HHS Launches $88 Million Initiative to Replace Animal Testing With Organoids and AI

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a major federal push on September 21, 2026, to systematically reduce and replace animal testing in biomedical research with human-based alternatives including organoids, tissue models, artificial intelligence, and computational modeling. The coordinated announcement spans multiple HHS agencies and represents the most comprehensive effort to date to transition away from animal models in drug development and safety testing.