We applaud initiatives which reflect key priorities in the HEARTS Act
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) will advance non-animal research, involve more expertise in human-relevant science in grant reviews, and increase transparency on the use of animals in research, in new measures announced this week.
These are all important initiatives which we have long supported through the bipartisan Humane and Existing Alternatives in Research and Testing Sciences (HEARTS) Act. We also encouraged the U.S. Congress to include this language in the FY2027 Appropriations Bill report.
Two of the newly announced measures are particularly relevant to the HEARTS Act:
1. The NIH is asking for input on how to improve the reporting of the number of animals used in NIH-funded research. This includes the possibility of annual reporting of the number of live vertebrate animals in NIH-funded laboratories. Better reporting would improve transparency and give the NIH better data to measure progress in reducing animal use. The HEARTS Act would track animal use in federally funded research and develop a plan for reducing the use of animals.
2. The NIH will also strengthen its peer-review expertise in human-based science and non-animal testing methods. The Agency recognizes that reviewers need the skills to evaluate new test methods, and to help speed up the transition from animal-based research to human-relevant science. The HEARTS Act would require all NIH grant applications involving animals to be reviewed by at least one expert in non-animal testing methods.
These developments also closely reflect language in the FY2027 House Appropriations Committee report that we encouraged. The report calls on NIH to increase efforts to promote modern, non-animal research methods. It also asks the NIH to update Congress on how it is strengthening requirements for researchers to consider non-animal alternatives, encouraging development and use of scientifically robust non-animal methods, and ensuring grant applications are reviewed by experts with relevant expertise.
Together, these actions show that our key priorities are increasingly being reflected in NIH policy and practice. The HEARTS Act would build on this momentum by making these approaches more systematic and durable, to incentivize the use of non-animal methods, strengthen expert review, establish a dedicated center to advance non-animal methods, and require NIH to track animal use and develop a long-term strategy for reducing it.
Monica Engebretson, our Head of Public Affairs for North America said, “The NIH’s announcement is an important step toward building a 21st-century research system that makes greater use of modern, non-animal methods. The NIH actions closely reflect the vision of the HEARTS Act, which would take this progress further by incentivizing the use of non-animal methods, strengthening requirements to identify alternatives, ensuring grant applications are reviewed by experts in non-animal research, and establishing a dedicated National Center for Alternatives to Animals in Research and Testing. The HEARTS Act would help ensure this momentum continues across administrations, embedding support for human-relevant science into NIH’s long-term research framework.”
Supporting the HEARTS Act remains critical to solidifying and future-proofing this progress. Ask your US Representative to support the HEARTS Act.
Published on 22 September, 2026.
