Animals in research

At Ovarian Cancer Action we’re on a mission to take action against the UK’s most deadly gynaecological disease. A disease that kills someone every two hours. A disease that robs families of mothers, sisters, aunties, wives and partners. A disease that is hard to diagnose and catch early. And a disease whose treatment isn’t as advanced as the likes of prostrate or breast cancer.

We’re fighting for better.

We fund scientists on the front line knowing that that the future can and will change. We only fund research that can be translated into meaningful outcomes for real women.

Research involving animals has played a role in some of the biggest medical advances of our time. When there are no feasible alternatives, we fund research using animals as an essential part of finding breakthroughs in ovarian cancer.

We are a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities, which is committed to the refining, reducing and replacing the use of animals in research wherever possible. We support the use of tissues and cells grown in the laboratory as an alternative to animal testing whenever possible.

However, there is still a gap between basic research and the way that a whole body works and responds to different therapies. This gap needs to be bridged if we are going to change the future for women with ovarian cancer. Right now, using animals in research remains the best way to bridge this gap so that new treatments are safe to administer to patients.

Any research we fund which includes the use of animals fully complies with strict Home Office guidelines. This means that alternatives to animals must have been considered and detailed evidence of the potential benefits of the research must be provided to ensure that every test on an animal is absolutely necessary.

We are a signatory of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research and are committed to transparency around the use of animals in research.

You can take action against ovarian cancer without supporting animal research by donating to our life saving awareness projects.