The Minns Labor Government has announced a $4.5 million funding package that will be a significant step in helping reduce and replace animals in medical research.

The funding will be used to establish the Non-Animal Technologies Network (NAT-Net), a NSW-led body that will work to develop innovative alternatives to using animals and advise on the required medical research infrastructure and regulations to support these as alternatives.

Non-animal technologies, such as using human cells or tissues, are more biologically similar to the patients being treated, and so medicines being tested are less likely to fail in clinical trials. These technologies are beginning to exceed the performance of animal models in drug development and medical research.

NAT-Net will include experts from the University of NSW, University of Wollongong, University of Technology Sydney, University of Sydney and the University of Newcastle, as well as the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Children’s Medical Research Institute and the Hunter Medical Research Institute.

The funding comprises three pillars. The first, a research pillar to accelerate research progress, which will include a competitive research grant program, with recipients set to focus on developing solutions to reduce animals in medical research. The second, to develop infrastructure to establish NAT-Net and the third to set up a working group to develop regulatory approaches for non-animal technologies.

This may include complex multi-organ models, organs-on-chips, or approaches using machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Minister for Medical Research David Harris said:

“This is the first time a network of this kind has been established for non-animal technologies in NSW, and it will significantly enhance the state’s ability to make scientific breakthroughs. I am excited to announce this wonderful initiative alongside our partner institutions.

“By investing in cutting-edge, non-animal technologies, researchers may be able to better predict which therapies work in humans, accelerating discoveries that could save people's lives.

“We know that non-animal technologies in medical research are the way forward and NAT-Net will be a driving force behind these exciting Australian-first developments led by NSW.”