NSW Govt funds body to reduce animals in medical research

The NSW Government has announced a $4.5 million funding package to establish the Non-Animal Technologies Network (NAT-Net), which aims to help reduce and replace animals in medical research. It is expected that the network will lead to the rapid development of new robust services and therapies based on genes, tissues and cells known as advanced therapy medicinal products.

Animal models are often used alongside other techniques to answer key biological questions that help researchers find new and better ways to treat disease, addiction and illness. However, the government posits that non-animal technologies — such as stem cell-derived organoids, computer simulations, organ-on-a-chip models and synthetic biology applications — are more biologically similar to the patients being treated, and so medicines being tested are less likely to fail in clinical trials. Furthermore, these technologies are beginning to exceed the performance of animal models in drug development and medical research.

NAT-Net will work to develop these innovative alternatives to using animals and advise on the required medical research infrastructure and regulations to support their use. The government funding comprises a research pillar, to accelerate research progress; an infrastructure pillar, to build statewide assets to support non-animal technology capabilities; and a regulatory pillar, to create a working group to develop regulatory approaches for non-animal technologies.

“This is the first time a network of this kind has been established for non-animal technologies in NSW, and it will significantly enhance the state’s ability to make scientific breakthroughs,” said NSW Minister for Medical Research David Harris.

“By investing in cutting-edge, non-animal technologies, researchers may be able to better predict which therapies work in humans, accelerating discoveries that could save people’s lives.

“We know that non-animal technologies in medical research are the way forward, and NAT-Net will be a driving force behind these exciting Australian-first developments led by NSW.”

The NSW-led body will include experts from UNSW Sydney, the University of Wollongong, the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Sydney and the University of Newcastle, as well as the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, the Children’s Medical Research Institute and the Hunter Medical Research Institute. While the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute will focus on heart disease, the other partners will lead research into new treatments to prevent neurological degeneration and a better understanding of how cystic fibrosis develops.

“In just a few years, scientists have gone from growing stem cells to creating 3D-engineered heart tissues and organoids that beat like the real thing,” said Associate Professor Adam Hill, who is leading Victor Chang’s involvement in NAT-Net. “The next step will be creating complex, multisystem organoids that better reflect the reality of human physiology and disease.

“This is a rapidly growing field that will not only enable us to test novel therapies and medications faster and more efficiently, but importantly will reduce the number of animals that are used in research.

“We are proud to be one of the founding partners and commend the NSW Government for investing in this vitally important network.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Olena Kurashova