ANIMAL RESEARCH NEWS - JUNE 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
Fathers’ diet before conception could significantly affect fetal growth and placenta development
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD | MICE
"New research from the University of Sheffield suggests that what fathers eat before conception could influence fetal growth and placental development, although it has no major effect on fertility.
In a study using male mice, both high-fat ‘Western-style’ diets and low-protein diets caused biological changes in the placenta after fertilisation, affecting the placenta’s metabolism, structure and gene expression.
While it is already well established that a mother’s diet during pregnancy can affect both her health and her baby’s development, this current study adds to growing evidence that a father’s nutrition before conception may also shape aspects of early development.
Researchers also found paternal diet disrupted normal sex-specific gene expression in the placenta, suggesting it can reshape the biological differences typically seen between male and female placentas."
Microplastics mapped in living tissue for the first time
UCL | MICE
"Microplastics have been mapped deep within the tissue of living organisms in fine detail for the first time, in a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Advanced Science, shows that non-invasive methods can be used to detect microplastics deep in the living tissue of mice. Previously, this was possible only through dissection.
In the experiments, the mice were given controlled amounts of microplastics (around half a milligram per experiment, roughly equal to half a grain of salt) by injection so the researchers could precisely track how the particles moved through living tissue over time. As with humans, the animals were also likely to already have low background levels of microplastics from food and drinking water."
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/jun/microplastics-mapped-living-tissue-first-time
Pig study shows differences in immune responses to flu and coronavirus infections
THE PIRBRIGHT INSTITUTE | PIGS
The discovery of the human papillomavirus (HPV), the link between HPV and cancer, and the development of the HPV vaccine all relied on animal testing.
"New insights into how the immune system responds to influenza and coronavirus infections have been revealed in a study led by researchers at The Pirbright Institute. The findings could inform future vaccines and treatments for respiratory diseases in humans.
Scientists used pigs, whose respiratory systems closely resemble those of humans, to investigate how two major respiratory viruses, pandemic H1N1 influenza (pH1N1) and porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) affect viral replication, lung damage, immune responses and airway microbiota.
The comprehensive international study, published in Nature Communications Biology, found PRCV infection resulted in higher viral loads, prolonged viral shedding, and more severe lung pathology compared to pH1N1. While influenza virus levels declined more rapidly, PRCV persisted longer in the respiratory tract, causing broader tissue damage."
DNA discovery could shield key healthy cells from chemotherapy side effects
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD | MICE
"A new discovery of how cells maintain their DNA could help protect healthy cells from the side effects of chemotherapy.
- A protein that could help to steer chemotherapies to cancer cells and protect healthy cells from side effects, has been discovered
- University of Sheffield scientists used state-of-the-art imaging to identify how the protein helps both cancer and healthy cells maintain their DNA for the first time
- Findings in UK and US study suggest the protein could be restricted to help shield irreplaceable non-cancer cells in the heart and brain from the effects of chemotherapy
- Study in cells extracted from mice (in vitro) paves the way for a promising new avenue of research to find chemotherapies that can aggressively target tumours while preserving patients’ long-term quality of life"
https://sheffield.ac.uk/news/dna-discovery-could-shield-key-healthy-cells-chemotherapy-side-effects
Neuropixels Opto sheds new light on deepest regions of the brain
UCL | MICE
"A breakthrough technology, co-developed by UCL scientists, that simultaneously records and manipulates neuron activity deep within the brain could transform our understanding of neural circuits and neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.
Co-lead author, Dr Karolina Socha, a Research Fellow at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, has started to use these probes to investigate the function of the cerebral cortex – responsible for many of the brain’s most advanced capabilities. She says her studies in mice provide some surprising observations.
“By selectively activating or silencing specific types of neurons while monitoring the response of nearby cells, we can begin to map how different components of the brain work together to produce behaviour,” she said.
“We were surprised to discover that the activity of neurons in the cortex can be remarkably localised. Up to now, we thought that neurons are so interconnected that there would be no way to activate some of them without activating many others. The new Neuropixels Opto probes revealed that these neurons can operate not only in concert but also rather independently.”
This approach is expected to help address longstanding questions in neuroscience, including how information is processed across brain regions and how specific neural circuits contribute to perception, learning and decision-making."
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/jun/neuropixels-opto-sheds-new-light-deepest-regions-brain
Epigenetic changes can be inherited without changing DNA in animals
QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY LONDON | SEA ANEMONE
"In a new study by researchers at Queen Mary University of London, a sea anemone has revealed that epigenetic changes can be inherited across generations, offering rare experimental evidence that information beyond DNA sequence can persist in animal lineages.
In mammals, most epigenetic information is erased after fertilisation (when the sperm and egg fuse), preventing the widespread inheritance of acquired epigenetic states between generations. However, this type of resetting appears to be absent in the invertebrate animals, such as worms, corals, sea anemones or sea urchins.
In this study, the scientists experimentally removed DNA methylation in a sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) to test what happens when these epigenetic patterns are disrupted. Surprisingly, animals developed normally despite losing most of their DNA methylation. Rather than causing major defects in gene regulation, methylation loss mainly unleashed hidden “jumping genes” or “selfish genes”, embedded within active genes. If left unchecked, these genetic parasites can insert themselves into important genes and regulatory regions, potentially disrupting normal development and threatening genome stability."
Why pigs may hold the key to tackling the global threat of flu
THE PIRBRIGHT INSTITUTE | PIGS
"As the world continues to grapple with evolving infectious diseases, scientists are increasingly turning to pigs in the fight against influenza. Advances in genetic engineering, immunology, and imaging technologies are positioning pigs as one of the most promising models for developing next generation vaccines and therapies against influenza A virus (IAV).
Writing in Nature Reviews Immunology, a team of international researchers, including experts from The Pirbright Institute, explain the role of pigs as an animal model to study infections in controlled conditions, manipulate immune responses and test new treatments before they are used in humans.
Pig lung anatomy, immune responses and susceptibility to influenza viruses are remarkably similar to humans. Pigs are natural hosts for IAV and the virus behaves in them much as it does in humans. This makes findings from pig studies more likely to translate into effective human treatments."
https://www.pirbright.ac.uk/news/why-pigs-may-hold-key-tackling-global-threat-flu
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR AND WELFARE
Virtual reality study with zebrafish shows surroundings influence developing biology of the eye
KING'S COLLEGE LONDON | ZEBRAFISH
"The environment experienced by young zebrafish influences both the shape and electrical activity of the neurons in the eye, which impacts subsequent behaviour.
Neuroscientists at King’s College London studied the fish in the first five days of their life to investigate whether visual features of the environment they grow up in affect how the cells in the eye develop. The study, published in Neuron, found that fish growing up surrounded by horizontal stripes develop neurons with different shapes and responses compared to fish growing up surrounded by vertical stripes.
Using a virtual reality behavioural test, developed in collaboration with the University of Konstanz, researchers showed these structural and functional differences in the neurons influence how the fish behave. Zebrafish have an innate preference to swim towards stripes that are parallel to the orientation of their body. The study used virtual reality to test the strength of preference and found that this instinct is greatly reduced in fish who grow up in a horizontally striped environment whereas it is retained by those who grow up surrounded by vertical lines."
CLINICAL TRIALS AND ANALYSIS
New data shows the HPV vaccine is saving lives from cervical cancer
CANCER RESEARCH UK | ANALYSIS
The discovery of the human papillomavirus (HPV), the link between HPV and cancer, and the development of the HPV vaccine all relied on animal testing.
"The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been estimated to reduce the risk of cervical cancer death before age 30 to effectively zero, according to the first study looking at lives saved by the vaccine.
In the most recent five-year period (2020-2024), and for the first time on record, no women in their early 20s died from cervical cancer in England. Around 9 in 10 women in this age group received the HPV vaccine, most when they were 12 or 13, which is when the vaccine offers the strongest protection.
Cancer Research UK played a vital role in uncovering the link between HPV and cervical cancer and then developing the HPV vaccine."
CAR T-cell therapy shows early promise in severe lupus
UCL | DEVELOPED USING ANIMALS
CAR T-cell therapy has been tested in mice, rats, dogs, and monkeys.
"Early results from a UCL and UCLH-led clinical trial suggest that a type of CAR T-cell therapy - developed by Autolus Therapeutics, a UCL spinout - could offer a new treatment approach for people with severe, treatment-resistant lupus.
CAR T-cell therapy works by reprogramming a patient’s own immune cells to target specific cells in the body and is a successful treatment in many blood cancers. In this case, obe-cel is designed to target CD19-positive B cells, which play a central role in lupus. By depleting these cells, including antibody-producing plasmablasts, the therapy aims to effectively “reset” the immune system."
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/jun/car-t-cell-therapy-shows-early-promise-severe-lupus
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Last edited: 25 June 2026 10:40
