The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has introduced a new center aimed at minimizing animal testing in drug development through the creation of organoids – lab-cultivated tissue models engineered to replicate the organization and functionality of human organs. Named the Standardized Organoid Modeling Center, this initiative’s objective is to develop new standardized methodologies based on organoids to enhance reproducibility.
This center, which will receive $87 million (£65 million) in contracts over a period of three years and will be located at the NIH’s Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in Maryland, seeks to tackle reproducibility issues by utilizing cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and various human cell lines. The aim is for the standardized organoid models produced to be broadly utilized by researchers and endorsed by regulators, hastening scientific breakthroughs and regulatory decisions.
This initiative at the NIH comes after an announcement from the US Food and Drug Administration in April regarding its plans to gradually eliminate animal testing mandates for new monoclonal antibody therapies and other medications. Later that same month, the NIH launched a new program to reduce dependence on animal models in biomedical research funded by the agency.
‘We all desire improved and quicker methods to deliver lifesaving treatments to patients,’ expressed Matthew Bailey, president of the National Association for Biomedical Research, at the time. ‘However, no AI model or simulation has yet proven capable of completely replicating all the complexities of many entire biological systems. That is why humane animal research remains crucial.’