World Congress on Alternative 13: A Critical Incubator for the Development of New Approach Methodologies
By Rebecca Critser | October 2nd, 2025
The World Congress on Alternatives 13 was hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The conference first convened in 1993 and currently meets every other year. It is intended to be multidisciplinary in nature bringing together key stakeholders to advance the replacement, reduction, and refinement (known as “the 3Rs”) around animal testing. This was my first year in attendance having missed the World Congress last hosted in 2023 in Canada. The five-day event ran from the 31st of August through September 4th and provided attendees with numerous opportunities to learn about and engage with others working at the forefront of new approach methodologies. From posters, to keynote addresses, panel sessions, and a gala, the event provided ample opportunities to learn, network, and identify next steps in the global move to implement technologies that will provide human-relevant data points.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to present along with Lida Anestidou and Monica Engebretson on a panel that focused on the role of legal recognition of non-human animal sentience in promoting the transition away from animal models and toward new approach methodologies (NAMs). The panel began with Dr. Anestidou who provided an overview of key ethical frameworks that have been implemented in the animal welfare space and—very importantly—a delineation of terms often confused by legislators: sentience, consciousness, and self-awareness. I then provided case studies on the legal recognition of animal sentience with an emphasis on the United Kingdom’s Animal Sentience Committee. Director Engebretson then rounded out our presentation portion by highlighting current efforts in the United States to formally move away from animal models.
We concluded our panel with an interactive learning exercise that engaged the audience on current events stemming from the use of beagles in medical research in Ontario, Canada. The audience was divided into groups and asked to consider which, if any, of the policy proposals discussed during the presentations could help address the issues highlighted by this event. Each group briefly presented their conclusions. This opportunity for small group discussions seemed to foster dialogue and engagement with the presentation material in a unique and fun way. Additionally, it facilitated retention of the material presented as well as application over time.
As an attendee I had the opportunity to hear from many speakers on a variety of engaging topics. However, I was struck—as a lawyer, and not a scientist—by the absence of meaningful discussion around necessary changes to policies, laws, and regulations. This absence was particularly glaring given attendance by a large number of lawyers and policymakers. It is not clear to me if this is a consistent reality of the World Congress events, but regardless I think there is opportunity for even greater collaboration and development of field of NAMs by shifting the balance of science and policy—even if only slightly. I would have liked to have had the opportunity to attend more panels that focused on law and policy developments in this space and to learn from them. Such panels would benefit from the multidisciplinary attendees of the World Congress on Alternatives and could engage in topics ranging from how best to financially support the development of NAMs, how to engage with regulatory bodies when seeking NAMs approval, what is meant by NAMs validation, how can a PI using animal models begin the transition to NAMs, and so many more. These conversations will become especially important as the field moves rapidly out of the research and development phase and into the implementation phase.
World Congress on Alternatives 14 will be held Seoul, South Korea, in 2027. I hope to see you there!
The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Johns Hopkins University or Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
