Four leading UK research institutions - The Pirbright Institute, Moredun Research Institute, The Roslin Institute, and the Royal Veterinary College - have joined forces to develop and validate novel laboratory-based models for studying animal health and disease.
The collaborative initiative, supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, aims to strengthen research on non-animal technologies to reduce or replace the use of farmed animals in research, where feasible. To support the adoption of such models, researchers will explore how reliably and reproducibly they replicate the features of cells and tissues within animals.
The project will extend research on cell-based models (e.g., by obtaining different cell types from stem cells), multicellular models (e.g., organoids and co-cultures that contain mixtures of cell types found in different organs), and more complex models based on tissue slices or cultures with an air-liquid interface.
The team will focus on new and improved resources for pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, and fish, including validation of these as biologically relevant platforms for studying infection and immunity.
Where possible, protocols will be harmonised to support cross-species comparability and reproducibility across institutions and the wider veterinary research community.
Dr Wilhelm Gerner, T-cell Biology Group Leader at The Pirbright Institute, noted: “A central challenge for non-animal models is not simply generating them, but understanding in detail what cell types and immune features they actually represent.”
“By applying in-depth immunological and molecular characterisation across institutions, we aim to ensure that these systems are reproducible and that their strengths and limitations are clearly defined for studying infection and immunity,” Dr Gerner added.
Validation will form a central component of the work. Newly developed in vitro models will be directly compared with biobanked tissues from previous and ongoing controlled infection studies held across the partner institutes, including work on pathogens such as influenza viruses and foot-and-mouth disease virus.
Dr David Smith, Principal Investigator from the Moredun Research Institute, said: “Over recent years we have invested significantly into developing non-animal technologies for modelling infectious diseases of livestock in the lab. We are delighted with this opportunity to collaborate with partner organisations to build on this shared mission.”
“We are grateful to BBSRC for this funding, which will enable us to enhance the capacity of our models, in particular through incorporation of immune cells into our current culture systems. This will enable more meaningful investigation of early immune responses to livestock pathogens and help develop new control measures such as vaccines for important livestock diseases,” Dr Smith added.
Professor Mark Stevens, Interim Director of The Roslin Institute welcomed the initiative, saying:
“Roslin welcomes this BBSRC-funded initiative to develop and validate novel models to reduce or replace the use of farmed animals in research, where it is feasible to do so. The funding will help us to develop models for neglected species and body systems and define the extent to which these can reliably reproduce the properties and responses of cells and tissues within animals.”
Professor Dirk Werling from the Royal Veterinary College highlighted:
“By aligning expertise, standards and validation approaches, the collaboration aims to establish a trusted set of non-animal tools for key veterinary species across several Institutions. In the long term, the project will support more reproducible and predictive research in veterinary immunology, infectious disease and vaccine development, while contributing to a sustained refinement and reduction in animal use.”
To support wider uptake and knowledge exchange, the consortium will host a one-day conference bringing together researchers and stakeholders to share findings, exchange expertise and discuss best practice for reliable in vitro models in veterinary research. The conference will take place from 26 March 2026 (12:00) to 27 March 2026 (13:00) at The Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), and registration is now open.