Science Advancement and Outreach

Wondering why we've been talking so much about the new Research Modernization NOW website? This short video explains its value, and who it’s for. A resource designed for multiple audiences: ✍️ Journalists and authors Reporting on animal testing, non-animal methods, biomedical research, or any of the 15 disease areas covered. It also provides context on recent NIH and FDA developments, oversight systems (including IACUCs), and the implications of the scientific evidence on animal sentience. 🧑‍🎓 Students A reliable starting point for reports, or for building a foundational understanding of these issues. 🧑‍🏫 Educators Content to support teaching on research methods, ethics, and emerging scientific approaches. 🧑‍💼 Policymakers and staff Background research and policy-relevant insights to inform legislative priorities and decisions. 🧑‍⚕️ Healthcare professionals A way to stay current on the scientific and regulatory landscape, and to engage in efforts advancing human‑relevant science. 🐾 Animal advocates Credible, evidence-based information to deepen understanding of animal use in research and testing, and to strengthen advocacy for modern, non-animal approaches. This structured, evidence-based resource is for anyone working at the intersection of science, policy, and ethics, and for those helping drive the transition to human-relevant research. 🎞️ Watch the video to see how it can support your work. youtu.be/wCT9OTnSUk8

How is the media shaping public perceptions of xenotransplantation? A newly published study analyzed 208 print media articles covering the first contemporary experimental pig-to-human transplants in the U.S. and found that media coverage often presented incomplete and hyperbolic narratives to support and justify xenotransplantation. Some findings stood out: 🐖 Only 12% of articles discussed animal welfare. 🔄 Just 10% considered other options besides xenotransplantation for addressing the organ shortage. 💲 Only 5% mentioned the cost of these procedures. 🗣️ Just 4% included negative portrayals or critical perspectives. If media reporting on xenotransplantation is skewed positive, sensationalized, or misleading, and fails to accurately reflect the current state of the research and its limitations and harms, it risks eroding public trust in both science reporting and organ transplantation more broadly. Thoughtful science communication requires transparency and completeness. 👥 Jordan Liebman, @AZinkSports, Tia Ketsan, @Sbklitenic, Luz Padilla, @sylviaerosas, @TheOrganOgress, @parent_brendan, & Laura Kimberly 🏛️ @nyugrossman, @UABMedicine, @harvardmed @BristolUni Read the full article to get a complete picture of their analysis in @WileyGlobal's Xenotransplantation: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/xe…

Read the interviews in @medcitynews, by @aparmarbb: medcitynews.com/2026/07/organ-…

No one working in this space argues that a single technology can replace experiments on animals on its own. But they can—and are—being used in combination to do exactly that, with the resolution, consistency, and relevance that experiments on animals can't provide.

Integration is what turns separate human-based models into the powerful systems necessary to modernize research and drug development. Excellent profile of @RevaliaBio @medcitynews, with appearances from @vivodyne and @emulateinc, by @aparmarbb. Multiple human‑based platforms are coming together to generate data directly from human cells, tissues, and organs under well-defined conditions. @JennaDiRito (Revalia Bio), Tony Bahinski (Vivodyne), and Jim Corbett (Emulate) each describe how their experimental systems are designed to capture distinct levels of biological organization and their interactions in the human body. 🧵

Read in @eBioMedicine: thelancet.com/journals/ebiom…

👧👦 Why do some otherwise healthy children develop life-threatening sepsis, while others exposed to similar pathogens do not? A large Swiss study published in @eBioMedicine has identified genetic differences that help answer this question. Clinical researchers at @CHUVLausanne, @KispiZuerich, and collaborating institutions analyzed genomic and clinical data from 650 children with blood culture–proven sepsis enrolled in the Swiss Pediatric Sepsis Study and compared them with a population-based control group of 1,395. Using ancestry correction and GWAS, they identified a region of the genome linked to sepsis risk. Subtle changes in DNA influence how certain genes are regulated, but don't appear to change the proteins they produce. Despite decades of research, this question has remained a major gap in our understanding of host–pathogen interactions. This study points to pathways involved in transcriptional regulation and NF-κB–mediated immune responses. This impactful work was made possible by a well-characterized, human cohort with culture-confirmed infections, which strengthens its implications for translational research. Sepsis remains a leading cause of death and disability in children globally. Identifying genetic factors that shape susceptibility could help refine risk stratification, guide mechanistic studies, and inform future therapeutic strategies targeting host response pathways—areas where progress has been challenging due to the complexity and heterogeneity of the disease, as well as the use of poorly translatable animal models. Kudos to this international consortium of clinicians, geneticists, and the Swiss Pediatric Sepsis Study Group and its participants for advancing our understanding of one of medicine’s most complex syndromes. 🧑‍🔬 @meddlaw, @jacquesfellay, @FlaviaHodel, @cthorball, @esiborghe, @posfay, @kahlertch, et al. 🏥 also @unil, @epflSV, @UZH_en, @UniBasel_en, and collaborators. This work was funded in part by @snsf_ch and @sanofi.

Co-Scientist: A multi-agent AI partner to accelerate research, @GoogleDeepMind deepmind.google/blog/co-scient…

Accelerating scientific discovery with Co-Scientist, @Nature nature.com/articles/s4158…

A large, collaborative team at @Google created Co-Scientist, an AI system for scientific thinking and hypothesis generation, designed to collaborate with scientists and accelerate the scientific discovery process. Given a specific research goal, Co-Scientist searches the scientific literature, synthesizes previous findings, and uses this knowledge to propose novel research hypotheses and experimental protocols. The system was validated across three biomedical applications: 💊 Drug repurposing: Co-Scientist identified repurposing candidates and synergistic drug combinations for acute myeloid leukemia, several of which demonstrated in vitro efficacy at clinically relevant concentrations. 🧫 Novel target discovery: The system identified three novel epigenetic therapeutic targets for liver fibrosis. Two corresponding drugs exhibited anti-fibrotic activity in human hepatic organoids, including one that is already FDA-approved for another indication. 🦠 Antimicrobial resistance: Co-Scientist independently recapitulated the previously unpublished discovery that capsid-forming phage-inducible chromosomal islands interact with diverse phage tails to expand their host range, helping explain how antibiotic resistance genes spread between bacterial species. The authors concluded: “[Co-Scientist’s] ability to think scientifically, generate testable hypotheses across diverse scientific and biomedical domains, some supported by experimental findings, along with the capacity for recursive self-improvement with increasing compute, demonstrates the promise of meaningfully accelerating scientists’ endeavors to resolve grand challenges in human health, medicine and science.” 🧑‍💻 @Mysiak, @vivnat, @ckbjimmy, @taotu831, @vivnat, @alan_karthi, @pushmeet, @ynhnx, @apalepu13, @KeranRong, @RyutaroTanno, @_khaledsaab, @acarroll_ATG, @weballergy, @elahevedadi, @JanFreyberg, @jeremydratcliff, @ymatias, & many more 🏢 @GoogleDeepMind, @GoogleResearch, @googlecloud, @GoogleAI, @GoogleLabs, @StanfordMed, @MethodistHosp, @Sequome, @FlemingCentre, & @imperialcollege. 📖 @Nature

Human pancreatic ductal cells from non-diabetic donors function as non-professional antigen-presenting cells upon inflammatory cytokine exposure, @DiabetologiaJnl link.springer.com/article/10.100…

In @DiabetologiaJnl, @cityofhope scientists used pancreatic exocrine cells from postmortem donors to investigate the causal relationship behind a recent finding linking pancreatic ductal cells to elevated type 1 diabetes-associated proinflammatory cytokines. After exposing human ductal cells to proinflammatory cytokines and analyzing gene and protein expression, they found that the cells upregulated antigen-presenting molecules. “[T]his study provides the first evidence that pancreatic ductal cells can present antigens in response to type 1 diabetes-associated inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, our 3D suspension culture platform of primary human ductal cells may help reduce animal use in research.” Great human-relevant work from @erdem_nes and team, also from @cityofhopeedu. This study was funded in part by @NIDDKgov, @CIRMnews, and @HIRN_CC.

Single-cell transcriptomic comparison of tubular segment maturation in advanced human in vitro kidney models, @iScience_CP cell.com/iscience/fullt…

Which human kidney model is the best for your research question? 🤔 With the recent boom in advanced human kidney models, @TheCleversLab at @_Hubrecht and @UMCUtrecht benchmarked these systems to help researchers choose the most appropriate model for their studies. Comparing single-cell RNA-seq transcriptomic profiles from 6️⃣ advanced human kidney models, they evaluated each model’s cellular composition and degree of maturation. The advanced human kidney models included: 🧫 Tissue-derived kidney tubuloids 🧫 iPSC organoid-derived kidney tubuloids 🧫 Four different iPSC-derived kidney organoid models Their analysis revealed that iPSC-derived organoids largely resembled fetal kidney tissue, while tissue-derived tubuloids more closely captured adult injury and regenerative states, highlighting that different models are better suited for different research applications. Together, this transcriptomic atlas provides a valuable resource to help researchers select the most appropriate human kidney model for studies of kidney development, disease, drug discovery, and bioartificial kidneys. Read the paper, by @HansClevers' group, including @GiselaSlaats, in @iScience! 💸 Health Holland and @NWONieuws

GRAPHIC WARNING: Beating and bleeding dummy hearts to train surgeons for emergency trauma injuries 🔗 ntu.ac.uk/about-us/news/…

Live animals are still used in some trauma surgery training, but advances like these developed by researchers at @NottmTrentUni and @nottmhospitals demonstrate that realistic, clinically relevant training can be achieved without animal use. The team developed lifelike torso models that ❤️beat, 🫁breathe, and🩸bleed using synthetic blood. Based on real patient scans, these simulators allow trainee surgeons from Health Education East Midlands to practice treating catastrophic cardiac injuries under realistic conditions, including locating and controlling life-threatening bleeding before repairing the heart. For trauma training, models like these, based on human anatomy and clinical scenarios, offer clear benefits and avoid harming animals. Congratulations to the team behind this work: @Richardarm1, @adambrooks_AB, @jayjayaah, & Andreea Pislaru.

Postdoc position in vascularized liver NAMs for applications in drug development and disease modeling, as part of the new NIH-funded NAMs Technology Development Center for Women's Health. Emphasis on sex-specific model development, interactions with biologics, and metabolic behaviors. Email cv, statement, and list of references to griff@mit.edu

Join us on July 20th, 2026 at 2PM ET for an exciting webinar to announce the Complement-ARIE NAMs Reduction to Practice Challenge Phase 1 winners and kick off competition for Phase 2! Register at: bit.ly/4b4c8dy

What Makes a Simulation Model Worth Using? scienceadvancement.org/reflections/wh…

Check out our latest reflection! SAO’s @D_Mand_MD, recently attended the @AmCollSurgeons Surgical Simulation Summit in Chicago and the @Surg_Education Annual Meeting in Atlanta. In this reflection, she discusses overlapping themes at both conferences regarding trends in simulation curriculum, how training is assessed, and the use of animals in medical training. She also explores terms regularly used in simulation research, including: 🥇 Gold Standard 🧍 Fidelity 🥼 Transferability 🛠️ Sustainability Link in the comments ⬇️