It was great to see @NIH take a real step toward non-animal methods this week — but it’s just the beginning. Its announcement only covers part of our Research Modernization NOW plan. There’s still much more to do to shift the paradigm. Let's take a look at where we stand. 🧵

In @MAMtheJournal, @SanofiUS scientists explore advanced techniques for imaging #NAMs. These modalities enable reconstruction of 3D microarchitecture, cellular composition, and spatial molecular distribution to enhance and advance NAM use.

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By M. Iveth Garcia, Alexandre J. S. Ribeiro, @KeriDame, @FinsbergHenrik, & collaborators from @fdacder, @QB3Berkeley, @BerkeleyBioE, @BerkeleyMSE, and @simula_research. In @NatureProtocols:

💡Attn 🫀 drug developers & researchers: Learn how to make & use a cardiac organ-on-a-chip with hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. The authors also outline steps to reduce variability & assess electrophysiology, calcium flux, & contractility via live cell microscopy.

Studying rare diseases with iPSCs often means limited cells—so what’s the optimal sample size for reliable data? . @adinasarapu, @erkinozel_md & colleagues from @EmoryMedicine & @Radboud_Uni used RNAseq to find out using Lesch-Nyhan patient samples.

RT @TheCOLAAB: 🇧🇷 #WC13 attendees: Don't miss this talk by COLAAB member @ERoseEngland. She'll discuss what #AnimalMethodsBias is, the ev….

🏥@CSRegenMedicine, @SmidtHeart, @CedarsSinaiMed.

They also note that hiPSC’s “ability to differentiate into diverse cell types makes them extremely valuable for modeling complex physiological systems in space and exploring treatments that could transform healthcare on Earth.”.

In their review, @Sean_Escopete, @ArunSharmaPhD, & colleagues discuss how human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can advance regenerative and space medicine by providing a patient-specific approach to disease modeling and treatment development.

🏛️ From @jhucaat, @JohnsHopkinsEHE, @CorticalLabs, @EPrinceton, @JHUPhysicsAstro, @UCSB_NRI, @mcdbucsb, @JHUAPL, & @UniMelbMDHS.

🧠@alonloeffler, @Forough_HaS, @ANeuroExplorer, & team show that brain microphysiological systems enable mechanistic studies of neural processes and lay the groundwork for exploring circuit-level plasticity in cognition and disease.

New research demonstrates how human neural organoids can be used to study the molecular and functional mechanisms of synaptic plasticity that underlie learning and memory.

The bottom line: The Supreme Court ruling and shrinking staff make a broken system worse, but let’s not rewrite history. APHIS didn’t “lose” its ability to enforce the AWA—it never used it to begin with.🔚. More info on p. 9 of Research Modernization NOW:

The agency has even been called out by its own Office of Inspector General for failing to punish repeat offenders. Decades of audits show the same pattern: warnings instead of penalties, endless “educational” visits, and virtually no deterrence. 7/ .

Staffing shortages are real: 77 inspectors for 17,000+ facilities is absurd. But even when the inspector corps was bigger, APHIS chose leniency, issuing warnings instead of penalties, and the animals remained unprotected. 6/.

Example: The Envigo beagle breeding case. Thousands of dogs suffered in plain sight. Inspectors documented violations. Yet APHIS sat on its hands until outside pressure forced a DOJ intervention. This wasn’t an exception—it’s the norm. 5/ .

The numbers tell the story. A @rise_foranimals analysis of > 14,000 inspection reports (2014-2024) found that AAALAC-accredited labs account for just 42% of all inspected facilities, but they received 73% of the 2 most serious types of citations, and 78% of all fines. 4/.

"A 2021 Science investigation revealed the agency had begun an apparently clandestine policy of conducting more limited inspections of labs accredited by AAALAC International, a private organization of veterinarians and scientists," @David_Grimm wrote. 3/.

APHIS oversees nearly 900 research labs + tens of thousands of other animal facilities. In theory, it can inspect, cite, and fine violators of the Animal Welfare Act. In practice? Surprise inspections are rare, citations are weak, and fines are almost never issued. 2/.

USDA’s @USDA_APHIS is facing an ‘impossible’ workload when it comes to protecting animals in labs—new article by @David_Grimm in @ScienceMagazine—but here’s the thing: APHIS has never truly prioritized animals—even when the law was on its side. 🧵

This tribute to the late Tom L. Beauchamp in @bioethics_net by James Childress & @KahnEthx honors his legacy as a pioneering bioethicist, one who championed the interests of both humans and animals.