PETA Funds Pioneering New Non-Animal Testing Method!

Good scientists will tell you that testing on animals is bad science. We’ve always known that non-animal testing techniques, which are more reliable and free from cruelty, are possible – and today, we’re extremely proud to announce that we’ve helped fund the development of a new, humane testing method that could replace painful tests on mice and guinea pigs!

We teamed up with research organisation CeeTox, Inc., and funded work on a new skin test that identifies chemicals which cause allergic reactions in humans. A study released today by the Flemish Institute for Technological Research confirms that the new test works in different laboratories.

It’s based on the use of a 3-dimensional, human-derived skin model that accurately replicates many of the key traits of normal human skin and can be used instead of inhumane tests in which animals are injected with chemicals or have substances applied to their shaven skin. Because the results have been so promising, further validation studies will be conducted by Cosmetics Europe, the EU’s personal care trade association, after which all results will be submitted to The European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods, the organisation that officially approves methods for chemical testing.

The technical details may sound complicated, but the upshot of this brilliant news is that tens of thousands of animals will be spared the horrors of experimentation, once validation of this new method is complete.

PETA is the first animal rights organisation to fund a validation study of a non-animal testing method, which is a truly exciting step forward – for science, ethics and, of course, animals, who should not be imprisoned in laboratories and treated as living test tubes.

Image: picto:graphic / CC BY-SA 2.0