Story perspectives

UK launches £22M organoid and tissue-chip testing hub

8/13/2026

Summary

McDonald Funds Alternatives

Science Minister Chris McDonald announced £22 million funding and a £20 million Cambridge hub to replace animal testing.
The hub will create and share patient-derived organoids and organ-on-a-chip models for drug testing.
Innovate UK will allocate £2 million to nine projects on heart-cell dishes, ear models and AI.
Animal-testing procedures fell to 2.54 million in 2025, a 3.8 % drop from 2024.
The programme aims to generate investment, skilled jobs and boost the £147 billion life-sciences sector.

Summary

Rochester Chip Enters

The University of Rochester’s tissue-chip system entered the FDA’s ISTAND pilot program, partnering with Graham Marsh of the Critical Path Institute and Pfizer scientists on regulatory integration.
A qualification plan outlines clinical considerations, timelines, data-sharing rules and statistical methods.
Sensors designed by Professor Benjamin Miller are built into the µSiM chips to track barrier function and inflammation live, enabling acrylic chips with membranes to detect CRS and ICANS toxicities early.

History

Historical Context

In 1959 William Russell and Rex Burch introduced the three Rs—Replacement, Reduction, Refinement—to guide humane animal research. A 2004 House of Lords report led the United Kingdom to establish the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), which funds alternative methods. This public-private approach aims to speed regulatory acceptance of non-animal techniques.

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McDonald Funds Alternatives

Science Minister Chris McDonald announced £22 million funding and a £20 million Cambridge hub to replace animal testing.
The hub will create and share patient-derived organoids and organ-on-a-chip models for drug testing.
Innovate UK will allocate £2 million to nine projects on heart-cell dishes, ear models and AI.
Animal-testing procedures fell to 2.54 million in 2025, a 3.8 % drop from 2024.
The programme aims to generate investment, skilled jobs and boost the £147 billion life-sciences sector.

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