Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using technologies such as (a) organ-on-a-chip and (b) computer modelling to reduce the number of animals used in medical research testing.

Phasing out animal testing where possible is a clear goal of this government and innovative technologies, such as organ-on-a-chip, are essential to delivering this ambition.

The Government invests £10m annually in The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). NC3Rs provides major funding for one of Europe’s largest organ-on-a-chip facilities at Queen Mary University. Studies we have funded have assessed the use of such technologies, such as a 2021 NC3R report . We will consider these studies in a strategy published later this year to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.