WINDSOR—The looming closure of a pioneering Canadian research centre is jeopardizing a federal pledge to end the most horrific forms of animal testing.
The Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods (CCAAM), Canada’s national hub in animal-free science, was key to honouring the commitments laid out in Bill S-5, 2023 legislation that amended the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. The law now calls for a phase-out of toxicity tests on animals—a practice the Liberal government promised to end by 2035 in its last platform.
Unlike similar national centres in the European Union, USA, UK, Japan, Brazil, and South Korea, CCAAM has received no federal funding to date. Now, due to budgetary constraints, the University of Windsor-based centre is set to close at the end of the month.
In 2022, over 105,000 animals in Canada—including rats, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, and even dogs—were used in toxicity tests. Many of these tests fall under the highest level of suffering defined by the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
These animals endure forced ingestion leading to vomiting and organ failure, chemical exposure that burns their lungs, painful skin or eye irritations, among other painful procedures. They can suffer for weeks to months, conscious and without pain relief before they are ultimately killed when tests are finished.
Working with Health Canada, Dr. Charu Chandrasekera, founder and executive director of CCAAM, collaborates with national and international scientists to develop and promote new approach methods or non-animal methods that could achieve the same results without the suffering—often producing more accurate data for less cost and at greater speed.
These innovative technologies include engineered human cell-based methods such as “organ-on-a-chip” and 3D-bioprinted tissue and computer models that emulate human biology in a Petri dish. This scientific shift is consistent with laws elsewhere, with the US and EU leading this shift away from animal-based toxicity testing.
“With new legislation, a progressive strategic plan, and a pioneering national centre for animal-free science, Canada has everything in place to become a world leader in this field. Yet, without vital government funding, we are stalled—a ship brimming with promise but left stranded at the shore while other nations surge ahead. This is an integral need that impacts our health, our environment, and our global reputation in 21st century scientific innovation and ethical standing,” Dr. Chandrasekera said.
According to Dr. Chandrasekera, Canada’s Domestic Substances List includes over 25,000 chemicals (part of a global total exceeding 350,000 chemicals and mixtures), yet most of them lack comprehensive toxicity data. She points out that testing even a fraction of these chemicals using conventional animal methods would take a few centuries, cost billions of dollars, and sacrifice millions of animal lives—and still fail to reliably predict human outcomes.
Dr. Chandrasekera adds that the international community is asking her why Canadians don’t seem to care, and she says “it’s time to show that we do.” With federal funding, CCAAM could relocate to expand its activities in the nation’s capital—to yield long-lasting benefits to animals and our society.
“The closure of CCAAM would represent a major setback not only for animals but for Canadian science. We need federal support to ensure Canada can stay on track with its goal to end animal toxicity testing and become a leader in cruelty-free research,” said Camille Labchuk, lawyer and executive director of Animal Justice.
“In addition to providing humane alternatives for animal toxicity testing, CCAAM’s work also has great potential to benefit the millions of other animals undergoing other types of agonizing experiments every year in Canadian labs,” Ms. Labchuk said.
With the federal government currently seeking public comment for its Draft Strategy to Replace, Reduce or Refine Vertebrate Animal Testing, Animal Justice is asking Canadians to make it clear they want to see funding allocated for CCAAM so Canada can truly emerge as a leader on the global stage when it comes to revolutionary, non-animal research methods.
Contact:
Josh Lynn
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
Camille Labchuk
Executive Director
[email protected]
