The dual revolution of AI and animal-free science - Thomas Hartung, Johns Hopkins University
In this episode I speak with Professor Thomas Hartung.
Prof Hartung is Doerenkamp-Zbinden Chair of Evidence-based Toxicology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Konstanz. He also holds the positions of Director of the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) and Field Chief Editor of the academic journal Frontiers in AI, and was the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Peter Singer Prize.
We have a fascinating discussion about the breathtaking developments in AI and animal-free toxicology, and what this means for areas like drug development, chemical regulation, public health, animal testing, research ethics, the exposome, and the future of our society.
Our conversation covers:
New Approach Methodologies (NAMs): the new automobile?
Technological advances in microphysiological systems (MPS) and artificial intelligence (AI)
The problems with animal models
Challenges with validation and regulatory acceptance of NAMs
The importance of education for uptake of NAMs
Recent developments on US animal testing policy
What is happening in the EU? Differences between regions and regulatory systems
How AI is transforming research, and using it in day-to-day work
Implications of AI for quality of scientific publications and risk of bias
The Human Exposome Project: what is it, and how can AI help deliver it?
Environmental persistence, the exposome, and the public discourse on chemicals
NAMazing: Déjà Vu at the lab bench - Why animal-free science is the new automobile - ScienceDirect
NIH stops funding new projects which focus only on animal testing | Cruelty Free International
Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2024 | World Economic Forum
Is regulatory science ready for artificial intelligence? | npj Digital Medicine
How AI can deliver the Human Exposome Project | Nature Medicine
