The Eureka Index: A Closer Look at Alternative Technologies

Thirteen statistics that shed light on the growth of non-animal methods in the testing drugs and chemicals

Data drives science. It delivers bad news, good news, and, perhaps most importantly, conveys important trends and outcomes that laboratories and government agencies need to know. Because we love data, the Eureka Index, a new feature of Charles River’s scientific blog, highlights a few stats on topics we find particularly interesting and revealing. Our latest Index examines the red-hot field of alternative technologies—from AI and virtual models to organoids and organ chips—and how they are — and are not—affecting drug development and chemical testing.

1.    The year British scientists William Moy Stratton Russell and Rex Leonard Burch introduced the transformative 3Rs principles (Replace, Reduce, and Refine the Use of Research Animals) driving alternative technologies: 1959 

(Norecopa)

2.    The total number of alternative, non-animal methods for testing chemicals and biological agents adopted and published by global regulatory agencies since 1996: 53

 (Tracking System for Alternative Methods Towards Regulatory Acceptance or TSAR)

3.    The number of alternative projects in development that qualified as New Drug Development Tools under the US’s Innovative Science and Technology (iStand) program as of January 2026: 16 

(US FDA)*

4.    Percent of animals that account for control groups—those that do not receive a substance in a study—in drug and safety studies: 25% 

(Innovative Health Initiative)

5.    The number of organizations that make up the global consortia VICT3R, which is dedicated to reducing and replacing control animals with virtual controls: 37 

(CORDIS)

6.    The year the first “modern” 3D human organoids were cultured: 2009. **

 (Nature)

7.    The number of scientific journals publishing findings on organoids in 2009 compared to 2024: 145 vs. 2521. 

(International Journal of Surgery)

8.    Global market size of in vitro toxicology testing in 2024 and what it is estimated to be in 2032: US$13.9 billion vs. US$35.2 billion 

(Data Bridge Market Research)

9.    Number of AI-discovered targets in clinical trials in 2013 and 2023 from AI-native biotechs: 0 and 67

 (Drug Discovery Today)

10.     The year the first microfluidic organ chip (human breathing lung alveolus) was developed: 2010 

(The Wyss Institute)

11.     Total number of leading companies in the organ chip space as of July 2026: 44  

(Tracxn)

12.     The estimated amount of money the pharma industry could save annually using a single validated liver chip in its tox workflows: US$3 billion

 (Nature)

13.    Percentage of New Approach Methodologies in the US that have been included in Investigative New Drug applications, New Drug Applications and Biologic License Applications between 2010 and 2025: <1%

 (JHU Policy Lab)

* This number has likely grown since the last FDA-reported number
** Defined as a miniaturized, three-dimensional (3D) tissue structure grown in a lab from stem cells or tumor cells.

Got a drug development topic or trend you would like featured in a future Index? Please share by emailing [email protected].