Canadian University Receives $1 Million Donation to Find Alternatives to Animal Testing

Ontario’s University of Windsor received its largest donation to date in support of its Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods, dedicated to developing alternative approaches to the exploitation of animals for scientific testing. The $1 million gift from the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation—established by veteran journalist and author Eric Margolis and his wife Dana to support animal welfare organizations—will fund a research and training laboratory and the development of an academic program focused on animal replacement science. “When 21st-century technology is used to further medical research and chemical safety testing, the result is the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods,” Margolis said. “This next chapter will place our country on the forefront of future medical discoveries and safety testing and I am honored to play an integral part in its inception.” Countries across the globe have established national centers dedicated to non-animal alternatives and approved legislation to shift away from animal testing. Earlier this year, United Kingdom-based National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research gifted $30,000 to University of Oxford researchers working to develop software that can accurately predict the effect of certain drugs on the human heart, which would eliminate the need to test those drugs on animals.