AAVS’s affiliate, the Alternatives Research & Development Foundation (ARDF), is proud to announce the 2022 awardees of its Annual Open Grant Program, which funds innovative, alternative methods that reduce or replace animal use in research and testing. The awards are for six projects that span a broad range of scientific areas and total $240,000!

“This year’s awards point to the trend of applying new approach methods to biomedical research, which is exciting to see,” said Sue Leary, President of ARDF and AAVS. “Thanks to an impressive and varied group of expert reviewers, we are confident that the selected projects will contribute to important fields of research.”

This year’s projects include studies on cancer, a promising area for the development of non-animal methods because animal models are often poor predictors of successful clinical therapies. With 3D models and bioprinting, mechanisms of specific cancers and responses to chemotherapy drugs will be studied. Other projects include the development of a “miniJoint”-on-a-chip to study the progression of osteoarthritis; an in vitro culture system to study a deadly parasite that infects children in developing countries; and a computer model to predict the sensitivity of different species to environmental contaminants when performing ecological risk assessments.

By supporting the development of alternative, animal-free models, ARDF continues to advance both animal welfare and human health, and our supporters make it possible. Thank you!