I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor The Humane Research and Testing Act of 2021 (H.R. 1744). This important bill will take essential steps towards reducing and replacing animal experiments by establishing the National Center for Alternatives to Animals in Research and Testing under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund and promote scientifically superior methods to replace animals.

There is widespread agreement among scientists and regulatory agencies that animal models are poor predictors of human biology. Less than 10% of new drugs and treatments that test successfully in animals benefit human patients, amounting to lost opportunities for vital cures and billions of dollars each year.

Animal studies have consistently produced misleading and false results when applied to humans. A recent clinical trial to test the effects of antibiotics on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis failed in humans after promising results in mice. 

In another case, researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear used microscopic analysis and autopsy to determine that age-related hearing loss is not related to cochlear damage, contrary to what animal experiments have shown for decades.

These are just two recent examples of countless other failures arising from experiments using animals as models for studying human physiology

Animal research is not just a growing ethical concern among the public, it is a hindrance to medical advancement. Replacing outdated and inhumane animal experiments with superior, human-relevant methods is imperative. I hope you will co-sponsor this ground-breaking legislation and I look forward to your reply on this important issue.