WASHINGTON (April 29, 2025) — The National Institutes of Health’s announcement that it will prioritize human-based research technologies to reduce use of animals in NIH-funded research is applauded by Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund.
Embedded within this announcement, the NIH disclosed that it is creating the Office of Research Innovation, Validation, and Application that will coordinate NIH-wide efforts to develop, validate and scale the use of non-animal approaches. This noteworthy decision by the federal government’s medical research agency follows announcements earlier this month by the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration to phase out animal testing, displaying a clear commitment by the federal government to embrace cutting-edge technologies that do not rely on outdated animal testing models.
“For over three decades, Humane World for Animals has led the charge to replace animal testing with safer, more human-relevant methods—starting with our advocacy for the NIH Revitalization Act and continuing through the transformative reforms we are seeing across three major government agencies,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of Humane World for Animals. “Shifting away from animal-based models isn’t a trend —it’s a mission grounded in science, ethics and relentless advocacy.”
“This is the moonshot many of us as long-time advocates have been pushing for with NIH, FDA and EPA—to end new research and testing using animals. Today, we have a significant commitment from NIH to promote human biologically relevant science without the endless, costly use of animals,” said Sara Amundson, president of Humane World Action Fund. “Our work with Congress, the federal agencies, scientists and other stakeholders put a marker down on this issue decades ago and we have been pressing for transparency and accountability since. This is truly a new day for good science and animals.”
Since championing the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, which first mandated the development of alternatives to animal use in research, we have been at the forefront of advocating for humane science. This commitment led to the establishment of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods through the ICCVAM Authorization Act of 2000, promoting the adoption of non-animal testing methods across federal agencies.
Look for updates at https://www.humaneworld.org/en/blog/.
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About Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund
For over 70 years, the Humane World family has worked to tackle the root causes of animal cruelty and suffering to permanent change. Formerly called the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International and Humane Society Legislative Fund, we operate in over 50 countries with millions of supporters. Through advocacy, policy change, public education and direct care, we work to end the cruelest practices, care for animals in crisis and build a stronger animal protection movement. Together, we are creating a humane world.
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