Training course available for animal-free testing of cosmetics

A new online Master Class course to train scientists in testing cosmetics and chemicals without using animals is being hailed as a game-changer for cruelty-free testing. Featuring real-world case studies to walk scientists through animal-free testing step by step, the curriculum launched by the Animal-Free Safety Assessment collaboration has attracted over 1,200 participants from nearly 70 countries since its debut in 2023, highlighting a global interest in innovative, ethical testing methods, the Humane Society International...

43 rhesus macaques escape from U.S. lab, 32 recaptured

At least 43 rhesus macaques escaped last week from a research facility in South Carolina, USA, after a caretaker accidentally failed to secure the gate to their enclosure. The incident has brought into focus once again the plight of monkeys captured and/or bred for biomedical research. Until yesterday, 32 of the simians had been recaptured, but 11 are still out in the woods surrounding the research facility in Yemassee, according to a CBS News report....

AI & ML could be the saviours of lab rats, dogs, and monkeys

For a long time, the practice of testing new products, particularly pharmaceutical drugs, on certain species of animals to determine safety of use in humans has been opposed by animal lovers. Help may finally be at hand, with artificial intelligence and machine learning systems offering a way out, according to a BBC report. Testing of new products on animals is one of the dark realities of scientific research. The testing has continued though in some...