New Canadian Society Forms to Explore Animal-Free Scientific Research Methods

This week, Progressive Non-Animal Research Society (PNARS) formed in Vancouver, Canada for the purpose of finding non-animal research methods in the biomedical field. The society will focus on development and validation of human-based research and implementing these technologies to replace animal-based research. “Stunning innovations in technology are allowing us to bring new tools and techniques to the fight against disease using human-based models, 3D printers, organs-on-a-chip, etc.,” PNARS director Laura-Leah Shaw said. “These advances will allow us to find common ground in our efforts to improve health care without inflicting harm on animals and to attain a higher level of predictability and reliability of outcomes for drugs and treatment.”

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is also a motivating factor for PNARS to take animals out of laboratories. “The coronavirus pandemic is an important opportunity to reassess the way we do medical research,” PNARS Scientific Adviser Andre Menache, DVM, said. “Faced with this viral tsunami … this is a golden opportunity to get rid of the ‘animal model’, a concept that belongs to the 20th century, and to focus our efforts on the species in question, namely humans.”

PNARS will update its website with breakthroughs in technology which are meant to be used by students, medical practitioners, and the general public as a resource to advocate for a shift away from animal-based research models.