Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

A new human-based three-organ model has been developed to study drug metabolism during pregnancy. By connecting gut, liver, and placenta cells, this system promises safer, more accurate drug development for pregnancy compared to animal studies.

BREAKING: In his first action as FDA Commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary announced a plan to phase out animal testing for monoclonal antibody therapies—and begin reducing and replacing animal use in drug testing altogether. This is a momentous victory for animals in laboratories and a game-changing step for science and public health. Physicians Committee has worked toward this moment for over a decade. Your support made it possible. Read More: https://lnkd.in/e9E4wpjZ  

Physicians Committee is calling for the retraction of a disturbing study published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, where more than100 young female rats were subjected to traumatic brain injury and strangulation—all in the name of modeling intimate partner violence. This research violates fundamental ethical and scientific principles and contradicts the journal’s own guidelines. More effective, human-relevant models already exist and should have been used. “The continued presence of this article in the scientific literature legitimizes and encourages the unethical and unscientific use of animals…” – Physicians Committee Animal models don’t reflect human experiences of intimate partner violence-related brain injuries. It’s time we prioritize human-centered research to better serve survivors. Read the full news release:

Coming Soon: 2025 HUMAIN Award Applications and Awardee Highlights As we gear up to open applications for the next round of the HUMAIN Award, our initiative with InSphero , we’re shining a light on the incredible work being done by current awardees. Meet Dr. Felicia Gerst, one of our HUMAIN Award recipients, who is pushing the boundaries of human-relevant science in metabolic disease research. Her project investigates the complex role of pancreatic fat in regulating insulin secretion - a dual role that appears to shift depending on an individual’s metabolic health. By co-culturing human-derived islets and microtissues together with pancreatic adipose organoids in InSphero’s Akura™ Twin Organ-on-Chip Platform, her team developed an in vitro model that more accurately reflects human biology - without relying on animal testing. The research demonstrated donor-specific metabolic traits, offering a novel platform for preclinical drug screening and deepening our understanding of type 2 diabetes mechanisms. “The HUMAIN Award gave us access to new co-culture technologies and high-quality human pancreatic islets. It helped accelerate our research and brought us closer to our goals.” - Dr. Felicia Gerst We’re proud to support scientists like Dr. Gerst who are advancing innovative human-specific science. If you’re working on human-relevant, nonanimal research, this could be your opportunity. Stay tuned: The next call for HUMAIN Award applications is coming soon! https://lnkd.in/gv8_dFjM https://lnkd.in/eCed9yDa

The people of Oregon want OHSU’s monkey lab shut down. This week, the Community Review Board voted unanimously to reject the proposed merger between Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Legacy Health—citing public concern over cruel, expensive, and scientifically flawed experiments at OHSU’s primate research center. This is a powerful step toward ending the suffering of more than 5,000 monkeys and restoring public trust. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ewxNk2mG

Human health depends on human-relevant science. In honor of National Public Health Week, we’re spotlighting how the Physicians Committee is transforming research to be more predictive, inclusive, and responsive to the real needs of people. From cutting-edge nonanimal technologies like tissue chips and 3D bioprinting to science policy advocacy that’s opening doors for innovation, we’re helping to shape a future where public health is driven by human-specific research. Read more about how we’re building a smarter, more equitable research system: https://lnkd.in/e7C7ZH64

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eCvrymQ7 Janine McCarthy

Human health depends on human-relevant science. In honor of National Public Health Week, we’re spotlighting how the Physicians Committee is transforming research to be more predictive, inclusive, and responsive to the real needs of people. From cutting-edge nonanimal technologies like tissue chips and 3D bioprinting to science policy advocacy that’s opening doors for innovation, we’re helping to shape a future where public health is driven by human-specific research. Read more about how we’re building a smarter, more equitable research system:

Is it time to close the Oregon National Primate Research Center? In a compelling op-ed for The Oregonian, Dr. Neal Barnard calls for an end to outdated and inhumane animal experiments—and a reinvestment in modern, human-relevant science and patient care. Read the full debate now: https://lnkd.in/erSDeNtM 

HUMAIN Award Spotlight + 2025 Applications Opening Soon! We’re excited to share a short interview with one of our HUMAIN Awardees, who spent the past year advancing a powerful alternative to animal testing for chemical safety research. Driven by the need for better predictive models in toxicology, Dr. Karina Orlowska project focused on using 3D human liver microtissues to evaluate chemical and drug safety. By combining these advanced models with transcriptomic workflows, the research offers a promising replacement for animal testing methods, which often fail to predict human-specific liver responses. “I believe this project will help set a new standard for human-based toxicology testing. … The HUMAIN Award gave us a strong foundation to build on.” - Dr. Karina Orlowska Her work supports safer and more reliable testing methods and encourages a broader shift toward nonanimal models in science—benefiting both human health and scientific innovation. Thinking of applying? The Physicians Committee and InSphero are pleased to offer the 2025 HUMAIN Award. The HUMAIN Award provides funding and training to researchers to advance innovative, human-specific research and testing. The application period for the 2025 HUMAIN Award will open soon. Stay tuned for updates! PCRM.org/HUMAINaward