AMP emphasizes the continued importance of animal studies and calls for greater attention to rigor, reproducibility, and scientifically appropriate model selection and sharing.

Washington, D.C. — August 19  — Americans for Medical Progress (AMP) submitted comments in response to NIH’s Request for Information on Measuring and Rewarding Scientific Impact (NOT-OD-26-087), focusing specifically on considerations relevant to animal research.

For the topic “Rigor and Reproducibility,” AMP recommended greater recognition of the intrinsic and extrinsic variables that can influence research outcomes, including factors related to animal care, housing, handling, environment, and veterinary oversight, and encouraged NIH to consider how these variables are identified, managed, and reported. Regarding “Data, Software, and Model Sharing,” AMP recommended broadening the proposed category to place greater emphasis on model selection, characterization, validation, and scientific appropriateness before incentivizing wider dissemination.

Together, these recommendations would help ensure that research models are evaluated thoughtfully based on the scientific question, their demonstrated strengths and limitations, and their fitness for purpose while preserving the flexibility to use animal models, NAMs, or complementary approaches as appropriate.

Read AMP’s comments here.