End Lethal Dose Animal Tests!

At the centre of the campaign is our petition which calls on the government, industry regulators, pharmaceutical and chemical companies to show their support for better science by pledging to immediately end the unreliable ‘Lethal Dose 50%’ (LD50) tests.

Ahead of World Day for Animals in Laboratories on 24^th April, we have partnered with Lush Cosmetics, to bring attention to the campaign and to call on the public to add their voices. Our campaign will feature in the windows of all Lush UK and Ireland stores from 14^th – 26^th April. And, excitingly, on Tuesday 18^th April the Lush store on London’s Oxford Street will be harking back to the 1920s, which is when the LD50 tests were developed.

The new test, called AcutoX, (which you helped us support!) launched recently in the US and is ready for client companies to use. The LD50 test, which is still currently in use, was developed nearly 100 years ago and involves giving increasing doses of toxic substances to groups of animals, usually mice, until 50% of them are killed. This is then the ‘Lethal Dose 50%’ for that substance. The LD50 does not produce accurate or precise data that is relevant to humans: species differences are one of the reasons why animal experiments do not provide data which is reliably translated to humans.

Instead of using animals to try to determine what is poisonous to humans, AcutoX exposes ethically sourced, human skin cells to increasing doses of a test chemical, to learn how damaged the cells are. The more damaged the cells, the more toxic the chemical.

We have organised a reception next week at the Houses of Parliament, which will be hosted by Emma Hardy MP, to outline the AcutoX test, the value of non-animal research to the national economy and also the importance of such technologies in making the UK a world-leader in science.  Lush already work with XCellR8 to test some of their products, and are keen to promote the petition – which also calls for a timetabled end to the use of all animal experiments in Britain.

You can also check out our brand new animation (below), narrated by Diane Morgan, explaining more about the LD50 test and why it is time for better science.

Daisy Hall, Campaign Manager for Animal Aid, says:

‘Animal Aid has campaigned against all animal experiments, but specifically the LD50 for over four decades. With the launch of AcutoX and the mounting scientific evidence about the poor relevance to humans of animal-based research, we urge everyone to join us in calling for a ‘Ban on lethal dose animal tests: it’s time for better science’.