Latest news from the NC3Rs: December 2025

Developed in direct response to NC3Rs recommendations, new guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) encourages manufacturers and regulators to replace or remove animal-based quality control methods for vaccines and biologics. In an unprecedented step towards international harmonisation, the new guidance supersedes all previous WHO recommendations for biologics, an area that is estimated to use around 10 million animals a year in tests that can involve significant suffering.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has agreed to develop new guidance on measuring the biomarker vitellogenin (VTG) in fish in endocrine disruption studies. The guidance is being developed as a result of several years of NC3Rs-led and collaborative work to understand and solve challenges in VTG measurement which impact on fish use. Once complete it will become the go-to international resource for labs, industry and regulators involved in VTG assessment, improving data quality and interpretation and ultimately reducing the number of fish used in endocrine disruptor testing.

Eight teams have kick-started the commercialisation of their 3Rs tools and technologies through the BBSRC-NC3Rs ICURe Explore programme. The notably high success rate of our joint cohort reflects the strength of improved scientific quality and animal welfare as unique selling points for 3Rs approaches. Importantly, commercialisation increases the opportunities for translating these new technologies into real-world applications that minimise animal use.

The latest edition of Tox News, the specialist newsletter from our Toxicology and Regulatory Sciences team, is now available. Subscribe to Tox News to stay updated with the latest opportunities, outputs, events and publications from the NC3Rs in this area. This issue features papers on dose selection and reducing non-human primate use in developmental and reproductive toxicity studies and a round-up of our recent dissemination activities.

Our 3Rs resource library houses over 230 resources, providing the life sciences community with 3Rs information on a range of topics and scientific models. Recordings of our most recent webinars are now available:

• Socialisation and positive reinforcement training for pigs and dogs: Practical examples of applying these techniques in a research environment to improve laboratory animal welfare.
• Artificial intelligence in safety assessment: Expert perspectives on AI approaches to improve toxicity prediction and reduce reliance on animal use in regulatory science.

Tuesday 20 January, 9.00 – 11.00 (GMT)
Learn how to use the EDA to design robust animal studies and communicate your experimental plans, including time to design your own experiment with live guidance and support. This online workshop is part of Love Methods Week organised by the University of Coimbra and the QUEST Center for Responsible Research at Charité Berlin Institute of Health.

Thursday 29 January, 12.30 – 13.30 (GMT)
The next session in our welfare webinar series on evidence-based refinements for laboratory animals will cover practical guidance for habituating dogs, minipigs and non-human primates to cooperate with procedures and minimise stress during inhalation studies, blood sampling and ophthalmological exams.

Wednesday 14 January, 9.00 – 16.30 (GMT)
The British Toxicology Society (BTS) and British Pharmacology Society (BPS) are hosting a one-day online meeting to explore how AI is transforming drug development, with a focus on both efficacy and safety. Key topics include AI applications in drug discovery, drug development, clinical and regulatory assessment.

Wednesday 29 April, 13.30 – 18.00, Solihull
Held in collaboration between the BTS and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) UK, this workshop will bring together experts from academia, government and industry to explore how modern exposure science and innovative assessment frameworks can help shape a more protective and forward-looking UK regulatory system for environmental safety assessment. Following presentations from expert speakers – including Dr Anthony Holmes, NC3Rs Director of Science and Technology – group breakout discussions will focus on key challenges and opportunities.