Miniature human organs and other tissues are set to be grown from NHS patients' cells. This initiative aims to enhance medicine testing and decrease the number of animals used in drug development.
Scientists will utilise these tissue clumps, known as organoids, to understand how diseases vary among patients. This could help identify the most effective treatments for individuals based on their specific condition.
The approach represents a shift from traditional animal models towards tests based directly on human tissues, which researchers believe will be more accurate. Clinical professor Matthias Zilbauer stated that this will have a significant impact on the number of animals used and future drug development.
A research hub in Cambridge, supported by £20m from the Medical Research Council, will run this new work. Researchers plan to create a library of standardised organoids for use by academics and the pharmaceutical industry.
This move is part of a government plan to reduce animal use in research. Last year, animal testing procedures in Britain numbered 2.54 million, a 3.8% decrease from 2024.