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Physicians Committee’s Fourth Immersive Training Event in Animal-Free Science
From June 15 to June 18, 2026, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine hosted the 2026 Summer Immersion on Innovative Approaches in Science, a four-day educational and training event on nonanimal methods for medical research and regulatory testing.
Human-based new approach methodologies (NAMs) are effective techniques for medical research and testing that use human cells, tissues, and data to model human biology and disease more accurately than animals and improve preclinical predictiveness. As the global scientific and policy landscape continues moving toward the broader use of these approaches instead of animals, there is a crucial need for updated, accessible education and training. Existing scientific curricula often train scientists in outdated, ineffective, and unethical animal-based methods, resulting in a critical gap. Summer Immersion fills this gap, supporting the much-needed transition away from animal use.
Demonstrating the importance of this unique program, one attendee shared in a post-event feedback survey that Summer Immersion “challenged [them] to think beyond traditional research models and introduced [them] to a future of biomedical science that is more human-relevant, innovative, and collaborative.” Another shared that “attending this program changed the way I think about scientific research.”
The 2026 event hosted 150 attendees from around the world, ranging from high school students to established scientists with their own labs. The program featured academic speakers, like Dr. Joseph Wu, former American Heart Association president and current Director of the Standard Cardiovascular Institute; government speakers, like Drs. Nicole Kleinstreuer and Warren Casey from the National Institutes of Health; and industry speakers, like Dr. James Hickman, chief scientist and co-founder of Hesperos, a human-on-a-chip biotech company.
Throughout the week, attendees took part in scientific sessions about human-based approaches in different areas of research, such as women’s health and neurological research, and in hands-on training workshops to learn laboratory and computational techniques. Mentoring opportunities provided a chance to network with leaders in the field, while poster presentations let attendees showcase their own animal-free research, creating spaces for connection, collaboration, and community.
Attendees shared that Summer Immersion was unlike any scientific meeting they had previously attended, and many expressed excitement about bringing what they learned back to their institutions and laboratories.
All respondents of the optional post-event survey shared that they are likely to pursue a career using nonanimal methods, including one attendee who shared that they are “now looking to exclusively incorporate NAMs into [their] future research and education.” All respondents would recommend the program to a friend or colleague.
Summer Immersion is just one part of the Physicians Committee’s work to advance human-based research and replace animal experiments. Our ERA21 program provides additional, year-round training and support for scientists. We also advocate for funding and training opportunities to better support animal-free science and medicine, regulatory changes to improve drug development and safety testing, and improved oversight of animal experimentation.
