Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42011485›Full record

ArticleNeuroscience applied2026

Critical uncertainties in preclinical research: Navigating trust, technology, and ethics.

Indrek Heinla, Vootele Voikar, Hilary Gates, Rasneer Sonia Bains, Sara Wells, Silvia Mandillo, Maša Čater, Kristi Kukk, Lars Lewejohann, Dragan Hrnčić and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuroscience applied, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Indrek HeinlaUniversity of Tartu, Institute of Psychology, Näituse 2, 50409, Tartu, Estonia.
Vootele VoikarLaboratory Animal Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Hilary GatesMary Lyon Centre @ MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire, OX11 0RD, UK.
Rasneer Sonia BainsMary Lyon Centre @ MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire, OX11 0RD, UK.
Sara WellsMary Lyon Centre @ MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire, OX11 0RD, UK.
Silvia MandilloInstitute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CNR-National Research Council, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy.
Maša ČaterUniversity of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Domžale, Slovenia.
Kristi KukkEstonian Research Council, Department of Strategic Analysis, Soola 8, Tartu, 51004, Estonia.
Lars LewejohannGerman Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, 12277, Germany.
Dragan HrnčićFaculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Daniela Duarte-DominguesParis Brain Institute - ICM, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Philipp VilligerZurich Integrative Rodent Physiology ZIRP, Department of Physiology, Universität Zürich UZH, Zurich, Switzerland.
Leonardo RestivoDepartment of Fundamental Neurosciences, Faculty of Biology & Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Sabine M HölterInstitute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Munich, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Animal use in preclinical research is facing growing scientific, ethical and political scrutiny in Europe. Researchers are increasingly required to justify in vivo studies and are urged to replace them with New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), even where these are not yet fit for purpose. In response to this pressure, members of the COST Action CA20135 "Improving biomedical research by automated behaviour monitoring in the animal home-cage" (TEATIME) held a Strategic Foresight Workshop in March 2025 to examine the future of animal research in Europe. The resulting scenarios reveal risks of over-regulation, outsourcing animal experiments to countries with weaker standards, and erosion of research quality, but also highlight opportunities to combine validated NAMs with high-quality in vivo work under robust ethical oversight. This short communication summarises the workshop's main insights and argues for evidence-based, transparent and internationally aligned regulation that protects both animal welfare and the scientific value of preclinical research.

Indexed as

Animal researchCompetitivenessNew approach methodologiesScenariosStrategic foresightTrust in science

Identifiers

PMID42011485
PMCPMC13091726

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.