Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent progress his Department has made in encouraging a shift from animal testing towards greater use of synthetic analogues for human biological systems.

The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. While it is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements, we support the development and application of approaches that replace, reduce and refine animal use in research (the 3Rs), such as the use of synthetic analogues for human biological systems.

The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.