2026 will mark a shift in the world of biomedical science. As regulators move to phase down animal testing, an alternative for cancer research is emerging in the form of tiny ‘tumours in a dish’ called organoids.
The mouse, long the unwitting martyr of cancer research, may soon recede from centre stage. Image by Tibor Janosi Mozes from Pixabay.
2026 will mark a shift in the world of biomedical science. As regulators move to phase down animal testing, an alternative for cancer research is emerging in the form of tiny ‘tumours in a dish’ called organoids.
This year could mark a turning point for one of science’s most familiar animals: the laboratory mouse. For decades, mice and rats have been indispensable to biomedical research, underpinning everything from cancer biology to drug development.
But 2026 is set to usher in a regulatory and scientific shift that could begin to loosen their hold.
