We fund projects that directly impact the replacement of animals in biomedical research.
Animal Free Research UK provides several types of grant funding:
Pilot Grants: Fully animal-free projects which don’t use any animal-derived products (ADPs), cell culture reagents or antibodies.
Transition Grants: Projects with a clear plan to replace animal-derived products in all or part of the methods. Researchers may carry out side-by-side comparison studies to study the differences between animal- and non-animal products, validating animal-free methods for use in future work. However, Animal Free Research UK funds must not be used to purchase any animal-derived products for use in the project.
ARC Grants: Rolling grants to support our Animal Replacement Centres of Excellence (ARCs).
What are animal-derived products (ADPs)?
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.
View a map of our funded research projects
Find out more about our current and completed animal-free research projects:
Revolutionising breast cancer research: Patient-specific organoids for breakthrough treatments
Dr Jennifer Ashworth has developed a customisable animal-free scaffold for growing cancer cells in 3D, closely replicating the environment in breast cancer.
Replacing mice with lab-grown tumours for breast cancer research
Dr Cinzia Allegrucci is developing an animal-free human-cell based model to study triple negative breast cancer without the need for animal experiments.
Developing bone-on-chip to study the spread of breast cancer
Professor Gwendolen Reilly at the University of Sheffield is using an organ-on-chip model of mature human bone to study how breast cancer spreads to the bone.
Using human ‘mini brains’ to unlock the genetic secrets of Alzheimer’s disease
Dr Tom Piers is developing 3D human ‘mini brains’ to study how brain cells communicate with each other and discover ways to intervene in early Alzheimer’s disease.
Exploring the role of cell stress in Alzheimer’s disease
Dr Patricia Ragazzon at Keele University is developing a new human cell model to study the link between stress and brain cell death in Alzheimer’s disease.
NANOSTACKS: A new liver-on-a-chip technology for drug safety testing
Dr Abdullah Talari is a Research Scientist at Revivocell Limited. His work focuses on the development of NANOSTACKS™ Organ-on-a-Chip (OOAC) technology, which can be used to replace animals and predict drug induced liver injury (DILI) in drug development.
The NextOrganoid project: Developing animal-free brain organoids to encourage uptake and help uncover more breakthroughs in Parkinson’s disease
Professor Jens Schwamborn is developing animal-free 3D brain organoids to study Parkinson’s disease. He aims to utilise them as an endorsement to encourage other Parkinson’s and brain researchers to adopt an animal-free approach, paving the way for more progress in tackling this condition.
Harnessing plant power: Plant-based 3D tissue models to study disease
Dr Massimo Vassalli has developed a novel animal-free 3D scaffold made from plants. This could be used to grow human cells which can then be studied, as well as offering a human-focused way of understanding how diseases develop and for testing drugs.
Development of an animal-free model to understand the role of the immune system in allergies
Dr Anna Furmanski completed a pilot study at the University of Bedfordshire, focusing on mimicking cell signalling. Her aim was to use a human-based model to shed light on the messages passed to, and between white blood cells called eosinophils, which may drive adverse immune responses to harmless allergens.
Developing a human-relevant bone marrow on-a-chip to better understand rheumatoid arthritis and chronic inflammation
Professor Jesmond Dalli is developing and validating an innovative bone marrow on-a-chip model to allow unique insights into the causes of inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Using innovative imaging of 3D-engineered muscle to help develop new treatments for muscle wasting diseases
Dr Davina Simoes is precisely mapping how muscle growth is controlled within a 3D human muscle organoid. Her goal is to help develop personalised and therefore more effective treatments for a muscle wasting disease called sarcopenia.
Uncovering new approaches to treat diabetic kidney disease
Professor Lorna Harries at the University of Exeter, is using human relevant approaches to study diabetes-related chronic kidney disease. This research could pave the way for the development of a new drug to treat the disease, removing the need for dialysis or kidney transplantation and saving millions of lives.
