15

Badger cull, sea-lion deaths, psoriasis treatment

Patient-derived xenografts in breast cancer research

The National Cancer Research Institute Conference discussed models for breast cancer research.

Dispelling myths around animal research

This week in animal research 11/12/15

Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2015

This week in animal research 4/12/15

A picture painted by a thousand papers

100,000 birds killed every year from lead shot poisoning

Lead poisoned birds, treatment for arthritis

'Without anaesthetic' - reading animal statistics

When lab rats are released into the wild

The Laboratory Rat - A Natural History

This week in animal research 201115

Mainly conservation this week

This week in animal research 13/11/15

Toxins in 3D printers

Zebrafish showed 3D printer polymers are toxic

Rat study explains why so many alcohol drinkers are also smokers

Scorpions, kangaroos and more

Can you see the bird?

This week in animal research 30-10-15

Suffragettes and other animals

Surprising historical links between the suffragette movement and animal rights activism

Poo turns naked mole rats into better babysitters

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2014

This week in animal research 161015

Video of the week - NC3Rs Dog Husbandry

Housing and husbandry of dogs

This week in animal research 09/10/15

Elephants rarely get cancer

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015

The 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been jointly won by Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar for “mechanistic studies of DNA repair".

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015

Won by William C Campbell, Satoshi Ōmura and Youyou Tu.

This week in animal research 02/10/15

Concordat Annual Report 2015

Good first year for the Concordat on Openness

Lab grown kidneys work in animals

Three cancers, two dementias and xenotransplants

Cosmetics are NOT tested on animals

More myths busted

More myths busted

The Safer Medicines campaign contains flawed arguments

Elephants born to stressed mothers age faster

Smallpox

French virtual lab tour

Scorpion helps identify cancerous tissue

Meningitis B vaccine available to newborns

Fish and newts regenerate limbs

Killer snails eat fish

Is FRAME abandoning the centre ground?

Triggering bacterial defence

How malaria raises cancer risk

Video of the week: Life in the Mariana Trench

Sheep gives birth to a mouflon

How snails hunt fish

New ebola vaccine works

Owls and hearing

History of the Pacemaker

Rett Syndrome symptoms reversed in mice

Can your pet be allergic to humans ?

Boa constrictors don’t suffocate, they stop blood flow

The cure fallacy

Pacemakers: a short history

Brain speed cells track movement

New dog-breeding facilities will improve animal welfare

Dog breeding facility gets the go-ahead

In vitro: the remarkable rise of animal alternatives

Hormone slows down breast cancer growth in mice

Why Testing on Prisoners is a Bad Idea

What do rats dream about?

Cystic fibrosis gene therapy works

GM pigs resist swine fever

Demented dog or senile cat ?

Juvenile camels ‘key source’ of MERS

Llama antibodies reach the parts others do not

Why Animals Are Needed in Research

Wild chimpanzees drinking fermented palm sap

Hedgehogs, going, going...

The reason the European Citizens’ Initiative failed is the reason anti-research campaigns are failing generally

Climbing perch have lungs and gills

Anti-research European Citizen’s Initiative fails

Badgers; the cull or the research

Mice in space develop thin skin

Ten Tips for Debating Animal Research

Advice from our recent workshop

Octopuses can see with their skin

Vision restored in blind mice

Link between Diabetes and Alzheimer's

Penguins use guano to melt snow

Captured on film: animal research at Cambridge and Imperial College

World Day for Animals in Laboratories

Ebola drug cures monkeys infected with the virus

Nicotine use increases alcohol consumption in rats

UKIP pledges to introduce existing regulatory system if elected

Green animal research policy – scientifically illiterate, unethical and doomed to fail

Animal research in the 2015 General Election

Sixty years of the polio 'miracle' vaccine

Gibbons can use more than 450 different calls

Video: mouse cage enrichment

Vitamin D prevents diabetes and clogged arteries in mice

Working to reduce the use of animals in scientific research

Green Hill judge ignores independent vets

Evolution of the anus

Did the government really ban animal tests for household cleaners?

How chameleons change colour

Mice use more of their fathers DNA than their mothers

Male only medical trials can endanger females

Protecting medical progress and lab animal welfare in Europe

What about sewing the heads of monkeys onto other monkeys?

Llamas immune to HIV

Mary Lyon: 20th century geneticist

Limpet teeth strongest biological material

Let in the Lynx

Gerbils more tolerant of plague than rats

BBC TV: Can you cure my cancer?

Cleaner fish

Ballan wrasse control salmon lice

This week in animal research: w/e 06 Feb 2015

Key news from the week

3-Person IVF and the monkeys that made it possible

British MPs voted in favour of 3 person IVF

AstraZeneca plans for Cambridge HQ get go-ahead

This week in animal research: w/e 30 January 15

Videos of the week: MRC research with macaques

Animal research gives vaccines against cervical cancer

How mice have revolutionised what we know about memory

Armadillos roll out treatments for leprosy

Blood transfusions from young to old mice regenerate stem cells

Stolen pets and pseudoscience: 20 years of campaigners misleading the public.

Testing badgers for TB better than culling

Wirelessly charged pacemaker tested in rabbits

Animals get STI's as well as humans

Ebola studied in guinea pigs

After UAR complaint ASA rules NAVS misleading public

Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2014

Rabbits, fish and mice, but no rock hyrax

The importance of teaching about animal reseach in schools

Switching off appetite in mice

A breakthrough treatment for Ebola

A CRISPR future for genetic modification

Why do scientists use zebrafish in research?

Vaccine for dust-mite allergies

A closer look at the animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2013

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2013

Declines in insectivorous birds associated with high neonicotinoid concentrations

Animal research in the movies

New cell creation which may cause "infantile amnesia"

Ten years of success from the 3Rs

Should neonicotinoids be banned permanently?

Monarch butterflies use magnetic compass to migrate

Kidney regeneration

The Secrecy Law That Is Heading For the Scrapheap

Porcine epidemic virus

How refining animal research can lead to more experiments

Scientist Colin Blakemore Knighted

GM mosquitos used to reduce wild mosquito population

Look before you leap

Charities communicating animal research

A Brave New World

The A-Z(T) of anti-science

Openness is more than just a PR exercise

When did you last hear a cuckoo?

Venom: Turning Toxicity on its Head

The Concordat is here!

Concordat on Openness on Animal Research launched today

Why are we still waiting for a cure?

Why science doesn't work without curiosity

The FoI press-release approach to campaigning

Standing up for Science

First gene therapy trial for deafness

Brain tumour cells burst by potential new treatment

Transplant stories

Openness in animal research news

Activist Debbie Vincent guilty of conspiracy to blackmail

Open Labs

Vaccine could protect against cancer caused by organ transplants

Mice use minimised by mini-liver break through

42 thousand red-listed turtles taken per year

Animal research and Asian vulture conservation

UAR complaint against Animal Aid upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority

Government announces delivery plan for reduction of animals in research

You want fish? Police your reserves

Herceptin - first monoclonal antibody treatment for cancer

Bat populations rise

by Theodore Roethke

BBC films inside Oxford Animal Lab

Two new films on Macaque research from the MRC

What makes us human?

Poll shows more Italians accept animal research

Science Action Network

Otter project - monitoring pollution

Avoiding turtle by-catch in the Mediterranean

The Big Animal Research Debate: Day 4

We need to stick with research through the ups and the downs

‘Turning point’ in Alzheimer’s treatment

Rothman, Schekman and Südhof - 2013 Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine

Rejection reduced by animal research

Nobel scientists experimenting on themselves

The Nobel Prize winners who experimented on themselves

Brain cancer research suggests new treatments

Pro-Test Italia demonstrate in Rome

2013 Nobel Prize Predictions

Down syndrome symptoms reduced in mice with single injection

Lasker award given to neurotransmitter researchers

New EU guide to alternatives to animal testing

3,000 Italian Researchers say no to law limiting animal research

Fire salamanders wiped out by newly found fungus

Basel declaration animal research awards

Free iBook: Primates in Medical Research now available

Neuron maps unveiled for mouse and fly

New treatment allows stronger radiotherapy

New mouse model for hepatitis C research

World Hepatitis Day

A new way to prevent transplant rejection

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2012

Third Basel Declaration Society Conference

Understanding Animal Research’s 2013 AGM

Jumping species: how good intentions spread diseases

The eternal search for ever-lasting life

Hard on the outside, soft on the inside, and just the right temperature...

Inside the Dementia Lab

Symposium on the 3Rs

World Blood Donor Day

Pro-Test Italia demonstrate the value of animal research

On Saturday 1st June 2013, Pro-Test Italia held a rally in support of the important role that animals play in biomedical research.

Pro-Test Italia march on Saturday

The Pro-Test Italia rally will culminate in the delivery of a petition signed by over 5000 people calling for solidarity with the researchers affected by the attack.

How to distort 0.004% of the statistics

A new statistic is doing the rounds in the animal rights camps.

Dementia Awareness Week: 19 – 25 May

This year’s Dementia Awareness Week is themed around talking, with the message that “Worrying changes nothing.

Animal research news round up 10/05

The Daily Mail, in an earnest attempt to justify their drinking habits, reported that phenolic acid found in champagne dramatically improved the memory test performance of rats.

Brain Injury Week 13th - 19th May 2013

This year's Action for Brain Injury Week (ABI Week) will see the launch of a positive campaign aimed at GPs to assist them with diagnosing and appropriately signposting patients and carers affected by the often hidden aspects of brain injury.

New animal research briefing for Deaf Awareness Week

UAR has produced a new briefing sheet on deafness and hearing loss as a contribution to Deaf Awareness Week (6th May - 12th May 2013).

Prize for technique that reduces number of animals in spinal injury research

A scientist from the University of Glasgow has been awarded a 3Rs Prize for developing a cell-based technique that models severed nerves usually studied in animals.

Newly identified naturally occurring hormone could treat diabetes

Experiments in mice have identified a hormone that could stop and even reverse the onset of diabetes.

Animal research news round up 03/05

The possibility of eternal youth is guaranteed to get coverage and all the broadsheets covered this Nature story this week.

Pint of Science

World-leading scientists will be sharing their knowledge and latest discoveries in pubs across London, Oxford and Cambridge from Tuesday 14th - Thursday 16th May.

Novo Nordisk wins Corporate Responsibility award

The annual Corporate Responsibility Reporting Awards were handed out at the Royal Society earlier this week.

Scientists ask for solidarity

A recent break in at the University of Milan by animal rights extremists has put the university’s research into psychiatric disorders back several years.

World Malaria Day

This World Malaria Day, April 25th, we need to remember the global significance of this life-threatening disease.

Animal research news round up 26/04

Hilary Koprowski, the scientist who developed the first live-virus polio vaccine, has died at the age of 96.

Two thirds of the British public are unaware animal cosmetic testing is illegal in UK

Almost two thirds of British people (63%) do not know that is it illegal to test finished cosmetic products on animals in the UK, according to a recent ComRes survey.

Animal research is leading a revolution in organ transplants, again

Around the turn of the 20th Century, two surgeons named Emerich Ullman and Alexis Carrel placed the kidney of goat into a dog.

Animal rights extremists wreck Milan laboratory

An animal facility at the University of Milan, Italy, was occupied on Saturday 20 April by Fermare Green Hill.

Animal research news round up

We have several stories which very clearly illustrate the potential medical benefits of research this week.

News round up

Robert Edwards, the Nobel Prize winning developer of in vitro fertilisation, has died at the age of 87.

We have a lot of things to thank animals for; space travel and cloning are just two of them

Dolly is probably the most famous animal ever to take part in a scientific experiment.

Broken memories

Researchers studying mice have discovered that brain cells may break their own DNA to form new memories.

New malaria medicine developed in mice

An experimental compound has proved highly effective at preventing malaria in laboratory tests using mice.

UAR at The Big Bang Fair 2013

The UAR Education Team had a fantastic time at The Big Bang Fair at ExCel in London which ran from the 14th -17th March this year.

What Difference Does Animal Research Make

New foot-and-mouth vaccine

Foot-and-mouth disease (Aphthae epizooticae) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids such as cattle and sheep.

Gene therapy targets 'cancer gene'

Gene therapy using a mutant form of a gene known to be involved in many of the most common cancers can destroy tumours in mice without any major side effects.

Mice experiments help scientists improve cancer vaccines

An additive used in anti-cancer vaccines is stopping them working properly, research in mice suggests.

Achilles’ heel identified for rare cancer

Research using genetically modified mice has given scientists a unique insight into the molecular cause of an incurable human cancer.

UAR sets up a new website: AnimalRightsExtremism.info

Animal rights activists have created an exaggerated impression of their movement by their use of social and other media channels.

Cancer cells starved with gold

Artificial retina developed through animal research lets blind people see again

Research in mice suggests gut bacteria influence blood pressure

Bone “scaffold” helps new bones grow from stem cells

Diabetes cured in dog using gene therapy

This House Does Not Believe Animal Research is a Moral Hazard

1960's RSV vaccine side-effect now explained

Nine out of ten statistics are taken out of context

Cancers 'glow' in mice

Crustaceans shown to feel pain

New investment in the 3Rs

Home Office guidance to Animals Scientific Procedures Act

The Beauty in the Beast

We are moving on Jan 15 to Hodgkin Huxley House

Vaccine against leishmaniasis trialled in golden hamsters

Video: Marmosets and research into Parkinson’s Disease

March of the cyborgs

Artificial 'jellyfish' moved by heart cells

Volunteer to be a school speaker

Record amount awarded for research to reduce animal experiments

First IVF baby celebrates 34th birthday

Cats make the headlines

Damaged proteins block immune cell transport

Nanoparticles reduce prostate tumours in mice

Child skin-cancer gene identified

Opossum models liver disease

Acidic airways found in cystic fibrosis linked to bacterial infection

NAVA leader pleads guilty in extremism trial

Huntington’s disease mutation in mice corrected using stem cells

New-found hormone protects against type 2 diabetes

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2011

Parkinson disease protein spreads between neurons

Diabetes medicine improves memory in mice

Animal activists arrested in UK and Holland

Stem cell therapy for Type 1 diabetes a step closer

Schools poster - competition winner announced

Myeloid leukaemia slowed in mice

Scientists block pathological aggression in mice

Cancer risk increased by bacterial infection

How the foetus avoids rejection

Stem cells repair lungs in sheep

Skin cells turned into heart cells

Mice show link between psoriasis and heart disease

Welcome to our new look

Type 1 diabetes reversed in mice

Chemical treats multiple sclerosis

Paralysed patients control robotic arm by thought alone

European Directive 2010/63/EU: UK government responds

Brain cell death switched off

Mutations allow bird flu to spread between people

Animal research crucial for future of the NHS

NEW! Classroom poster

Gene therapy makes beating heart cells

Blind mice see again after eye cell transplant

New protein link to spinal muscular atrophy

Pain makes the heart grow stronger

Scientists working with both mice and people have found that painkillers could actually hinder the body’s recovery after a heart attack.

Space mice

Gene therapy for sickle cell

Predictive power of the parallel approach

Secret of stroke recovery?

Bone marrow transplant reverses Rett

Fat cells reprogrammed to burn energy

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Scientists 'read' mouse brains

The making of 'A day in the life of an animal technologist'

Vitamin E causes weak bones in mice

Moving animals - are we at a tipping point?

Secret to growing new nerves

Increasing egg supply to treat infertility?

Stem cells win prizes

Science website launches

Co-ordination restored in Huntington’s mice

Cancer treatment clears Alzheimer’s damage

Case studies showcase animal research

Goldilocks gene for personalised TB treatment

Drug for leishmaniasis

Skin cells to nerve cells

Nearly £1 million towards replacing cancer tests

Scientists have been awarded nearly £1 million to develop new test methods that should substantially reduce the numbers of animals used for testing chemicals which may cause cancer.

Gene therapy treats blindness in dogs

A common form of blindness has been successfully treated in dogs using gene therapy.

Nanoparticles boost vaccines

Scientists have developed nanoparticles that boost the effectiveness of vaccines in mice by mimicking part of the natural immune response.

Beagle breeding planning appeal fails

On Thursday 26 January, we learned that Communities Secretary Eric Pickles had agreed with the recommendations of a planning appeal inspector and dismissed the planning appeal by B&K animal breeders in East Yorkshire.

Rats jump aboard

On the principal that you can’t really understand something until you have tried it yourself, the UAR education team has been encouraging young people up and down the country...

Stem cells and heart repair

Continuing our video series on the patient benefits of animal research, a patient interviews a scientist on how stem cells, based on animal research, may be used to repair hearts.

Schizophrenia and sleeping problems linked?

Recent findings that a gene associated with schizophrenia also causes abnormal sleep patterns in mice have led scientists to ponder whether the mental illness and sleep disturbance could be genetically linked.

Worm holes and lung damage

New research suggests that understanding provided by parasitic worms could be used to treat serious lung injury caused by infections.

Omega-3 fatty acids protect against nerve damage

Scientists have found that omega-3 fatty acids can help speed up recovery from nerve damage.

Sex virus blamed for cancer rise

One dog, 90 years, millions saved

Before January 1922, a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes was in effect a death sentence; many died of starvation.

Cell walls can bock infections

Scientists have developed a new strategy for fighting infectious diseases.

Rare eye cancer pathway uncovered

Scientists have uncovered the secret behind the rapid progression of retinoblastoma, a rare type of childhood eye cancer.

Young blood treats old mice with MS

By transplanting cells from the blood of young mice, scientists have successfully stimulated stem cells to repair the damaged nerve tissue of old mice with multiple sclerosis.

HIV vaccine boost

Scientists have created a vaccine that protects rhesus monkeys from infection by the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a relative of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Gene could hold key to treating deafness

Scientists have identified a gene that, when deleted, causes deafness in mice.

Mapping memories

Intricate experiments using mice have allowed scientists to visualise the formation of new brain circuits that form after birth.

Cancer treatment targets tumour growth protein

A chemical tested in mice, cell cultures and human biopsies has proved highly effective in preventing the growth of tumours.

Gene confers resistance to Marek’s disease

Scientists have identified a gene that appears to make chickens immune to the deadly Marek's virus - responsible for millions of deaths in chickens each year.

Tuning the immune system reverses MS

Scientists have found a way to reverse the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice.

Weight loss treatment works in obese monkeys

Researchers have shown that a new compound can significantly reduce the weight of monkeys by destroying blood vessels that feed fatty tissue.

Vaccine protects mice against deadly Ebola virus

Scientists have developed a vaccine which protects mice from the Ebola virus and, unlike current vaccines, can be stored for long periods of time.

Evidence-based policy

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Home Department, Lynne Featherstone, advanced an animal research policy based on evidence in a Commons debate on Wednesday 7 December.

World AIDS Day

It's 30 years since the first cases of HIV infection. During this time, says the website HIVaware, we've seen rapid change.

#WW award for Overlooking the Importance of Animal Research

We liked a piece in the Huffington Post by Kirk Leech. Overlooking the Importance of Animal Research in the UK politics section of the Huffington Post...

GM cells cure anaemia in mice

Mice have been cured of anaemia by an injection of genetically engineered cells that, when injected underneath the skin, formed blood vessels that secreted a hormone called erythropoietin.

Information tribunal rules for both sides

As anyone who reads it will see, a recent (11 November) Freedom of Information ruling falls some way short of the 'landmark decision' claimed by BUAV.

Naked mole rat DNA exposes its age-defying secrets

A team of scientists have begun to unravel the secrets underlying the long life enjoyed by naked mole rats.

Blood protein from rice treats rats

A human blood protein has been produced using genetically modified rice and used to treat liver disease in rats.

Release of leading extremists may inspire new attacks on animal research

Leading animal rights extremists Greg and Natasha Avery were released from prison this week.

Why don't woodpeckers get headaches?

How do woodpeckers avoid injury to their brain as their beak hits a tree at seven metres per second and up to 100 times per minute?

Blocking brain cancer in mice

An interaction between two proteins has been found to be essential for the development of the most common form of brain cancer.

#WW award for Of Mice and Medicine

We award Paul Vallely of the Independent newspaper for his excellent article - Of Mice and Medicine.

Modified protein treats haemophilia in mice

Scientists have engineered a human clotting factor into a safe and effective treatment that cured haemophilia in mice.

Chemotherapy delivered through the nipple

Tests in both rats and patients have shown that chemotherapy delivered through the milk ducts of the nipple is more effective and leads to fewer side-effects than intravenous drug delivery.

Lords again affirm support for animal research

Several peers confirmed their belief in the need for animal research in biomedical research, during a debate in the House of Lords yesterday (24 October 2011).

Of mice and medicine

Subtitled In defence of animal experiments, the Independent published a four-page article in Saturday's Magazine about how animal research is 'transforming human lives'.

New antibody protects monkeys from deadly Hendra virus

Squamous cell skin carcinoma is the second most common skin cancer after melanomas, affecting approximately 10,000 people in the UK each year.

Skin tumour reduced in mice

Enzyme linked to miscarriages and infertility

Studies of patient tissue and experiments using mice have linked a specific enzyme to both infertility and miscarriage.

Sickle-cell anaemia treated in mice

Researchers have shown that they can treat sickle-cell anaemia in mice by switching on a haemoglobin gene usually only active before birth.

#WW award for Zebrafish article in Wellcome News

The article by Emma James in the latest Wellcome News looks into why zebra fish have become so important in genetics research.

Diabetes 'cured' with brain stem cells

Stem cells taken from a rat's brain using a simple procedure have been made to produce insulin and used to cure diabetes in the same rat.

Of mice and men - new video

Watch the 'Of Mice and Men' videos to see how GM mice are used to study human disease.

Less is more for common cancer treatment

A common cancer treatment has been shown to be more effective and less toxic when administered at more frequent, lower doses.

Lords affirm support for animal research

Members of the House of Lords on Tuesday affirmed their support for 'proper and appropriate' use of animals in medical research.

#WW award for NC3Rs review

Our Wedneday Winner today is the NC3Rs for producing a really clear, accessible and comprehensive review of the work it funds.

Cancer inducing protein protects against diabetes

Scientists have uncovered an intriguing signalling pathway linking cancer and diabetes.

The research they tried to stop

Three animal rights extremists who were imprisoned for their role in the 'Save the Newchurch Guinea Pigs' campaign – Jon Ablewhite, John Smith and Kerry Whitburn – have been released from prison.

Anti-viral medicine slows brain tumour growth

Scientists have found that the growth of Medulloblastoma brain tumour cells in mice can be significantly slowed using existing anti-viral medicines.

Mouse stem cells guided to become neuron-protecting cells

Scientists have successfully guided mouse stem cells to become specialised cells that build a protective coat around neurons.

How the brain communicates with the immune system

Experiments on mice have identified the missing link that allows the nervous and immune systems to communicate.

Neuron’s self-defence against dementia

Scientists have identified a signalling pathway used by neurons to protect against the cause of frontotemporal dementia, the second most common form of early-onset dementia after Alzheimer's disease.

Treating 'Alzheimer's disease' in mice

Scientists working with mice have identified a molecule that appears to cause the dementia suffered by Alzheimer's patients.

UK Bioscience Coalition position on the European Directive on animal research

Animal research is vitally important in science and medicine.

Replacing animals with nerves on a chip

A team of scientists have developed a way of guiding nerve cells to set up complicated networks that mimic the ones found in the brain.

#WW award for a letter from Parkinson's UK

Animal Aid is running a campaign against medical charities because some of their funded work involves animals.

'Glow in the dark' cats aids HIV research

Scientists inserted two genes into cats: the first is taken from macaque monkeys and helps the cat resist the feline form of Aids; the second is a fluorescent gene from jellyfish that helps the researchers literally see where the added anti-aids gene is active.

Colchicine from Crocus kills cancer

A modified version of a chemical found in the Autumn crocus has shown exceptional promise as a tumour-killing agent in mice and will soon begin clinical trials in humans.

Gene deletion blocks pain

Scientists have identified the gene that allows the transmission of chronic pain.

Safer treatment for sleeping sickness

Scientists have trialled a safer way of treating sleeping sickness in mice by modifying an existing medicine.

Modified bacterium protects against TB

Mice infected with a genetically modified relative of the tuberculosis bacterium became immune to tuberculosis, a new study has shown.

Computer model predicts effect of medicines on heart

Scientists have developed a computer model that predicts the effect of anti-arrhythmic medicines on the heart.

Stem cell treatment for stroke trial

A treatment developed in rats and mice has been shown to be safe in the first ever human trial of stem cell treatment for stroke victims.

Gene therapy hope for Menkes Disease

Studies in GM mice have shown that a combination of gene therapy and copper injections could be effective in treating Menkes Disease, a lethal and progressive disease that mainly affects young boys.

Gene mapping opens new insights into the brain

A map of gene activity has been created that scientists hope will shed new light on the causes of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Breakthrough against deadly Ebola virus

Scientists have uncovered the Achilles heel of the deadly Ebola virus; the breakthrough could lead to the first treatment for the tropical disease within a decade.

Obese mice fed artifical enzyme live longer

A new artificial enzyme(SRT1720) has been found to increase the lifespan of obese mice.

Gene therapy treats Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Modified stem cells have been used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in mice by replacing the faulty gene that causes the disease with a normal version of the gene.

Ear cells could be used in facial reconstruction

Tissue grown from stem cells taken from patients' ears could be used in facial reconstructions, tests in mice have shown.

Why fatty diet can lead to type 2 diabetes

Rates of diabetes have doubled in the last 30 years and doctors say rising levels of obesity are the main contributing factor.

#ww Buffering brains against stress

The hippocampus creates new neurones throughout our lives - so what happens if you bring "the hippocampus's production line to a screeching halt?"

Artificial protein could be 'universal' anti-viral

Antibiotics such as penicillin can be used to treat all sorts of bacterial infections, but doctors have few options when it comes to viral infections.

Some facts about Parkinson's and Alzheimer's research

The animal rights group Animal Aid launched an ill-informed, illogical and ill-conceived campaign against medical research charities a few weeks ago.

Mouse births from stem cell sperm

In the UK around 1 in 10 men are infertile, often because of low sperm counts.

Allergy testing with human cells

Allergic reactions to everyday chemicals are common causing eczema in millions of people, and tests on animals have been important in testing new chemicals for skin sensitisation.

Starving kidney cancer in mice

Researchers have identified a new chemical (STF-31) that selectively kills kidney cancer cells by blocking their glucose supply.

Cancer treatment for 'schizophrenic' mice

Schizophrenia is one of the most common serious mental health conditions in the UK, affecting 1 in 2000 people at some time in their lives.

Shining a light on ataxia

When people stagger after drinking too much ethanol has caused reversible ataxia – a loss of muscular co-ordination.

#ww Can scientists follow Laura’s lead?

Mark Henderson’s Science Matters column in today's Times Eureka gets our #ww Wednesday Winner award for communication about animal research (OK, it’s not Wednesday, but this column is a deserving winner).

Broken sleep disrupts memory

Research on mice has shown that uninterrupted sleep is vital for memory consolidation.

Coalition pledge on household product testing

This month’s awaited pledge by the coalition government to end household product testing on animals has been welcomed by the UK research community.

#ww award for the Ark Hive

Dr. Paul Foster, a Lecturer in Molecular Endocrinology at the University of Birmingham, is an experienced cancer researcher and pharmacologist with a strong interest in understanding how animals help advance medical research.

UK research using monkeys 'outstanding'

A report published today, called Review of research using non-human primates, recommends that scientific research on monkeys should continue in the UK, subject to rigorous safeguards.

I'm a scientist: get me in there!

For two weeks this June I took part in the 'I'm a scientist...get me out of here 2011' competition at the Wellcome Trust.

Animals containing human material

What are 'animals containing human material' (ACHM) and why the sudden interest in them?

Helping the hunt for disease genes

A few weeks ago it was announced that researchers have created genome-wide, high-resolution genetic maps of 100 inbred mouse strains.

Mice with human livers

To better study the breakdown and toxicity of new medicines in a human liver, scientists have created what has been named a ‘humanised mouse'.

Meningitis B vaccine one step closer

A study using mice has led scientists one step closer to developing a vaccine against the most common cause of bacterial meningitis, Meningococcus B.

Committing to the three Rs

The UK Home Office this morning agreed arrangements to deliver two Coalition commitments relating to the use of animals in scientific research

Spine repair allows rats to breathe again

Injuries that damage the spinal cord at the top of the neck can damage the nerve connections between the respiratory centre in the brain and the diaphragm muscles that we need to breathe normally.

#ww Animal models: Inside the minds of mice and men

Monya Baker has given us a good and useful read. Her article in Nature provides many examples of animal models for human conditions and gives a clear appraisal of their value.

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2010

Brain tumour growth slowed

Brain cancers caused by malignant gliomas account for around 3,000 deaths in the UK each year.

Polar bears and brown bears interbred

A genetic study of living and the ancient remains of polar and brown bears has revealed that they interbred during the last ice age and that modern polar bears are descended on the female side from brown bears that lived in Ireland.

Protein linked to cancer

Vaccine against Streptococcus pneumonia

Salmonella poisoning typically causes diarrhoea.

Reversing Rett Syndrome in mice

New research using mouse models has shown that glial cells, which protect and support neurons in the brain, play a central role in preventing the severe symptoms of Rett Syndrome.

But can they suffer?

'The question is not can they reason nor can they talk, but rather can they suffer?' Jeremy Bentham

Millions owe their lives to animal research

Leading research organisations have responded to misleading claims made by an antivivisection group in its recent letter to the Lancet.

Cheap treatment for sleeping sickness

Researchers are preparing for clinical trials of the first inexpensive oral treatment for Trypanosomiasis, the parasitic disease commonly known as sleeping sickness that is transmitted to humans by the tsetse fly.

Gene repair treats haemophilia

About one in 30,000 boys are born with a defective gene that causes haemophilia B.

SchoolZone Goes Live

The UAR SchoolZone is a brand new part of our site dedicated to school age students and their teachers.

Animal research and diabetes

In this film we hear from Chloe, who has diabetes, and Dr Aileen King, who researches into diabetes.

#WW award for ... Animal research is helping us beat cancer

'Thanks to decades of research, survival from cancer has doubled in the last 40 years, giving thousands of people more time with their loved ones.

Vaccine shrinks prostate tumours in mice

A vaccine containing a broad spectrum of tumour antigens delivered in a virus vector successfully treated 8 out of 10 mice with prostate cancer.

Why do charities fund animal research?

The animal rights group Animal Aid has launched a campaign against medical research charities who fund animal research.

Chemical in apple peel strengthens muscle

An apple a day really does keep the doctor away according to a new study in mice.

New regulations will boost good science, promote animal welfare

New animal research regulations from Europe will enhance the welfare of animals, facilitate modern science and cut through excessive red tape.

CJD research potential for Alzheimer’s

Researchers working on treatments for the brain disorder Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) may have found a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Heart repair initiated in mice

Human hearts cannot repair themselves after a heart attack damages heart muscle.

New mouse model for hepatitis C

The hepatitis C virus infects in the region of 170 million people around the world and creates an increased risk of cirrhosis, liver failure and cancer.

UAR in Mauritius

Protein suppression stops leukaemia growth in mice

Leukaemia causing stem cells have been eliminated in mice by suppressing two proteins.

‘Trojan Horse’ brain cancer treatment increases lifespan

A novel ‘Trojan horse' method of treating brain cancer has increased the survival time of mice by one half.

BBC interviews UAR about beagle breeding plans

Animal rights protestors are targeting the beagle breeding company B&K Universal's plans for modernisation of their site in Grimston.

Targeting genes to stop breast tumours

Some breast cancers do not respond to currently available chemotherapy.

Rodent Respect

This months Wednesday Winner website (#WW) is Rodent Respect. The site was created for scientists who work with rodents, especially students.

Do-it-yourself animal research

It is often said that the only way to really learn anything is to do it yourself.

Armadillos infect humans with leprosy

Armadillos can infect humans with leprosy, according to a new study comparing the disease in US patients and armadillos.

Skin cancer protein identified in mice

Scientists have identified a protein that suppresses skin cancer in mice.

A history of Beecham’s

The story of Thomas Beecham, founder of the company that went on to become part of Glaxo SmithKline, is quite extraordinary.

Mouse model of human immune system validated

A mouse model of the human immune system has been validated by replicating the results of a recent human HIV clinical trial.

Prostate tumours reduced in mice

Prostate tumours have been in reduced in mice using a medicine originally designed to treat obesity.

Nine cell types to re-grow a fin

Understanding regeneration in model organisms gives hope that it may one day be possible for amputees to regrow limbs, or for heart attack patients to regrow healthy heart muscle.

Vulture decline slows

The ban on a veterinary medicine which caused an unprecedented decline in Asian vulture populations has shown the first signs of progress.

#WW - Untangling the brain

Our brains are a dense tangle of billions of nerve cells connected together at synapses. Knowing how everything links up is key to understanding how the brain works – but it's a huge challenge.

Vaccine protects monkeys against SIV

A vaccine has been developed that protects monkeys from Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), the monkey equivalent of HIV.

Creation of new Animal Welfare Centre in Scotland

The Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) is to coordinate a major, new, EU funded, research project to create a Centre of Excellence in Animal Welfare Science.

Number of nerve stem cells declines with age

A new study may explain why our brains produce fewer new neurons with age.

Antidepressants stimulate nerve cell growth

Stress can cause depressive illness in humans and has visible effects on mice such as failure to groom and weight loss.

Possible treatment for muscular dystrophy

About 100 boys are born with muscular dystrophies every year in the UK.

Technique mass produces neural stem cells

Stem cells hold the promise of cures for injuries such as spinal cord damage and diseases such as Parkinson's but producing large quantities of cells for experiments and clinical trials is proving very difficult.

How exercise protects the heart

Work with mice has shown that the elevated levels of nitric oxide produced during exercise protect the heart from injury during a heart attack.

European Chemical Agency call for animal test data

Chemical safety in Europe is regulated in part by REACH*.

#WW Wednesday Web award - Smallpox Through Time

In Elizabethan times smallpox killed more people than TB, leprosy, plague and syphilis combined.

How TB destroys lungs

GM mice have helped identify a key enzyme responsible for destroying lung tissue in tuberculosis (TB).

UAR appoints Interim CEO

The UAR Council is delighted to announce that, following a rigorous selection process, we have recruited David Pruce as Interim Chief Executive to ensure that our important work continues and thrives.

Aspirin may reduce effects of Prozac

Aspirin and other anti-inflammatory medicines taken for pain relief may reduce the effectiveness of antidepressants such as Prozac.

New hope for MS

Unlocking a key messenger protein in the body’s defences could be a first step to new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, suggest studies in mice with a form of the disease.

Are wild animals happier?

Are wild animals happier? That was the question posed by Christie Wilcox for a guest blog in Scientific American.

Gene linked to lung cancer spread

Scientists have identified a genetic change that makes lung tumours more likely to spread to other parts of the body.

Growing new blood vessels in mice

Heart attacks and strokes could be prevented using a new method of blood vessel regeneration, according to research on mice.

Virtual rats' whiskers

A new computer model of rats' whiskers is helping scientists understand how rats process the sense of touch.

Genes temporarily turned-off

Scientists have created a new method to temporarily turn off the function of genes in mice.

Memory loss linked to stress

Scientists have discovered how stress contributes to memory loss in old rats.

Monkey malaria infecting humans

UK public opinion largely positive

A Question of Care

From our archive - this video about the care of laboratory animals was produced by the Biomedical Research Trust in 2003.

Retina grown in the lab

Mouse retinas have been grown in the lab using embryonic stem cells.

New mechanism links type-2 diabetes to obesity

Scientists have discovered a mechanism linking type-2 diabetes to obesity.

Stem cells for skin repair

New treatments for chronic wounds could be developed following the discovery of stem cells that repair damaged skin tissue.

Fish for Science is the first Wednesday Winner

We've awarded our first Wednesday award to The MRC Centre for Developmental and Biomedical Genetics for their Fish for Science website.

Genes for acute myeloid leukaemia

Scientists have identified three types of gene mutation that lead to acute myeloid leukaemia.

New skin cancer gene, new treatment

The discovery of a gene linked to skin cancer in zebrafish could lead to new treatments for the disease.

Be a Wednesday Winner #WW

We are starting our very own webby awards, which we are calling Wednesday Winners (#WW).

The teenager who took a stand against animal rights protesters

European chemicals industry to develop non-animal toxicity tests

The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) has launched a £450,000 research project into finding non-animal methods of toxicity testing.

Multiple sclerosis reversed in mice

The process of nerve cell degeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) can be reversed, according to new research in mice.

Protein linked to autism in mice

Research on GM mice has found how mutations in a single protein can lead to autism.

Jamie’s Dream School – animal madness?

In his science lessons for Jamie’s Dream School on Channel 4, Lord Winston showed the dramatic (in more ways than one!) impact that using animals can have in science lessons.

Optimising GM mouse research

'The MRC is absolutely committed to basic research and we understand the value of mouse genetics', said Professor Sir John Savill, CEO of the Medical Research Council today, announcing a multi-million pound investment in mouse genetics.

GM pig gets cystic fibrosis

A GM pig that gets cystic fibrosis is helping scientists understand the causes of the disease.

Mice sperm grown in the lab

Treatments for infertility in men could come from success in growing mouse sperm.

UAR makes a Big Bang

UAR teamed up with the Y Touring Company this month for a series of workshops about the use of animals in research at this year's Big Bang Science Fair held at London's Excel Centre.

RatCAP brain scanner

Scientists have developed a mini brain-scanner that allows them to study brain function and behaviour simultaneously in rats.

Rousing research

Did you know that it is exactly 100 years since a little-known researcher called Francis Peyton Rous in New York discovered that chickens could get cancer from viruses? We didn’t think so.

Mouse mimics another childhood brain cancer

Scientists have created a mouse model of the most common type of paediatric brain cancer.

Poor diet in pregnancy linked to diabetes in offspring

Poor diet during pregnancy could raise the risk of offspring developing diabetes, according to new research in rats.

Self-doubting monkeys

New research suggests macaques experience self-doubt and uncertainty when making decisions.

Tiny sensors monitor heart attacks

The severity of a heart attack can be determined using tiny implanted sensors, according to new research on mice. Similar sensors could be used to monitor people at high risk of heart attack.

Black-footed kittens born through IVF

IVF has helped millions of couples achieve pregnancy, and not only in humans: it was with IVF that scientists recently produced these amazingly cute kittens.

Heart regeneration in newborn mice

Newborn mice can regenerate their own heart tissue following heart damage.

Mouse mimics childhood brain cancer

Scientists have created the first mouse model of a deadly form of childhood brain cancer.

Exercise reduces ageing in GM mice

Regular endurance exercise reduces the effects of ageing, according to new research on mice.

Artificial blood vessel success in animals

Artificial blood vessels for use in heart bypass surgery have been successfully tested in baboons and dogs.

New understanding of 'suspended animation'

Research on bears has extended our understanding of large mammal hibernation.

Enzyme reduces cancer spread

The spread of cancer to other organs has been reduced in mice by blocking an enzyme.

European medical science group states position on new law

The medical science group within the European Science Forum (ESF-EMRC) has produced a position paper on the new Directive on the Protection of Animals used for Scientific Procedures.

Spinal cord damage bridged in rats

Artificial ‘scaffolding' has been used to bridge spinal cord injuries in rats.

Type 1 diabetes treated in mice

Type 1 diabetes has been treated in GM mice using antibodies.

Wounds trigger tumours

Certain types of cancer could be triggered by simple wounds, according to new research on mice.

What's this?

Why have we got a QR code on our site?

Kidney regenerator cell identified

Zebrafish are renowned in the science community for their ability to repair damage to heart muscle.

Watch and read - Where do medicines come from?

We've produced a new leaflet and accompanying video that is being distributed to GP waiting rooms throughout the UK for the next six months.

Enzyme linked to blindness

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been linked to the lack of a protective enzyme in the retina.

Glowing nerve cells

Scientists have developed a way to make nerves glow in mice.

HIV-like virus cured in mice

Scientists have used a hormone to completely remove a HIV like virus from mice.

Protein predicts cancer spread

Scientists have identified a protein that tumours make when they are likely to spread.

Cancer medicine could treat spinal injury

The cancer medicine Taxol has been used to treat spinal injury in rats.

Gut bacteria affect brain development

Bacteria in the gut acquired early in life could affect future brain development and behaviour, according to new research on mice.

Hormone improves memory in rats

A hormone has been found that boosts the memory of an unpleasant experience in rats.

Lack of omega-3 linked to mood disorders

Mice fed a diet lacking in the fatty acid omega-3 are more susceptible to mood disorders, according to new research.

Tiny camera reveals brain changes in real time

An innovative new instrument has been developed that enables scientists to observe changes deep inside the brains of animals.

Caffeine could cure hangover headaches

Caffeine and painkillers could be the most effective cure for a hangover headache, suggests new research on rats.

Fighting cancer with cancer

An innovative new approach to fighting cancer has reduced tumour size in mice.

New video - mice as a model for Alzheimer's disease

Mice can be used to mimic Alzheimer's disease in humans.

RNA based medicine for HIV

A potential RNA based treatment for HIV is showing positive results in tests on mice.

UK scientist wins prize for improving animal welfare

Each year the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) awards a prize for innovative research which has an impact on the use of animals in life sciences.

UAR CEO moves to SGM

Dr Simon Festing, the Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research for a little over six years, is leaving the organisation to take up the post of CEO of the Society for General Microbiology (SGM).

Scientists closer to MRSA vaccine

Scientists are closer to developing a vaccine against the superbug MRSA.

MicroRNA combats prostate cancer

Small strands of RNA, called microRNA, inhibit prostate cancer stem cells in mice.

Zebrafish grow abnormally in microgravity

Zebrafish raised in microgravity, replicating the conditions of space, develop skull defects.

GM chickens prevent transmission of bird flu

Artificial intestine reduces animal tests

An artificial human digestive system is replacing the use of animals in some tests to see how medicines are absorbed, The Times reported last week.

Stem cells could end blood platelet shortage

Blood platelets produced from embryonic stem cells have been used to repair damaged tissues in mice.

Vaccine induces cocaine immunity in mice

Cocaine immunity has been induced in mice using an altered version of the common cold virus.

Genetic modification strengthens hearts

Mice have been genetically modified to grow stronger hearts.

GM rats are the new GM mice

Mice are the archetypal laboratory animal.

Horse genital cancer virus identified

Scientists have discovered a virus linked to genital cancer in horses.

Mechanism behind autism uncovered

Nerve cells that are unable to communicate effectively may be responsible for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), according to new research on mice.

Rats sniff out tuberculosis

Gambian pouched rats are being used by scientists to sniff out tuberculosis in mucus samples.

Scientists create singing mouse

Scientists have created a mouse that is said to sing like a bird.

Zebrafish improve understanding of cancer growth

Experiments on zebrafish larvae have revealed how cancer cells harness the immune system to quicken the spread of the disease.

Art meets science in mouse's brain

Animals have been used to understand the inner workings of the brain since the very beginnings of neuroscience.

How you live now impacts on the children you have yet to conceive

Smoking or drinking while pregnant can damage the unborn child.

World-leading research institute gets go-ahead

We are pleased to report that planning permission was granted last week for a new world-leading biomedical research institute in London.

Alzheimer’s reversed in mice by memory protein

Memory loss has been reversed in Alzheimer's mice by boosting levels of a memory related protein.

Childhood flu may protect against asthma

Exposure to bacteria or viruses as child could reduce your chances of contracting asthma, according to new research on mice.

Stem cells combat muscular dystrophy

A new mouse model of muscular dystrophy has found that stem cells play an important role in this genetic disease.

Freedom of Information - judgement on confidentiality clause at a university

Recently, a tribunal ruled that under the Freedom of Information Act a university can be said to 'hold' project licences (irrespective of how they are actually stored at the university) and that section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) would not prevent disclosure of information from the project licences.

Biological clock pigment could help blind people

Light sensing cells (photosensitive ganglion cells) in the eye, which contain the pigment melanopsin, set the body's biological clock.

Animal instinct

Following directly from the Basel Declaration that we covered on Tuesday, an editorial in Nature, 9 December 2010, has urged German science to set up an organisation like Understanding Animal Research to engage the public on the medical benefits of animal research.

Dementia confuses memories

Confused memories rather than memory loss may be the cause of 'forgetfulness' in dementia patients, according to new research.

Winter birth may alter biological clock

Being born in winter could make your long-term biological clock tick slower, according to a new study on mice.

Enzyme causes chronic pain

An enzyme responsible for making pain last after nerve injury has been discovered in mice.

Basel Declaration calls for open dialogue

Focus on fluorescent filming

The Scientist reported on its top ten life-science innovations for 2010 this week.

Scientists create 'couch potato' mouse

By removing a protein that muscles use to convert fuel into energy, the researchers produced a mouse with normal body weight but which did not have enough energy to exercise.

How much effort on alternatives? The answer is a lot

Our attention was drawn this week to a relatively new European initiative called AXLR8, a consortium which aims to accelerate progress in developing alternatives to animals for safety testing.

Ageing reversed in mice

Premature ageing can be reversed in mice, hinting at the possibility of anti-aging treatments for humans.

World AIDS Day - 1 December

The HIV & AIDS page on our partner website AnimalResearch.info has been updated to mark World AIDS Day on 1 December.

Infiltration: most allegations unfounded

Understanding Animal Research today (Tuesday 30 November) welcomed a report from the Home Office addressing claims by an animal rights group about animal research and testing at a UK facility in 2009.

New European law marks dawn of a new era

The new European Directive 2010/63/EU on animal experimentation has been finalised.

New video: Why do we use animals in research?

In this short interview with Dr Simon Festing, we hear his response to questions such as: Why is their so much secrecy in animal research?

Changing nerve cells could treat spinal injury

Nerve cells made from a person's own skin suggest a novel way to treat spinal injury.

Compound controls weight and blood sugar

A new compound has been designed that controls weight and blood sugar in mice, raising the prospect of a treatment for sufferers of obesity and diabetes.

Shining a light on depressive disorders

Depression and anxiety affect a significant proportion of the British population, yet the underlying causes behind these medical disorders remain elusive.

How familiarisation breeds contempt

How do we learn to recognise new sensations and distinguish them from those we are already familiar with?

Blood pressure medicine could treat Alzheimer’s

A medicine previously used to treat high blood pressure could now be applied to Alzheimer's disease following tests on GM mice.

‘Fat gene’ causes overeating in mice

A ‘fat gene' has been found to cause overeating in GM mice.

Pregnant mice point to treatment for premature labour

Scientists have found that the onset of labour is controlled by tiny molecules called microRNA.

World Diabetes Day - 14 November

World Diabetes Day (WDD) is the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes world.

GM mouse immune to cancer

Cancer tumours somehow escape the body's immune system, even when that immune system is primed by a vaccine designed to specifically target the cancer.

Gene mutation increases dementia

The dementia associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases is commonly associated with abnormal clumps of a protein (B-synuclein) in the brain.

Mice treated for memory loss

Mice treated with a brain enzyme inhibitor performed better in memory tests than untreated mice.

New government committed to continued crackdown

Following the sentencing of six animal rights extremists on Monday, the new government made clear that it remains committed to countering criminal activity carried out in the name of animal rights.

New video - How much animal research in the UK?

A new video, How much animal research is done in the UK, is now available in our youtube site and in the video section in the resources page on this website.

Deadly rinderpest virus eradicated

The UN has just announced that rinderpest, a virus that used to cause deadly outbreaks in cattle, has been eradicated in the wild.

Congenitally deaf cats have better peripheral vision

When the brain is deprived of input from one sense it often compensates with above normal performance in another sense.

Elixir of life?

Supplementing the diet of healthy middle-aged mice with a mixture of amino-acids - the building blocks of proteins - extended their average lifespan by over one tenth.

Potential treatment for terminal cancer

For the first time, researchers have discovered a therapy that can treat the invariably lethal terminal stages of cancer in animals.

The top 100 scientists in Britain today

The first list of its kind for science, The Eureka 100: The Science List by The Times last week aimed to identify the 100 most important people in British science.

EU-wide animal research statistics, 2008

Mice muscles controlled by light

How do you re-animate paralysed limbs? A new approach being trialled on genetically modified mice uses flashes of light.

No retirement for chimp colony

186 chimps currently housed in unofficial retirement in the Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico are to be re-housed in the Southwest National Primate Research Center.

Mice and monkeys metabolise BPA like humans

New research shows female mice, monkeys and humans appear to metabolise the oestrogen-like chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in similar ways.

Free course on science communication

The National Science Learning Centre in York is offering a fantastic opportunity to improve your science communication skills with a two-day course on engagement with schools and young people on 18-19 October 2010.

EU directive on animal research becomes law

Yesterday the President of the European Parliament, and the Belgian State Secretary (representing the EU countries) put pen to paper and signed the new EU Directive 8869/10 in the use of animals in scientific research.

Retinal cells transplanted into blind mice

Retinal cells, necessary for colour vision, have been successfully transplanted into blind mice.

Loss of gene makes mice smarter

Mice with a disabled RGS14 gene are able to remember objects and learn to navigate mazes better than normal mice.

Tasmanian Devil genome sequenced

The Tasmanian Devil is at risk of extinction in the wild due to a transmissible cancer passed on when one animal bites another.

Drug reverses diabetes nerve damage

Diabetes can cause the death of nerves in the body's extremities, a condition known as diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

Single gene regulates motor neurons in the spinal cord

As a normal mammalian body grows, hundreds of motor neurons grow from the spinal cord to the muscles they will control.

Support for research that uses animals containing human material

The public broadly supports research on animals containing human material, according to an Ipsos Mori survey of 1,042 people.

European parliament votes on animal research directive

Today the European Parliament agreed on the final text of the new Directive concerning the use of animals in research.

Anti-clotting medicine attacks lupus

Lupus is a chronic disease where the body's own immune system attacks healthy tissue, causing inflammation, pain and damage in organs, particularly the kidneys.

How fish oils reduce inflammation

The omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA found in oily fish reduce inflammation, which in turn reduces the symptoms of arthritis and reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Rat pancreas grows in mouse

An ultimate goal of regenerative medicine is the generation of organs derived from a patient's stem cells.

Why older women fail to conceive

As women get older the chances of infertility, birth defects and developmental disabilities go up.

Malaria cured in mice

Increasing resistance to anti-malarials, such as those based on Artemisinin, have prompted a need for new treatments.

Resetting body clock in mice

Researchers have successfully used a chemical to reset and restart the natural 24-hour body clock in mice.

New approaches to animal research in schools

Animal research is a favourite topic when teachers are looking for a sure-fire way to get their students interested in the ethics of science, but are schools getting all they can from this complex, sometimes difficult, always fascinating subject?

Monkeys survive lethal Ebola and Marbug

Monkeys treated with a therapy that targets specific viral genes survived deadly Ebola and Marbug infections, a new study reports.

Magnetic medicines treat brain tumours

The barrier between blood vessels and the brain may no longer limit the delivery of medicines to tumours, research on rats shows.

Shellfish toxin testing

The recently published Annual report (2009) of the Animals Scientific Procedures Inspectorate and Division highlights progress towards suitable alternatives to replace the use of mice in the testing for toxins in shellfish.

Star dogs

UGUST 20, 1960: MOSCOW The Soviet Union today launched its second cosmic space ship, the Soviet news agency, Tass, said. The space ship carries animals, including two dogs.

GM rats promise better disease models

Scientists have created a ‘knockout rat' that can be used to model certain diseases in the same way as mice.

Chillis may reduce blood pressure

Capsaicin, a compound found in chilli peppers, has been found to reduce high blood pressure in rats.

Mouse clues to testicular cancer

For the first time scientists will be able to study the development of human testes in mice.

'Home grown' joints

The body's own cells could be used to aid the repair of joints, a pioneering rabbit study has revealed.

Puma may aid tumour growth

A study on mice suggests that cell suicide may encourage tumours to grow instead of destroying them.

Street-smart insulin

Mouse research has revealed a link between bone remodelling, blood sugar and diabetes.

7,000 and counting...

Are you a school science teacher or a GCSE science student? Don't miss out next year - invite a volunteer speaker into your schoo

Animal research statistics for Great Britain, 2009

Ferrets, flu, fish and pharmaceuticals

Grants worth £4 million have just been announced for 13 science projects that aim to minimise the use of laboratory animals and improve their welfare.

Flu patch

A vaccine in the form of a skin patch has proved more effective than a needle in mice.

Down syndrome: two genes crucial

Some of the symptoms relating to Down syndrome have been linked to two genes on chromosome 21, a study on mice has shown.

Protein linked to heart failure

Elevated levels of the protein CIB1 causes enlargement of the heart and subsequent heart failure, according to rodent research.

Primitive cells help blind mice see

Primitive retinal cells, that were previously thought to have no role in image formation, can help blind mice see.

Scientists watch armed immune cells fight cancer

Armed and tagged immune cells can be watched attacking tumours in mice in real time.

A light on Parkinson's

Shining a laser into the brain may ease the symptoms of Parkinson’s, a new study in mice has shown.

A pill that could reverse Alzheimer’s

A new compound that may reverse Alzheimer’s in humans has proven successful in rats and mice.

Physical, social stimulation may starve tumours

Mice with cancer living in enriched environments had smaller tumours, new research has revealed.

Artificial lung an alternative test-bed?

A functional artificial lung on a chip, which mimics the behavour of mouse lungs, has been created.

Cancers linked by faulty gene

Prostate cancer and hereditary breast cancer could be linked by the same gene, research on mice suggests.

New guidelines for reporting research

The National Centre for the Reduction, Refinement, and Replacement of animals in research (NC3Rs) has published a list of guidelines for scientists to follow when reporting the results of research involving animals.

UK Bioscience Sector outlines principles for implementing new Directive

The UK Bioscience Sector has produced a set of principles for the implementation and transposition of the revised EU Directive concerning the use of animals in research.

European public opinion divided

The European Commission has published a survey on the public's opinion of science and technology.

Rats breathe using lab lungs

For the first time rats have been able to breathe using lab grown lungs, a new study reports.

What R you watching? An interactive resource for schools

What R you watching? our latest online interactive educational resource, is now live on the UAR site.

A guide for UK institutions on the new EU Directive

The revised European Directive on animal research (EU8869/10) should be formally 'adopted' in Europe during summer 2010.

Weakened virus makes better vaccine

Rewriting the genetic code of the flu virus has helped to produce a stronger immune response, studies on mice have shown.