Activism & Animals Active Updated Oct 6, 2026
NIH's retreat from animal testing
Where it stands, Oct 6, 2026 The National Cancer Institute, the largest NIH institute, published guidance in August requiring grant applicants to justify animal use in the public abstract of their applications, where the justification had previously sat in a section hidden from public view.
NIH announced five new programs shifting funding toward animal-free research, including an $88 million investment in animal-free research infrastructure, after years of PETA pressure over experiments like Margaret Livingston's forced eyelid-suturing of infant monkeys, whose NIH funding was already cut. PETA is now pushing NIH to close its National Primate Research Centers and require institutions to publicly report animal use. This storyline tracks whether NIH follows through on primate center closures and sustained funding shifts.
The story so far
-
Oct 6, 2026 Latest
The National Cancer Institute, the largest NIH institute, published guidance in August requiring grant applicants to justify animal use in the public abstract of their applications, where the justification had previously sat in a section hidden from public view. The guidance also encourages cancer researchers to use human-based methods, and the Physicians Committee, which opposes animal experiments, praised it and said it wants the whole agency to follow.
-
Sep 23, 2026
NIH announced five new programs shifting funding away from animal experiments, including an $88 million investment in animal-free research infrastructure and a lab built around reproducible human biological systems, following years of PETA pressure including its campaign against experimenter Margaret Livingston, whose NIH funding was already cut.
Get the next update to this storyline by email.
When this fight moves, the new beat lands on this timeline and in the morning brief the same day. Follow it free, and you will know before the feeds do.
Free, every morning. Unsubscribe in one click.