Accelerating Replacement: Toward Animal-Free Human Health Research
A Socio-Legal and Policy Perspective

Project by

Maneesha Deckha
Senior Fellow 2023–2024

This project uses critical and socio-legal theories to address the continued ubiquitous use of animals in human-health-related scientific research despite the long-standing global commitment to the 3R model to reduce reliance on animals in human scientific inquiries. This project focuses on the commitment to replace animals in such research and considers howto accelerate replacement results in Switzerland and other jurisdictions.

The first part of the project will consist of the completion of two articles. One will consider the inequities in the global health system and how that reality qualifies and contests the rationale that testing on animals promotes universal human health. This article will explore the partial nature of the type of human that stands to benefit from most animal-reliant health-related research. A second article will consider how to formulate a Swiss-specific pathway for fulfilling the replacement commitment in the 3Rs model, given the legal landscape for animals in Switzerland as well as recent international developments. Furthermore, a symposium is planned, which will spotlight how universities can catalyze a societal transition to divest from animal use in health research.