Clive Roper to Speak at Westminster Health Forum on the Future of Non-Animal Methods in Science and Regulation

Roper Toxicology is pleased to announce that our Founder and Principal Consultant, Dr. Clive Roper, will be speaking at the Westminster Health Forum policy conference, Transitioning to Non-Animal Methods in Science and Regulation, on 29 June 2026.

Bringing together senior representatives from government, regulatory agencies, academia, and industry, this conference will explore next steps for transitioning to non-animal methods in science in the UK, with discussion on implementation of the Government’s Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods published in November 2025.

As part of the programme, Clive will present a session entitled "Assessing the Outlook for Transitioning to Non-Animal Methods," sharing his perspective on the opportunities, challenges, and practical considerations involved in integrating NAMs into regulatory science and product development.

The conversation surrounding non-animal methods has evolved significantly over the past decade. Today, the scientific community is no longer asking whether human-relevant approaches have a role to play, but rather how they can be implemented responsibly, validated appropriately, and applied where they provide the greatest scientific value.

Across sectors including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, consumer products, and medical technologies, advances in mechanistic toxicology, advanced in vitro models, organ-on-a-chip platforms, computational approaches, and integrated testing strategies are creating opportunities to improve the relevance of safety assessments while reducing reliance on animal studies.

However, scientific innovation alone is not enough.

Meaningful progress depends upon internationally accepted validation approaches, regulatory confidence in emerging technologies, investment in supporting infrastructure, workforce development, and continued collaboration between researchers, regulators, and industry.

These themes are central to the Westminster Health Forum agenda, which will explore topics including:

• Scaling the adoption of non-animal methods

• Regulatory acceptance of data generated using NAMs

• Validation and evidence standards

• Funding and infrastructure to support innovation

• International regulatory alignment and harmonisation

• Workforce training and future scientific capability

• The UK's competitiveness in life sciences innovation
  

Collaboration will shape the future

The successful transition to modern toxicology will require more than technological innovation. It depends on collaboration among scientists, regulators, policymakers, and industry to establish shared standards, build confidence in new approaches, and ensure that implementation is driven by sound science.

Events such as the Westminster Health Forum provide an important platform for these discussions, bringing together experts from across the scientific community to explore practical pathways for integrating non-animal methods into research, development, and regulatory decision-making.

Roper Toxicology is proud to contribute to these conversations and to support the continued evolution of toxicology through independent scientific expertise, regulatory insight, and a commitment to advancing human-relevant science.

We look forward to sharing key insights following the conference. Learn more about the conference here -

https://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/conference/Non-Animal-Methods-26