Ending Archaic Animal Tests

University of Cardiff cell biologist Kelly BéruBé is a rat’s best friend. Her work, if ultimately successful, could eliminate rat testing by providing a superior alternative: a microlung. Instead of using about 200 rats to inhale a chemical to see whether it’s toxic—or using around 3,000 rats for chronic tests—the microlung could be used in their place. BéruBé creates the lung by growing cells on tiny plastic spheres that replicate the function of the cells inside human lungs. Already, two companies are testing drugs on the microlung, but for it to be fully operational, the microlung needs to be a 3-D organ instead of the 2-D structure it currently is.