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Research
  1. Queen Mary University of London
  2. Research
  3. Strategy, support and guidance
  4. Ethics and policies
  5. Animal research

Animal research

Animal research forms a small but essential part of the work undertaken at Queen Mary. It enables our researchers to make medical advances in areas such as cancer research, heart disease, and transplantation medicine. We only undertake such research when there are no non-animal alternatives available.

Why we use animals in research

It’s a legal requirement in the UK that all medicines must be tested in at least two species of live animals before they are used in humans.

Learn more about why we use animals in our research

How we care for our animals

Queen Mary is committed to the highest standards of animal welfare. We do our utmost to ensure that our animals live in a healthy, stimulating environment and our staff undertake stringent checks each day to make sure our animals receive the best possible care.

Discover more about how we look after our animals

Regulation and ethics

The use of animals in research is very carefully regulated.

Any research facility that wants to undertake animal research in the UK must also apply to the Home Office for a licence and must have an Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Board (AWERB) to oversee the application of that licence.

Permission to use animals in procedures is only granted if researchers make a successful application to their institution’s Animal Welfare & Ethical Review Body (AWERB).

Find out more about how we govern the use of animals in our research
Research that involves animals remains a vitally important tool for making advances in our understanding of human and animal health and for improving ways of preventing and treating disease.
— Dr Rob Bennett, Establishment Licence Holder

How we minimise the use of animals in research

We minimise the use of animals in our work as much as we can.

Find out more about how we minimise the use of animals in our research

How we share information about our animal research

We set ourselves the highest ethical standards. Some of our work involves working with animals when there is no other alternative. We believe it is important to be open and transparent about this work.

Learn more about how we share information about our animal research

Frequently asked questions

There are a lot of questions asked about the use of animals in research – and a lot of misconceptions.

Find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

News

Read the latest news involving animal research at Queen Mary.
As Dean for Research at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, I know how important animals are in helping us to find better ways of preventing and treating the diseases that occur in both humans and animals.”
— Professor Mauro Perretti, Dean for Research and Research Impact

Number of animals used in research

Every licence-holding research facility has to send the Home Office annual returns of how animals are used in its research. Below, you can see the returns we’ve sent over the past five years:

2019

SpeciesNumber of procedures in 2019
Mice 34,962
Rats 399
Birds 19
Fish 12,911
Total 48,291

 

2018

SpeciesNumber of procedures in 2018
Mice 28,845
Rats 260
Birds 6,630
Total 35,735

 

2017

SpeciesNumber of procedures in 2017
Mice 34,591
Rats 482
Birds 10
Fish 5,338
Total 40,421

 

2016

SpeciesNumber of procedures in 2016
Mice 32,628
Rats 608
Birds 184
Fish 7,114
Total 40,534

 

2015

SpeciesNumber of procedures in 2015
Mice 37,588
Rats 1,232
Birds 49
Fish 3,355
Total 42,224

 

Further information