UCL releases animal research statistics alongside fellow top institutions

UCL is releasing its animal research statistics today in collaboration with Understanding Animal Research - an organisation that explains why animals are used in medical and scientific research. UCL and nine other institutions together conducted nearly half of all UK animal research in 2019. The statistics pertain to animal procedures used in medical, veterinary and scientific research, and are freely available on UCL's animal research website as part of joint commitments to transparency and openness. These ten organisations carried out 1.66 million procedures, 48.7% of the 3.40 million procedures carried out in Great Britain in 2019. More than 99% of these 1.66 million procedures were carried out on rodents or fish. Animal research at UCL contributes to developing treatments for a wide range of conditions, such as heart disease, glaucoma, Alzheimer's disease, chronic pain, epilepsy, Huntington's disease, multiple types of cancer, as well as ongoing studies into COVID-19. This is the fifth year in a row organisations have come together to publicise their collective numbers and examples of their research.