Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to reduce requirements for animal testing in some therapies. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has taken similar steps. Thomas Hartung, a professor and chair at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, described these policy changes as an “overdue adaptation to scientific progress.”
Hartung spoke about the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and non-animal models like human organoids on drug development and delivery. He noted that regulatory updates are helping to advance these technologies. The FDA Modernization Act, currently under consideration in Congress, aims to formalize the agency’s move away from animal testing. When announcing this shift last year, the FDA released a roadmap outlining its approach.
In May, Hartung is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the National Biotechnology Conference in San Diego. BioSpace is serving as a media partner for the event, and Managing Editor Jef Akst will moderate the executive track.
The 2026 National Biotechnology Conference is set for May 11–14.
