Alternativen gesucht: Geht es ohne? – Wie Tierversuche ersetzt werden sollen

In 2024, over 1.3 million animals were used in experiments in Germany, mostly mice, followed by rats, fish, rabbits, and also pigs, dogs, and monkeys. Additionally, nearly 670,000 animals were killed for scientific purposes, such as studying their organs. The statistics also list 1.6 million "surplus" animals that were bred for experiments but not used. These figures have been declining for the fifth year in a row. Despite this, groups like Ärzte gegen Tierversuche are calling for more efforts from the German government.

The EU aims to gradually phase out the use of animals in safety assessments of chemicals, starting with some areas. EU-wide, some chemical safety tests involving animals are permitted or even required. The commission has presented a roadmap for this transition. Currently, there are animal-free methods for predicting acute effects like skin and eye irritation, for instance.

Beate Escher, a chemistry professor researching in vitro methods for 35 years, says these tests allow for new substances to be compared with known ones and classified for potential hazards. She is optimistic about combining historical in vivo toxicity data with modern, high-throughput cell assays and computer models to eventually replace animal tests.

Many traditional toxicity tests with animals are considered outdated, according to Escher. For example, an animal might be daily exposed to a carcinogenic substance for its entire life to see how many tumors develop. The goal should be to understand what happens at low concentrations, not high doses. Replacing these experiments would reduce animal suffering, she emphasizes. When a substance is banned, dozens of replacement products often appear on the market, she adds, citing the example of Bisphenol A in food packaging.

The EU's roadmap includes animal-free methods for evaluating potential environmental hazards of chemical substances. Currently, animal tests with fish still occur, causing distress. Ärzte gegen Tierversuche hopes the EU will soon allow these alternative methods. However, the majority of drugs developed using animal testing fail in clinical trials.

Other countries like the Netherlands and the US offer more incentives for animal-free research. The German Animal Protection Association provides tips on identifying animal-free products, including opting for vegan options, as collagen for firm skin is derived from slaughtered animals' connective tissue and keratin for strong hair comes from hooves, horns, or feathers.