ANIMAL RESEARCH NEWS - JULY 2026
The Biomedical Animal Research News (BARN) Digest collates animal research news from Concordat on Openness signatories and UAR’s 150+ member organisations into one, easy to access, feed. These animal research related stories include topics such as: basic biological research; medical studies and advancements; animal welfare and 3Rs news; funding, regulatory, and policy news; and conservation and environmental research that involves animal testing.
Each month, we pick the most interesting, groundbreaking, and important news to feature in a monthly news roundup.
View BARN to see daily news updates from UAR members.
BASIC/DISCOVERY RESEARCH
Herpes immune response linked to Alzheimer’s disease
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY | MICE
"New research has demonstrated a mechanistic link between the immune response to herpesviruses - the family of viruses related to cold sores, childhood infections and glandular fever - and increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers used a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease to investigate the immune response to the herpesvirus and uncover the underlying mechanism between infection and dementia - highlighting the importance of infection control and antiviral treatments as a way of mitigating dementia risk."
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/3060045-herpes-immune-response-linked-to-alzheimers-disease
CAR T cell therapy targets key mutation driving rare blood cancers
UCL | MICE, HUMAN TISSUE SAMPLES, IN VITRO MODELS
"MPNs are chronic blood cancers that begin when a mutation arises in the DNA of a blood stem cell. Over time, some patients will progress to myelofibrosis, a serious condition marked by scarring of the bone marrow and anaemia.
Using patient samples, a model that recreates human bone marrow in the lab, and studies in mice, the CAR T cells showed they could precisely kill cancer cells carrying the CALR mutation, without harming other blood cells.
A Phase I clinical trial is being planned at UCLH, with the aim to begin within the next one to two years, subject to funding and regulatory approval."
Scientists uncover how fungi ‘blind’ the immune system - offering new hope against superbugs
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD | ZEBRAFISH
"Researchers at the University of Sheffield have discovered that a fungus deadly to people with weakened immune systems can disable a critical defence used by neutrophils, the body’s front-line infection-fighting white blood cells.
The research conducted using zebrafish models and human immune cells showed that restoring this suppressed immune response dramatically improved survival from infection, particularly when combined with existing antifungal drugs.
The findings, from scientists at Sheffield’s Bateson Centre for Disease Mechanisms, could lead to new therapies to tackle life-threatening fungal infections and rising antifungal resistance."
Fly cell atlas reveals hidden rules of brain development
MRC LMB | FRUIT FLIES
"A molecular cell atlas of the developing Drosophila nerve cord reveals a timestamp hidden within neurons which helps explain how complex circuits are built. Spearheaded by LMB staff scientist Sebastian Cachero and Erika, the team have produced a cell atlas for the maturing fruit fly Ventral Nerve Cord (VNC, which is similar in function to the spinal cord in vertebrates). This sheds new light on the construction of the nervous system, revealing a highly ordered process where a neuron’s birth order is the key determining factor to its identity.
To assemble the atlas, the team profiled over 450,000 cells from the Drosophila VNC from male and female flies at four distinct stages of pupal development."
https://mrclmb.ac.uk/news-events/articles/fly-cell-atlas-reveals-hidden-rules-of-brain-development/
World’s first gene edited Culicoides biting midges
THE PIRBRIGHT INSTITUTE | MIDGES
"Scientists have successfully edited the genome of biting midges, opening the door to new research on how these insects transmit disease.
Culicoides biting midges are small blood‑feeding insects responsible for spreading important vector‑borne viruses such as bluetongue virus (BTV), Schmallenberg virus (SBV), and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), which cause major losses to livestock production worldwide.
Writing in Scientific Reports, researchers from The Pirbright Institute explain how they used a CRISPR‑based technique to modify the genome of Culicoides midges. The method involves injecting a mix of Cas9 enzyme and guide RNA (gRNA) molecules into female insects. These components are taken up by their oocytes (eggs), where they act like molecular scissors, cutting DNA at specific target locations and inducing mutations."
https://www.pirbright.ac.uk/news/worlds-first-gene-edited-culicoides-biting-midges
DEVELOPING MEDICINES
Human-safe drug repairs DNA in a mouse model of Alzheimer's
KING'S COLLEGE LONDON | MICE
"Neuroscientists from King’s College London have developed an approach that targets a key protein to tackle several features of Alzheimer’s disease in one go. They found that KCL-286, a drug that has previously passed Phase 1 safety trials originally developed for spinal cord injury, was able to lessen many disease-linked features of Alzheimer’s in a mouse model of the disease.
“KCL-286 is a first-in-class, orally bioavailable small molecule that has already successfully cleared Phase 1 human safety and tolerability trials. This will dramatically cut down the traditional multi-year timeline required for new drug development,” commented Professor Jonathan Corcoran, Professor of Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London."
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/human-safe-drug-repairs-dna-in-a-mouse-model-of-alzheimers
CLINICAL TRIALS
Early success in developing world-first gene therapy for devastating immune disorder
UCL | FIRST IN HUMAN CLINICAL TRIALS
CAR T-cell therapy has been tested in mice, rats, dogs, and monkeys.
"CTLA-4 insufficiency is a rare disease of the white blood cells that normally help to control the immune system – known as regulatory T cells – and those that protect the body from repeat infections and cancer – known as effector T cells.
The conventional way of treating the disorder is a bone marrow transplant to replace the stem cells responsible for producing the T cells. But transplants are risky and unsuitable in many older, frailer patients. Over the last few years, the UCL team have been developing a new way of treating the condition: by replacing the faulty gene in the immune cells with healthy ones, rather than the whole cell.
Early pre-clinical studies have shown encouraging results, with corrected cells leading to better regulation of the immune system.
The team’s research is now due to progress towards a planned first-in-human Phase One clinical trial in up to eight patients, aged between one and 65, due to begin in 2028."
WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION RESEARCH
Mystery of why some toads survive deadly fungus revealed
UCL | TOADS
"The chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a major cause of devastating declines in frogs and toads around the world. Mass deaths occur often after amphibians transition out of the tadpole or larval stage and acquire the hard skin the fungus lives off.
The new study, published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, looked at common midwife toads living around four lakes in the Pyrenees in France and Spain whose populations had been ravaged by Bd.
The research team looked at antimicrobial chemicals called peptides that the toads secreted from their skin – a key part of their immune defence. They found that that these immune defences were much more likely to mature earlier, at the tadpole stage, among groups of toads that had recovered from Bd outbreaks, who were therefore better protected as they entered adulthood."
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/jul/mystery-why-some-toads-survive-deadly-fungus-revealed
Scientists discover guidance system for migratory songbirds
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER | PIED FLYCATCHERS
"The scientific mystery of how songbirds from one population are able to join other members of their own population at the same winter destinations following their long solo migration has been answered.
In a groundbreaking new study published in the journal Science, researchers have found that a combination of genetics and environment determines where migratory birds fly to for the winter.
By attaching tiny data loggers attached as backpacks to pied flycatchers, the team was able to record the birds’ routes over thousands of miles across land and sea.
This revealed that birds in different areas of Europe follow consistent routes to their wintering spots in Africa even when they are not the most direct."
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR AND WELFARE
Why some primates have even tougher births than humans
UCL | PRIMATES
"Scientists have long thought humans have a uniquely difficult birth compared to other primates.
And it’s true that from an evolutionary perspective, we face an obstetrical dilemma. As we evolved to walk on two feet, our pelvis changed shape and size, and our birth canal became smaller and oddly twisted. Meanwhile, the evolution of our enormous brain meant that a large-headed baby needed to fit through it.
But our new study found that some primates have to give birth to babies that are squashed even more tightly in the birth canal."
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/jul/comment-why-some-primates-have-even-tougher-births-humans
Living it large: New RVC research reveals health and lifespan challenges in giant breed dogs
RVC | DOGS
"New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has revealed that giant dog breeds in the UK live substantially shorter lives than the general dog population and experience higher levels of some disorders, raising concerns about the welfare impacts of breeding for extreme size. These findings provide insights to help prospective owners make more informed decisions and help current owners understand what to expect for their dog’s health over time. The study will also help veterinarians support the welfare of giant dogs by providing the care necessary to protect their specific health issues."
Visit BARN for daily news updates
Last edited: 23 July 2026 09:48
