Trump administration launches $88 million push to replace animal testing with human-based technologies
The Trump administration unveiled a program that allocates $88 million to shift drug testing from animals to human organoids, AI and computational models, while the FDA adopted language to permit non-animal data for approvals.
The Trump administration is rolling out a coordinated strategy to reduce reliance on animal experiments in medical research. Across HHS, agencies announced $88 million in funding for nationwide projects that will develop human organoid platforms, robotics, artificial intelligence and computational modeling. NIH plans a new laboratory at its Clinical Center to integrate these tools, while the FDA finalized a rule that swaps the term "animal tests" for "nonclinical tests," opening the door for drug developers to use data from New Approach Methodologies.
HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. framed the initiative as a way to safeguard patients and accelerate innovation, and Acting FDA Director Kyle Diamantas said the regulatory changes will make product development more predictive and efficient. The policy shift follows criticism of beagle experiments at the NIH and is positioned as part of a broader effort to keep the United States ahead of China in biopharmaceutical research.
Why it matters
Replacing animal testing with human-based methods could speed drug development and reduce ethical concerns.
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