Mammal testing could be cut by moth larvae

The number of mammals used in animal testing could be cut dramatically and replaced with moth larvae.Last year two University of Exeter scientists founded BioSystems Technologies Ltd, which provides moth larvae to researchers—offering a cheap and effective way to carry out tests that would normally be done on mammals such as mice.Now a £12,000 grant from the NC3Rs CRACK IT Solutions scheme will support a partnership with contract research organisation Envigo and will be used to assess whether the larvae can reduce the number of mammals used for testing the toxicity of chemicals.