The Humane Research Trust

18/06/2026

From the THRT archive! 📂

From bold leaflets to early awareness campaigns, we've dug out some historic materials from our charity's past!

For decades, THRT has been challenging the scientific status quo - calling for research that is ethical and capable of delivering real medical progress without harming animals.

While the design styles may have changed, our purpose has not!

Looking back reminds us how far we’ve come, and why our work is still so urgently needed.

17/06/2026

There’s less than two weeks left to enter our calendar photo competition - and your photos will be judged by Chris Packham.

We’re welcoming images of:
🐶 companion animals
🐱 animal friends
🦋 wildlife and the natural world

Winning photos will feature in our next calendar, which will be sold via our online shop to fund more animal-free science.

We’d love to see your photos! 💚

The deadline for entries is 11:59pm (BST) on Sunday 28 June 2026.

Enter: https://humaneresearch.org.uk/2027-animal-calendar-competition/

15/06/2026

We don’t campaign for animal rights, we fund research that makes animal testing obsolete.

This week is National Animal Rights Week, and we're thinking about our role in supporting animal welfare.

Different charities play different roles in protecting animals. At The Humane Research Trust, we work towards a future where animals aren’t experimented on at all - not through protest, but through scientific progress.

By funding human‑relevant research, we help replace animal experiments with approaches that are better suited to understanding human disease.

The result is safer, more effective science for people, and a future where animals are no longer used in laboratories at all!

10/06/2026

📸 Calling all animal lovers!

Our animal and wildlife photography competition is still open.🐾

Alongside celebrating the beauty of animals, the calendar raises vital funds for animal-free, human-relevant medical research.

👉 Enter here:
https://humaneresearch.org.uk/2027-animal-calendar-competition/

Which animals do you love photographing most?

08/06/2026

Vioxx (rofecoxib) was a blockbuster arthritis drug, approved after animal testing suggested it was safe.

It was tested in animals - including monkeys - and showed no clear warning signs of serious cardiovascular harm.

Based on these results, it was considered safe to prescribe to people.

🚩 But then, evidence began to emerge linking the drug to increased heart attacks and strokes.

In one major clinical trial, heart attacks occurred five times more often in patients taking Vioxx than in those taking a comparator painkiller.

After further studies confirmed these findings, it was withdrawn from market in 2004.

But by then, it had already been taken by millions of people. 💔

Large population studies later estimated tens of thousands of excess heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths linked to Vioxx use.

Vioxx joins a long list of drugs that looked safe in animals but caused serious harm in humans.

This is not about one bad drug. It’s about a flawed system.

📢 "Safe in animals" does not mean safe for people. Relying on outdated animal models puts human lives at risk.

04/06/2026

Calling all creatives! 🎨

We’re inviting you to design a t-shirt that reflects our mission: a future without the use of animals in science.

It's all about using creativity to communicate a powerful idea: that modern science can deliver better outcomes without animal suffering.

We’re after a bold, thoughtful design that reflects what we stand for:
🐭 Advancing human health without harming animals
💥 A strong slogan and/or graphic that people will be proud to wear
✏️ Designs should be unisex and work on both light and dark backgrounds
🟦 You don’t need to use our logo or colours (though you can if you wish)

We’re offering up to three prizes of £150, and each winning designer will also receive a t-shirt featuring their design.

🕚 Deadline: 11:59pm, Sunday 19 July 2026

Full details and entry information: https://humaneresearch.org.uk/t-shirt-design-competition-2026/

04/06/2026

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ What a weekend. What a team. What an achievement.
A huge shout‑out to our brilliant runners who took on the Great Manchester 10k and Half Marathon this weekend – legs burning and still smiles all round.
Thanks to their determination they’ve raised OVER £2300 to support medical research without the use of animals. Every mile run brings us closer to better, kinder, more human‑relevant science – and we couldn’t be more grateful.
Please join us in congratulating these absolute stars 👏
And if their effort has inspired you, please donate today to make their miles make an even bigger difference 👉 https://humaneresearch.org.uk/donate/
Thank you for believing in a kinder, smarter future for science 💚
Photos show supporters Ted Lock, Celia Reed and Mandy Winckworth, our CEO, Alison Giles, and supporter Megan Bureau

03/06/2026

There's a lot of misinformation about how and why animals are used in labs.

Claims about “necessity” and “no alternatives” are often repeated, but don’t hold up when you look at the evidence.

We’ve put together a clear, evidence‑based breakdown of the most common myths and the real facts behind them.

❌ Myth: Animal research is necessary
✔️ Fact: Animal research rarely translates to human benefit. Major biological differences mean animal studies often fail, while modern, human‑relevant alternatives can now replace this outdated approach.

❌ Myth: Animal testing is banned in the UK
✔️ Fact: Animal testing is still legal in the UK. While some cosmetic testing is restricted, animals are widely used for drugs, chemicals and medical research, with gaps in regulation.

❌ Myth: UK law requires animal testing
✔️ Fact: UK law does not require animal testing. It states animals should only be used when absolutely necessary, and regulators are increasingly accepting non‑animal data instead.

❌ Myth: Animals are only used in research when there is no alternative
✔️ Fact: Although the law discourages unnecessary animal use, researchers are not required to fully prove that alternatives have been explored, meaning animal experiments are often approved with little challenge.

❌ Myth: Animals don’t suffer when used in research
✔️ Fact: Many animal experiments cause pain and distress. Even procedures classed as “mild” can involve invasive or stressful interventions that underestimate real suffering.

❌ Myth: Non‑animal research models are less reliable
✔️ Fact: Animal-free methods are often more reliable because they are designed to reflect human biology. Persistent bias towards animal methods continues to slow their uptake.

Read more here:
https://humaneresearch.org.uk/animal-research-myths-and-facts/

Which myth do you hear most often?

01/06/2026

🚨 In case you missed it: New whistleblower footage has been released showing the reality of animal testing inside UK labs.

Filmed by a worker during 2025 at two UK testing facilities, the footage shows dogs, primates, pigs, rabbits and rodents subjected to various nasty procedures as part of legally licensed safety tests.

The scenes are distressing, but they reveal practices that usually take place behind closed doors and out of public view.

As a charity working towards a future without animals in research, we believe this footage underlines the urgent need to move away from animal testing and to accelerate the development and uptake of humane alternatives.

👉 Watch the footage and learn more about the campaign here:
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/news/breaking-licensed-cruelty-in-uk-labs-exposed/

📷 Photo credits: Animals International and Animal Aid

30/05/2026

To understand the human brain, you can't just experiment on animals.

This World MS Day, we’re highlighting research that shows why. 🧠

A major new study has strengthened the link between multiple sclerosis and the Epstein-Barr virus - a common virus most of us carry, but which in some people appears to trigger harmful immune responses that affect the brain.

MS is a uniquely human neurological condition. It sits at the crossroads of the brain, the immune system and the microbes we live with - something animal models struggle to capture.

That’s why we welcome patient-based research like this, which delivers insights rooted in real human biology.

It’s also why our supporters recently chose neurological conditions and the microbiome as the focus for our next funding round, recognising the growing role viruses and microbes play in brain health.

Progress for people with MS depends on research that reflects the real complexity of the human body.

☀️ If you want to see a brighter future for neuro research, please consider supporting our Humane Neuroscience Appeal today: https://humaneresearch.org.uk/humane-neuroscience-appeal/

The Epstein-Barr virus seems to affect gene expression and cell signalling in a way that causes the autoimmune condition multiple sclerosis