EURL ECVAM recommends use of nonanimal-derived antibodies

The European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM) has issued a recommendation urging end-users and other stakeholders to recognize the scientific validity of nonanimal-derived antibodies and to stop using animals for antibody development and production. The recommendation is based on the opinion of EURL ECVAM’s scientific advisory committee. It states that animals should no longer be used for the development and production of antibodies for research, regulatory, diagnostic and therapeutic applications. It also challenges misconceptions about nonanimal-derived antibodies and highlights the scientific and economic benefits of their use. The report is available at https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC120199/jrc120199pdf.pdf; a news release summarizing the report’s recommendations is available at https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/science-update/better-antibodies-without-using-animals.

Use of nonanimal-derived antibodies was the topic of the 2020 ICCVAM Communities of Practice webinar, presented in January. One of the webinar presenters, Rebecca Clewell, served on the scientific advisory committee on whose opinion the EURL ECVAM recommendation was based. Presentations from the webinar are available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/commprac-2020.