Physicians Committee’s Educational Program on Animal-Free Science Awarded Prize from National Institutes of Health

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the winners of the NCATS Translational Science Education and Training Challenge, recognizing exemplary models of translation science education and training. One winning program, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s Summer Immersion on Innovative Approaches in Science, educates researchers on animal-free, human-specific methods and their many applications, inspiring them to adopt these approaches in their own work. The award will expand Summer Immersion’s reach, contributing to a crucial and highly skilled scientific workforce—one that puts human health first.

Key features of translational science—the field dedicated to turning basic research into practical human health interventions—are identifying challenges that hinder therapeutic progress and supporting innovations to address those challenges. One such challenge stems from the use of animals, where significant differences between humans and other animals mean that translation to human biological knowledge and clinical benefit are difficult and rare. Nonanimal, human-specific alternatives can overcome translational barriers associated with species-specific differences to improve disease modeling and drug development.

“As both the NIH and FDA move away from animal use in research, the Summer Immersion is more vital than ever,” says Janine McCarthy, MPH, acting director of research policy at the Physicians Committee. “By providing the next generation of scientists with the skills to use modern, animal-free methods, we’re filling a critical training gap and accelerating progress toward safer, more effective medical research and product testing.”

In May 2024, 135 participants spanning various career levels and from 12 countries gathered in Washington, D.C., to take part in the most recent Summer Immersion. The program included expert-led scientific sessions and interactive workshops, practical career development discussions, and opportunities to present their own work. Attendees engaged with more than 30 presenters, including academic researchers modeling human diseases, researchers in the biotechnology industry develop animal-free methods, and pharmaceutical industry leaders discovering, developing, and testing new drugs.

“The Summer Immersion curates an environment to nurture the creativity of researchers and equips them with necessary skills to advance their careers,” said Dr. J. Hickman, 2024 Summer Immersion presenter and co-founder and chief scientist at Hesperos, a pioneer human-on-a-chip biotechnology company, said in support of the program.

The Summer Immersion is part of the Physicians Committee’s larger program dedicated to educating and supporting scientists committed to advancing science ethically using nonanimal methods for research and test: Engaging Researchers in Animal-Free 21^st Century Science (ERA21). ERA21 offers online workshops, travel awards, and a monthly newsletter of relevant events, papers, and job opportunities, creating a community of passionate and innovative scientists in the process.

The Physicians Committee and the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing will co-host the fourth iteration of the Summer Immersion next June 15-18 in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

For more information or to speak with Ms. McCarthy, please contact Reina Pohl at 202-527-7326 or rpohl [at] pcrm.org (rpohl[at]pcrm[dot]org).