A new report has been released on ‘Non-animal models: a strategy for maturing Australia’s medical product development capabilities’, with CSIRO highlighting how by acting now, Australia can secure a key role and deliver around $1.5B in growth in this emerging capability.
To support the coordination of Australia’s efforts, and research and infrastructure strengths, 10 recommendations are offered in how Australia can accelerate non-animal model applications’ demonstration, scaling, and commercial success.
Policy shifts have recently been seen in the US and Europe to encourage the transition away from animal testing and to address risks in animal model supply chains. It is expected that these shifts will likely support the existing growth trajectory of the global non-animal testing market, that was valued at USD 1.11 billion in 2019.
The newly published report notes how “Australia has comparative global strengths in non‑animal models for several organ systems likely to disrupt the status quo about the use of animal models over the next 15 years … including existing infrastructure, high throughput screening capabilities, and internationally recognised capacity for induced pluripotent stem cell generation, a key input for non-animal model development. These emerging models will also be critical to protect and further strengthen Australia’s $1.4 billion clinical trials sector.”
“The complexity of non-animal models is rapidly increasing, equating to or surpassing the performance of traditionally used animal models in several applications. Due to their enhanced biological relevance, non-animal models can increase productivity and reduce costs by identifying unsuitable medical products earlier in development and re-investing savings in more promising candidates. These models also support broader global ‘3Rs’ objectives to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals for research and testing purposes.”
AusBiotech was pleased to be one of the 103 individuals from 66 organisations consulted from across industry, research and government.
In recognition of the recent and powerful advances of animal model alternatives and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) progress, an expert panel discussion is taking place at AusBiotech 2023 conference on ‘Animal model alternatives: the future of drug screening is driven by human biology’.
This panel will explore how the role of new approach methods and animal tests will evolve as the industry strives to identify the most accurate methods for predicting patient responses to new therapeutic candidates and pave the way for a new era of more reliable and effective therapies that will bring benefits to a larger number of patients. Chaired by Associate Professor Tam Nguyen, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, speakers include: Dr Christos Papadimitriou, Tessara Therapeutics and Greg Williams, CSIRO Futures.
Register for AusBiotech 2023 today to continue engaging in this thought leadership discussion.
Read CSIRO’s full report here.
