Author Melanie Kaplan urges move toward human-based testing and more transparency from labs
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Summary
At an Avalon/Talbot Spy event in Easton, author Melanie Kaplan recounted adopting a beagle rescued from a research facility and argued for stronger reporting and incentives to replace animal tests with human-based alternatives, citing organ chips and synthetic models as promising substitutes.
Melanie Kaplan, author of a new book about dogs bred for research, told an Avalon audience that the scale of commercial breeding and the continued reliance on animal data are larger and more entrenched than many people expect. "When I started my reporting in 2021, there were three massive breeders," Kaplan said, and she described facilities holding thousands of beagles.
Kaplan, who adopted a beagle named Hammy after fostering him in 2013, said meeting animals that "made it out of the lab" shaped her reporting and the book's focus. She described one Virginia breeder she researched that had about 5,000 beagles and referenced an Upstate New York facility she said holds roughly 20,000.
Why it matters: Kaplan argued these practices persist in part because regulators and institutions are trained to rely on animal data. "Nine out of 10 of the drugs that are successful in animal tests end up failing in human clinical trials," she said, using that figure to underscore limits in animal-to-human predictability.
Kaplan highlighted human-based alternatives that are gaining traction. She showed an organ "chip" produced by the company Emulate and described computer modeling, artificial intelligence and human-data approaches that pharmaceutical firms and some regulators are beginning to use. "All the major pharmaceutical companies are using these," she said, while also noting that agencies such as the FDA still expect extensive animal data and that validating new methods for regulatory use remains a major hurdle.
Kaplan also described technologies for training without live animals. She referenced a Florida company (referred to in the discussion as "Zendaver") that manufactures highly realistic synthetic bodies for veterinary and medical training, allowing many practices once taught on animals to be done on lifelike models.
On policy and transparency, Kaplan and Talbot Humane’s executive director highlighted state-level reforms. Patty Quimby described the effort behind Maryland's Beagle Act and the more recent Beagle Modernization Act introduced in 2026, which Kaplan said would require labs to report yearly counts of animals adopted and euthanized and to use federally approved non-animal alternatives when available.
Audience members asked how citizens can help. Kaplan recommended targeted advocacy: writing to companies that still commission animal testing, urging lawmakers to fund and incentivize alternative methods, and raising public awareness so voters and consumers demand change. "Talk about this issue because so many people don't know," she said.
The program included a reading from Kaplan's book about daily rituals with Hammy, underscoring the personal side of the reporting. Kaplan remained after the event to take audience questions and sign books.