What this tool is for

It gives you a quick way to find out which non-animal testing methods are being used or developed in a particular area of research, and how far along they are. Instead of wading through scientific papers, you get a short, readable summary of the main alternatives and their current status.

Who it helps

If you are a student writing an essay, a journalist checking the state of play, a campaigner who wants accurate information, or a member of the public who has read something in the news and wants to know more, this is a sensible place to start. Researchers and science teachers may also find it useful as a jumping-off point before looking up the primary sources.

It is not a substitute for regulatory guidance or peer-reviewed literature. If you need to make decisions about testing for a product or a study, treat this as background reading and check the official sources as well.

How it works

Pick the area of testing you are interested in, for example cosmetics, drug safety, toxicology, or medical research. The tool then shows you a plain English rundown of the alternatives currently in use or under development, such as human cell cultures, organ-on-a-chip systems, tissue models, and computer-based prediction methods. Each summary includes a short note on how the method works, what it is good at, where it still falls short, and how widely it has been accepted by regulators. You do not need to create an account, and nothing you select is saved.

A note on accuracy

The science in this field moves quickly. We update the summaries regularly, but a method listed as experimental today may be approved for wider use in a year or two, and new techniques appear all the time. If you are citing something for academic work, follow the links through to the original research or the relevant regulatory body and check the date.