EARA joined colleagues from several UK research institutions at the 2025 Openness Awards and the 88th Stephen Paget Memorial Lecture, hosted by Understanding Animal Research (UAR) at the Royal College of Physicians in London, 1 December. The event celebrated best practice among signatories of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research, bringing together institutions committed to transparency. 

Researchers in Sweden have mapped the brain circuits responsible for repetitive and compulsive behaviours in mice, which can inform on disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction. 

In November, EARA advanced its mission on three major international stages — the AALAS National Meeting (Long Beach, USA), the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting (San Diego, USA) and the SECAL National Congress (Bilbao, Spain) — putting patient engagement, openness and responsible communication at the centre of global discussions on animal research. 

A US study has developed a technology using rats and pigs that can stimulate the immune system to heal the heart after a heart attack.  

An EARA Conference satellite event at Berlin Science Week, co-organised by communications organisation Tierversuche verstehen (TVV), Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Max Delbrück Center and EARA, titled "Turning point in health research – Responsibility and communication in dealing with animal research”, featured a panel discussion on the future of biomedical research in Germany. 

Scientists in Israel have found that sounds experienced by mice early in life shape male and female auditory preferences, suggesting that the same experiences affect brain development differently according to sex. 

A new study from Greece has found that animals are increasingly affected by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, diabetes and obesity – conditions that are also increasingly common in humans. Understanding the shared factors contributing to these diseases could help improve both veterinary and human health. 

The UK government has unveiled a new roadmap to accelerate the phase-out of animals used in science by supporting researchers to transition to alternative methods. 

A recent opinion article in The Transmitter by US neuroscientists Cory Miller, from the University of California, San Diego, J. Anthony Movshon, from New York University, and Doris Tsao, from the University of California, Berkeley, raised concerns over the recent policy changes in Europe and the US that would scale back animal research – including in primates.  

A study in Germany revealed that pig pancreas development closely resembles humans, making pigs valuable for studying pancreatic diseases, including diabetes. 

Scientists in the US have discovered how the brain can recover from a distraction to return to the task at hand, in a study using monkeys.  

The first EU-Simia Japan meeting took place at CNRS headquarters in Paris on 27-28 October 2025, gathering over 100 scientists specialising in primate biomedical research. Japanese researchers presented work on immunology, development, neurodegenerative diseases and decision-making mechanisms, while European and North American colleagues shared progress in vaccine therapies and neuro-technologies. 

The first EARA Conference (#EARA2025) took place on 6–7 November at the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) in Berlin, co-organised with MDC and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The event gathered over 200 participants from 23 countries, including researchers, animal welfare officers, journalists, communicators and policy specialists, to exchange ideas on transparency, ethics and effective science communication.

Researchers in Belgium have discovered, in a mouse study, that a gene mutation long linked to psoriasis also affects gut function. Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious skin condition caused by an overactive immune system. It leads to red, scaly patches and skin inflammation and may affect other organs, including the gut.  

EARA’s Patient Discovery initiative, aimed at raising awareness about the use of animals in research among patient groups and creating a space for patients to voice informed opinions about animal research in public discussions, has had a successful Discovery Day in Belgium with the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA) and hosted by EARA member KU Leuven.

EARA has published a new feature article exploring the vital role of animals in basic research and the advances in non-animal methods in this field.

Researchers in Switzerland have developed a pill that could be guided inside the gut of rabbits and deposit a biocompatible gel, opening the door to a new type of non-invasive medical interventions.  

Researchers in the US have identified a previously unknown brain circuit that controls how mice respond to sudden threats and recover from fear. 

Two comment articles with opposite perspectives about the role of animals in biomedical research have been featured in Nature.

The Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), an EARA Member in Rijswijk, the Netherlands, hosted around 100 visitors during the Dutch Weekend of Science.