A Maryland lab developed technology to replace animals in research trials as labs face ongoing pressure not to use animals in testing.
The General Assembly passed a bill this year to provide grants to Maryland scientists who develop non-animal-based research methods. The law made Maryland the first state in the country to establish this type of fund.
The Institute for In Vitro Sciences is doing this work already. The Gaithersburg- based lab took 11 News on a tour of the facility on Thursday to show its big step for biotech. Its teams are coming up with new ways to use technology that replaces the need for lab animals.
Specifically, the lab conducts in vitro testing using human-relevant models for thousands of different products and ingredients.
The need extends across industries, from cosmetics to cleaning products and pharmaceuticals. And it’s not just the animals that benefit from this type of innovation: Non-animal testing also benefits humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 90% of human drugs fail in clinical trials despite successful animal trials because of differences between animal body systems and humans.
“We do have available and really well-tested non-animal-based methods that can be used and are used on a daily basis. We have a lot farther to go and there’s a lot more that we need to do, but we’re coming and we appreciate all the support in order to keep moving forward,” said Amanda Ulrey, president of the Institute for In Vitro Sciences.
Source : WBALTV
