Dozens of Animals to be Saved Annually as Tamil Nadu’s Evolute Bioscience Partners with PETA India to End Pharmacology Classroom Experiments on Animals

In a groundbreaking move, Evolute Bioscience has signed an agreement pledging to end all experiments on animals formerly required in its pharmacology education classes and to instead use virtual simulation software, provided free-of-charge by PETA India in partnership with Himachal Pradesh-based simulation developer, Simcology India. The decision follows discussions with PETA India about the superiority of non-animal research and education methods and is expected to save the lives of estimated dozens of mice each year.

Per the agreement with PETA India, Evolute Bioscience has permanently prohibited the use of living and deceased animals and animals’ parts in undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacology education, teaching, training, and demonstrations, as well as for research and thesis work in its postgraduate curriculum. Additionally, Evolute Bioscience has permanently canceled its plans to procure at least 50 mice annually for a new educational stream focused on disease model-related animal testing. Evolute Bioscience will also discontinue using 60 zebrafishes for experimentation purposes. Under a limited exception provision, this transition will be completed as soon as a non-animal simulation module is finalised through Simcology. Upon the availability of this alternative, Evolute Bioscience will halt all zebrafish experiments.

Simcology’s interactive software, donated by PETA India, allows pharmacology students to conduct experiments using computer-assisted learning methods while sparing the lives of animals who otherwise may be forced to inhale or consume chemicals, be infected with diseases, mutilated, and then killed via suffocation or neck dislocation.

“Evolute Bioscience greatly appreciates PETA India for donating Simcology software that allows us to replace our experiments on animals in our undergraduate and postgraduate educational curricula while also enhancing the quality of learning for our students,” – Preyenga Saravanan, Managing Director, Evolute Bioscience

Following recommendations from PETA India, in 2022 the National Medical Commission revised its guidelines for postgraduate pharmacology curricula, recommending the use of several non-animal teaching and training methods and no longer making certain routine laboratory experiments on animals mandatory.

Research shows that a significant number of students at every educational level are uncomfortable with the use of animals in dissection and experimentation, and some even turn away from scientific careers rather than violate their principles. In addition, computer software programmes can be used repeatedly, which saves time and money and helps maintain ecological balance by sparing animals’ lives.

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