Our animal-free research projects

Animal-derived products (ADPs) are used widely in research. They are often by-products of the meat and dairy industries, raising both ethical and scientific concerns.

Some key examples include:

• Foetal calf serum (FCS), also known as foetal bovine serum (FBS): This product is extracted from the hearts of unborn calves after slaughter of a pregnant cow. It is used in almost every laboratory worldwide as a cell growth supplement, despite being an animal-derived product that has compatability issues when used with human cells. FCS also raises other well-known scientific problems, including batch-to-batch variation and the risk of contamination or infection, both of which can make experimental results unreliable and difficult to reproduce. Although animal-free alternatives are now available, global demand for FCS remains high, resulting in that an estimated 1-3 million calves being used in its production every year, raising a major ethical issue.
• Animal-derived antibodies: Millions of animals are used every year in the production of antibodies around the world. Animals are immunised to stimulate antibody production, and their blood is then drawn, often repeatedly, to harvest the antibodies for research use. These products are not only expensive but also inconsistent, as each batch is made in a different animal. To support researchers in making more ethical and reproducible choices, our Recombinant Antibodies & Mimetics Database provides detailed, transparent information on animal-free antibody alternatives and the methods used to produce them.
• Matrices, scaffolds and hydrogels: These gel-like supports are used to help cells to grow in 3D when forming spheroids or organoids. Many of these products are made using animal-derived components such as collagen or gelatin, while others, such as Matrigel, are made using live mice. As their exact composition is unknown and they are often inconsistent, these products can introduce variability into experiments, affecting results. Transitioning to animal-free versions of these products is therefore an important step toward more reliable and effective, human-specific research.

Information on other types of animal-derived products commonly used in research can be found on our Animal-Derived Products page.