Latest news from the NC3Rs: January 2026

The Galleria Mellonella Research Centre has published its rearing manual online – reviewed by the NC3Rs and external researchers before publication and now available in our 3Rs resource library. Designed for researchers, teaching labs and insect culture facilities, the manual provides support for consistent, reliable and reproducible insect husbandry to help institutions worldwide adopt the wax moth larvae as a partial replacement model.

A team from aQuaTox Solutions GmbH and Eawag presented the outcomes from the SAFE CRACK IT Challenge to replace fish studies in chemical safety screening and environmental risk assessment, using novel biomarkers, in vitro rainbow trout cell data and machine learning models to predict reproductive toxicity. The team highlighted opportunities for collaboration to support further development, use or/and validation of their adverse outcome pathway approach.

Thursday 5 February, 13.00 – 14.00 (GMT)
We are hosting an interactive webinar on commercialising new approach methodologies (NAMs) for our NAMs Network members and others working in toxicology and regulatory sciences. Three expert method developers will share their insights and experiences, and during a live Q&A attendees will have the opportunity to put their questions to Helen Maddock (InoCardia), Victoria Hutter (ImmuOne) and Marjolein Wildwater (Vivaltes).

Tuesday 10 March, 10.00 – 17.00
Central London
Focusing on two priority targets from the UK Government’s 2025 alternative methods strategy, this workshop will bring scientists and stakeholders together to identify gaps and opportunities where replacement technologies could improve study outcomes, increase human relevance and minimise animal use in pharmacokinetic and cardiovascular safety studies. The outputs will help to define how government targets can be delivered in practice through supporting research collaboration and innovation.

The US-based 3Rs Collaborative (3RsC) are running an online survey to gather details about the use and impact of AI to improve toxicity prediction, support regulatory science and reduce the reliance on animal use in safety assessment. Please share your work in their brief, 10-minute online survey. The submitted case studies will be collated and analysed by the 3RsC AI Initiative, of which the NC3Rs are a founding member.

Thursday 5 March
Birmingham
This annual event from the Science Media Centre aims to build confidence for scientists to engage with journalists, featuring talks from press officers and scientists with media experience, alongside a panel of national news science journalists. Places are limited and scientists at postdoctoral level and above will be prioritised, with senior scientists and those working on issues likely to be in the news – including research that involves or replaces animals – particularly welcome. For further information and queries contact: introduction@sciencemediacentre.org.