The 3Rs: Alternatives and Innovation in Animal Research

There are over 200 types of cell in the human body, each with unique and specific functions. All of these cells begin as stem cells. Each goes through a fate determining process to become specialised cell types, such as neurones or heart muscle cells. Scientists can reverse and redetermine cell fate to turn human skin or blood cells into other cell types they need to study. PhD student Max Cumberland will discuss how this is expanding opportunities to replace animals in cardiovascular research, and his work developing a model of the heart in a petri dish.

Advances in mathematics and computing are giving rise to digital models and computer simulations which can replace the use of animals in research. These digital approaches are called ‘in silico’ experiments, referencing the silicon in the computer chips which make them possible. Hear how Drs Jan and Tim aim to replace up to 75,000 animal experiments worldwide each year with a computer simulation of the gut microbiome – the eGUT – which allows scientists to investigate how thousands of different types of bacteria behave and interact with human cells in the gut.