{"id":1185976,"date":"2026-03-11T10:41:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T17:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/?post_type=issue&p=1185976"},"modified":"2026-03-12T13:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T20:41:17","slug":"animal-free-antibodies","status":"publish","type":"issue","link":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/issues\/animals-used-for-experimentation\/animals-in-experiments\/animal-free-antibodies\/","title":{"rendered":"Animal-Free Antibodies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Antibodies are molecules naturally produced by the immune systems of humans and other animals to identify and fight foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacterial infections. In scientific research, antibodies are crucial tools that are widely purchased and used in nearly every research facility worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cruel Reality: Animals as “Living Factories”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every year, millions of animals\u2014including rabbits, mice, rats, goats, sheep, llamas, cows, and horses\u2014are used globally to produce antibodies<\/a> for research and testing. In these procedures, animals are often injected with foreign substances and then repeatedly bled to harvest the antibodies their bodies produce. In the ascites method (often using mice), tumor development causes fluid to accumulate, grossly distending the animals’ abdomens to the point where they may be unable to eat, move, or even breathe properly, resulting in considerable pain and suffering. Dozens of companies in the U.S. produce ascites-derived antibodies, and tens of thousands of mice are still used annually in this particularly painful method, despite advances in non-animal production methods that have made it obsolete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bleak Living Conditions and Unreliable Antibodies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Emaciated<\/a>
Emaciated goats were seen at Pi Bioscientific in March 2016.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Investigations have shown that animals in antibody-production facilities endure neglect and live in bleak and filthy conditions. For example, inspectors have documented animals living<\/a> amid piles of waste, suffering from oozing eye infections, untreated ear mite infestations, dangerous head tilts, and chronic pain from overgrown nails. In one incident at LAMPIRE Biological Laboratories<\/a>, a donkey was killed after escaping the facility with six other donkeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"In<\/a>
In this photograph from March 2016 (left), rabbits are being kept in barren wire cages at ProSci Inc. This July 2015 photo (right) shows a rabbit with untrimmed toenails being kept in a dirty, barren wire cage at ProSci Inc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, these animal-derived antibodies have recognized batch-to-batch variability, which can lead to misinterpretation of results and is a significant contributor to the lack of study reproducibility. A prominent study<\/a> found that nearly one-third of antibodies don\u2019t do what they\u2019re supposed to: stick to very specific molecules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Superior Solution: Animal-Free Antibodies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We do not need to use animals to produce antibodies. Scientifically superior methods are available that enhance research quality while replacing and reducing the use of animals. Recombinant antibodies are considered superior because they are sequence-defined (generated from a known DNA sequence) and are infinitely reproducible. Recombinant antibodies offer numerous scientific advantages, including high affinity and specificity (the ability to specifically identify their intended target), faster generation time, and reliability. Since researchers can use animal-free antibodies in all applications where animal-derived antibodies are currently used, more and more companies have increased production of animal-free recombinant antibodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What PETA Scientists Are Doing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

PETA scientists are actively working to accelerate the shift to animal-free antibodies, a transition that leading scientists agree must occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n