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HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 10 September 2025 – On the occasion of the 100-day countdown to the island-wide independent customs operation of the Hainan Free Trade Port (Hainan FTZ), the Hainan FTZ Promotion Conference and Policy Interpretation Conference themed “Hainan-Hong Kong Cooperation for a Win-win Future” was organized at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on September 9th. On September 9th, stakeholders […]

A newly revealed flaw in Apple’s CarPlay ecosystem enables attackers to achieve remote code execution with root privileges, raising serious cybersecurity concerns for connected vehicles. Tracked as CVE-2025-24132 and identified by the Oligo Security Research team, the weakness stems from a stack-based buffer-overflow flaw in AirPlay protocol implementations used by CarPlay systems. It remains exploitable over Wi-Fi via a wormable, zero-click exploit—allowing attackers to take full control […]

Greenlogue/AP Construction on the expansive NEOM green hydrogen development has passed the eighty-percent mark at the outset of the first quarter of 2025, the NEOM Green Hydrogen Company has confirmed. This achievement spans the green hydrogen plant itself, the wind garden, the solar farm and the transmission network. Equipment delivery and installation are progressing apace, with wind turbines, hydrogen storage vessels, electrolysers, a cold box and pipe […]

A Delhi court barred several journalists and activists from publishing or circulating unverified, allegedly defamatory material about Adani Enterprises Ltd, also ordering the removal of existing posts within strict timeframes while safeguarding fair reporting—Adani Enterprises Secures Ex Parte Injunction Against Journalists, Activists.

A bench presided over by Senior Civil Judge Anuj Kumar Singh passed an ex parte interim order on Saturday, 6 September 2025, directing defendants—including Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Ravi Nair, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskanta Das, Ayush Joshi and certain organisations—to expunge allegedly defamatory material from their websites, articles and social media posts. If the removal by the authors proved infeasible, intermediaries were instructed to disable access within 36 hours pursuant to the Information Technology Rules. The order also restrained publication or dissemination of further unverified content until the next hearing on 9 October 2025.

The court accepted AEL’s submission that coordinated publications on platforms such as paranjoy. in, adaniwatch. org and adanifiles. com. au had inflicted serious reputational damage, financial losses to stakeholders and harm to India’s global brand equity, further alleging alignment with “anti-India interests” that disrupted critical infrastructure and energy projects, including Australian operations. Citing the Hindenburg Research report of 2023, which had alleged massive stock manipulation and accounting fraud causing a collapse in market value, AEL argued the repeated references by defendants exacerbated investor anxiety and project delays.

Judge Singh ruled the plaintiff had satisfied the conventional three-part test for interim relief—presenting a prima facie case, showing balance of convenience in its favour and establishing risk of irreparable harm. At the same time, he acknowledged constitutional free-speech guarantees, declining to impose a blanket ban on fair, verified, and substantiated reporting, thus maintaining space for responsible journalism.

AEL’s counsel, Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, emphasised that unrestrained publication of malicious allegations risked undermining investor confidence, delaying infrastructure timelines, and tarnishing both the firm’s and the nation’s image. The court responded by allowing AEL to flag further problematic links for takedown, while intermediaries such as Google, YouTube and X were enjoined to act swiftly on notifications.

The order, codenamed CS SCJ 1066/2025, also stipulates procedural directives for service of summons via post, email and WhatsApp, with the next hearing scheduled for 9 October 2025.

Award-winning consultant Judd Labarthe launches a much-anticipated book, Swimming Downstream, challenging conventional marketing wisdom with practical, evidence-based guidance SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 9 September 2025 – Judd Labarthe, the US-born founder of Singapore-based consultancy Planner at Large LLP, today announced the release of his début book, Swimming Downstream: How To Stop Struggling & Start Winning With Marketing That Actually Works, published by Marshall Cavendish Business. […]

Matein Khalid My readers and friends know that I have been a boring perma-bull on gold since early 2024, when it became obvious that the People’s Bank of China was accumulating gold bullions as a hedge against an overvalued King Dollar and a capricious White House, which had just seized $300 billion in Russian central bank reserves to punish Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The bullish gold trade […]

As the morning light kisses the glazed curtain wall of the Burj Khalifa over the Persian Gulf, and the evening breeze of Doha whispers against the dome of the Museum of Islamic Art, a practice team named “Weihai Yangxing” from Weiyang College of Tsinghua University is measuring the lands of the Middle East with their footsteps and building bridges of cooperation through dialogue. From August 14 to 24, […]

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ORDOS, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 September 2025 – From September 16 to 17, 2025, the 10th Kubuqi International Desert Forum will convene in Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Recently, reporters visited the Kubuqi Desert to investigate desertification control measures. Seen from the air, 196,000 solar panels stretch across the Kubuqi Desert in a striking horse-shaped mosaic, while on the ground, visitors to Chaideng Village, […]

New research reveals diverse approaches to cultivating domestic philanthropy HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 September 2025 – The Commission on Asian Philanthropy – a coalition of 13 of Asia’s leading philanthropic organisations – today announces early insights from its landmark research study on Asian giving. The 4th Convening of the Commission on Asian Philanthropy in Hong Kong on Monday, 8 September 2025 The […]

Bitcoin whales appear poised for a dramatic ascent in the weeks ahead, with some expecting the cryptocurrency to crest $190,000 this December—a target that has drawn both excitement and caution among market observers.

Whales, or large holders of Bitcoin, have been signalling confidence through increasing accumulation. On-chain data indicates sustained purchasing patterns and institutions continuing to funnel capital into Bitcoin, supporting forecasts like the $190,000 December rally that some market models envision.

For instance, Tiger Research cites growing institutional inflows—including spot-Bitcoin ETF demand and new crypto allocations in retirement plans such as US 401s—as key drivers behind a projected price ceiling of $190,000. They argue that surging liquidity and tightened supply dynamics could push Bitcoin to that level by the close of Q3 or early Q4 2025.

Yet other analysts strike a more measured tone. Crypto economist Willy Woo warns that long-standing whales, many of whom acquired Bitcoin at below $10, now control large portions of the supply. He explains that each Bitcoin they opt to sell requires over $110,000 of fresh demand to absorb it—creating a de facto resistance level that complicates momentum.

LONDON / SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 September 2025 – Forvis Mazars, a leading international audit, tax and advisory firm, today announced a strategic partnership in Singapore with EcoOnline, a global provider of safety and sustainability software. This partnership will further enable Forvis Mazars and its clients to adopt EcoOnline’s advanced environmental, social, and governance (ESG) solution, enhancing the firm’s own suite of sustainability reporting […]

Two quadriplegic patients in Toronto have undergone implantation of Neuralink’s wireless brain-computer interface as part of the CAN-PRIME clinical trial, marking the first such procedures conducted outside the United States. The trial, authorised by Health Canada, aims to evaluate both the safety and the initial clinical functionality of the company’s N1 implant and R1 surgical robot in enabling individuals with paralysis to control external devices through thought […]

Swiss institutions have launched Apertus, one of Europe’s most extensive fully open language models, offering a transparent alternative to proprietary AI platforms. Available in two configurations—8 billion and 70 billion parameters—it is comparable in scale to Meta’s Llama 3 from 2024, yet distinguishes itself through open design, public availability, and lawful compliance. Swiss Initiative Unveils Major Open-Source AI Model, a fitting restatement of the headline, underscores this […]

Abu Dhabi will host the BRIDGE Summit from 8 to 10 December 2025 at the ADNEC Centre, uniting heads of state, media executives, policymakers, technologists and content creators in an ambitious bid to redefine the global media landscape. Announced in Washington by Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, chairman of the National Media Office, alongside Dr Jamal Mohammed Obaid Al Kaabi, director-general of the NMO, the summit pledges to foster dialogue, innovation and sustainable growth across the sector. Attendance is expected to exceed 5,000 participants, underpinning its status as a global media landmark.

Preparatory efforts have extended worldwide. In June, a roundtable in London convened Al Hamed and Al Kaabi with media experts during London Tech Week to reinforce the summit’s commitment to transparency, accountability and cross-sector collaboration in an increasingly digital era. In Asia, the BRIDGE roadshow landed in Shanghai, following stops in New York, London and Osaka, each event contributing insights to shape the summit’s agenda. A mission to Seoul in August further advanced partnerships with technology and media firms, including I-ON Communications on AI and data storytelling; Dentons on regulatory frameworks; Lotte Caliverse on immersive media; and SM Entertainment on cultural collaboration. These discussions cemented shared goals around content credibility, technology ethics and investment in creative startups.

The BRIDGE Summit is embedded within a broader ecosystem spearheaded by the National Media Office. Alongside the summit lies the BRIDGE Foundation, a non-profit body dedicated to empowering media professionals, funding research and supporting startups. This aligns with the UAE’s pursuit of media as a force for societal development and economic progress. A recently published fact sheet outlines the summit’s six thematic zones—Academy, Diplomacy, Forum, Marketplace, Impact and Spotlight—designed to foster skills, policy engagement, tech innovation, social impact and cultural exchange across a three-day programme.

AI and ethics feature prominently among the summit’s themes. Organisers emphasise human values in storytelling amid accelerating digital disruption and algorithmic influence. Al Hamed has characterised media as a humanitarian force that must uphold integrity and cohesion, not merely chase clicks. The summit will address responsible AI’s potential and pitfalls, ethical journalism, and media business models fit for the digital age.

Beyond content and tech, BRIDGE seeks to bridge policy and practice. With roundtables and forums designed to foster international dialogue, policymakers, creators and academics will collaborate on frameworks that safeguard credibility while embracing innovation.

The summit’s global scope is reflected in its steady itinerary of international engagements. From Washington to London, Shanghai to Seoul, each stop has contributed regional perspectives and partnerships that will inform the summit’s structure, themes and participant networks.

Private firms are allocating an average of 22 per cent of their profits into Bitcoin, as revealed by a new analysis from River, a specialist in Bitcoin financial services. The move underscores an accelerating wave of adoption from traditional companies across sectors from real estate to hospitality, driven by favourable regulation, strengthened accounting clarity, and a buoyant bull market.

River’s data shows that real estate businesses are leading this charge, with nearly 15 per cent reinvesting profits into Bitcoin, while hospitality, finance, and software firms direct between 8 per cent and 10 per cent. Even smaller, diverse businesses—including fitness studios, painting outfits, roofing contractors, and religious nonprofits—are joining the trend. By 2025, these private firms have quietly amassed 84,000 bitcoins, amounting to roughly a quarter of what institutional fund managers and corporate treasury holders combined have acquired.

The underlying conditions for this surge are clear. River attributes the shift to improved Bitcoin accounting standards, regulatory certainty, growing institutional acceptance, and a strong bull market that has seen Bitcoin’s value surge—creating an “ideal environment for widespread adoption”.

Smaller businesses, typically with fewer than 50 employees, account for 75 per cent of River’s clients, and appear to find Bitcoin adoption simpler than larger corporations. Those with complex, committee-based governance are more cautious, often awaiting peer precedent before committing—even when convinced of Bitcoin’s long-term value.

Adoption patterns also vary in scale. Over 40 per cent of the businesses allocate between 1 per cent and 10 per cent of profits to Bitcoin, while just 10 per cent invest more than half of their net income into the cryptocurrency.

This wave of grassroots participation complements broader institutional demand. River reports that public and private firms—the latter including treasury-managed corporations—are purchasing approximately 1,755 BTC per day on average in 2025. Exchange-traded funds and other investment vehicles are acquiring about 1,430 BTC per day, and governments add another 39 BTC daily. These figures stack up sharply against miner output, which is only around 450 BTC per day—raising the likelihood of a supply squeeze if exchange inventories continue to deplete.

Institution-grade buyers are also piling in. Bitcoin treasury firms accounted for 159,107 BTC acquired in the second quarter of 2025, pushing the total corporate and business-held Bitcoin to around 1.3 million BTC. Michael Saylor’s company Strategy remains the dominant corporate holder, with more than 630,000 BTC under its control.

Parallel developments illustrate the growing strategic shift toward Bitcoin within corporate finance. In the United States, investor Anthony Pompliano orchestrated a $1 billion SPAC merger to launch ProCap Financial, a new Bitcoin treasury firm with an ambition to manage up to $1 billion in cryptocurrency holdings. The firm plans to monetise its holdings through lending, derivatives, and other services, pushing the boundaries of Bitcoin treasury strategies.

Across the Atlantic, UK markets are witnessing their own momentum. At least nine London-listed companies—from technology to mining ventures—have either acquired Bitcoin or announced plans to do so, seeking similar boosts in investor appeal. Despite historical resistance from regulators concerned about money‑laundering risks, the Financial Conduct Authority appears open to easing restrictions, offering a potential regulatory tailwind to adoption in Britain.

This widespread movement mirrors and builds upon earlier corporate Bitcoin trends. As of mid‑2025, nearly 130 publicly traded companies held about $87 billion in Bitcoin, or 3.2 per cent of the total supply, driven by the ‘Bitcoin treasury’ blueprint pioneered by Strategy. Firms including Tesla, Metaplanet, Twenty One Capital, Block, GameStop, and Trump Media & Technology Group have followed suit, deploying equity issuance, bonds, and convertible debt to fund their Bitcoin accumulation.

Analysts also project an enormous potential inflow of corporate capital: Bernstein Research estimates that corporate demand could funnel as much as $330 billion into Bitcoin by 2029, with up to $124 billion attributable to Strategy alone.

Financial management is certainly an ordeal for any business, be it a massive corporation or a small company that is just starting out. To some extent, with practical knowledge and math skills it is possible to do accounting even in Google Sheets. Still, modern software with automation functions accelerates this process by a considerable amount. More and more accounting solutions are making their appearance on the market, […]

A team at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology has achieved a landmark breakthrough by unveiling the first three-dimensional structure of a viral protein deeply embedded in our DNA. Using cryo-electron microscopy, researchers captured the full architecture of the HERV‑K envelope glycoprotein, a relic of ancient viral integration now implicated in cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. This unprecedented insight marks the earliest structural characterisation of a human endogenous retrovirus […]

Northern Ireland stands to benefit significantly from growing economic and technological ties with India, as boosted trade, tariff relief, and joint research initiatives begin to materialise. A free-trade agreement between India and the United Kingdom promises a settlement that could deliver a multi-million-pound boost to Northern Ireland’s economy, particularly in advanced engineering, technology, and services. At the same time, enhanced academic and innovation partnerships are expanding the region’s opportunities.

Northern Ireland’s technology, services and manufacturing sectors are especially poised for growth under the new trade agreement, which includes substantial tariff reductions and near-elimination on key exports such as medical devices and engineering goods. Analysis shows that the deal is expected to generate around £50 million in economic benefit for the province. The agreement also unlocks access to India’s growing services market, opening new pathways for Northern Irish firms to scale internationally and enhance competitiveness.

Simultaneously, India and the UK have elevated their broader strategic engagement, having signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement on 24 July 2025. This landmark deal opened India’s government procurement market—worth £38 billion annually—to UK businesses for the first time, offering additional opportunities for Northern Ireland firms in technology, infrastructure and innovation services sectors. Negotiations had culminated in May 2025, after extensive rounds that resolved issues including visas, whisky, automobiles and pharmaceuticals.

Beyond trade, there is growing momentum in research collaboration. Imperial College London has launched a global science hub in Bengaluru, aiming to deepen its research alliances across AI, climate resilience, food security and antimicrobial resistance. Such initiatives highlight the intensifying India–UK scientific partnership, which Northern Ireland research institutions could tap into—particularly given the province’s established strengths in digital innovation and software engineering, with major global tech firms like Microsoft, Nvidia and SAP already present.

The launch of a joint India–Ireland Joint Economic Commission, as agreed by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Irish counterparts, further sets the stage for elevated economic and tech engagement involving Northern Ireland. The commission aims to enhance trade, investment and technology linkages; discussions have also included cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, fintech, semiconductors and higher education cooperation. Moreover, a new Indian consulate in Belfast reflects deepening diplomatic and commercial engagement with the region.

Northern Ireland benefits not only economically but also in innovation ecosystems. The UK–India Technology and Security Initiative, launched in July 2024, emphasises strategic collaboration across seven core areas including semiconductors, AI, quantum, biotech and advanced materials. The initiative is being overseen and reviewed by senior officials from both nations, reinforcing a structured framework for bilateral tech partnerships and supply-chain resilience; Northern Irish tech organisations with capabilities in cybersecurity, data analytics and smart infrastructure are well-positioned to participate.

These developments dovetail with the broader UK-wide free-trade agenda and strategic dialogues. India is the United Kingdom’s fastest-growing trade partner, with goods trade up to £17.8 billion in 2024 and services trade exceeding £24 billion—both substantial increases from pre-pandemic levels. Yet, awareness among UK firms, including in Northern Ireland, remains low, with only a small fraction actively exporting to India, despite high willingness among Indian consumers to pay premiums for UK products. Areas such as advanced engineering, manufacturing, and innovation services remain ripe for expansion.

Northern Ireland’s existing attributes further reinforce its readiness. The region hosts a cluster of world-class tech operations, supported by local firms such as Kainos and FD Technologies, and connectivity to universities and innovation centres. Access to India’s large and diverse markets—combined with policy support under the free-trade agreement—sets the scene for emerging partnerships in fintech, med-tech, smart infrastructure, and green technologies.

Finally, though not specific to Northern Ireland, institutions such as the UK India Business Council provide advisory networks and policy advocacy that can help local businesses navigate market entry, regulatory frameworks, and collaboration models with Indian partners across sectors including digital innovation, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

Anthropic has secured a monumental US $13 billion Series F funding round, propelling its post-money valuation to approximately US $183 billion and firmly establishing itself as one of the highest valued private startups globally. The round was spearheaded by Iconiq Capital, Fidelity Management & Research, and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with the Qatar Investment Authority joining as a “significant” investor alongside an impressive roster of global financial institutions and sovereign wealth funds.

Anthropic’s valuing nearly tripled since March, climbing from US $61.5 billion, when it completed a US $3.5 billion Series E raise earlier in 2025. This leap reflects the surging investor appetite for generative AI developers, despite growing debates over tech spending sustainability.

Anthropic’s growth trajectory is underpinned by its financial performance. The company’s run-rate revenue soared from roughly US $1 billion at the start of 2025 to over US $5 billion by August. The enterprise customer base now tops 300,000, with so-called “large accounts” expanding nearly seven-fold in just one year.

The rise of Claude Code, Anthropic’s developer-centric AI tool launched fully in May 2025, has been especially impactful. It currently generates over US $500 million in run-rate revenue, and usage has surged more than ten-fold within three months.

Anthropic’s research credentials and product roadmap also underpin its valuation. In August, the company rolled out Opus 4.1, an upgrade tailored to agentic tasks, coding, and reasoning. Its rapid expansion, focus on AI safety, and growing international footprint were cited by investors as further proof of its potential.

The participation of the Qatar Investment Authority marks a notable chapter in Gulf sovereign wealth funds’ deepening role in AI financing. While Anthropic did not disclose the precise QIA investment amount, it was highlighted as a “significant” backer in the funding syndicate. QIA’s April 2025 holdings were estimated at around US $557 billion, underscoring the strategic weight that such sovereign investments carry in global tech markets.

This infusion of capital will enable Anthropic to scale its enterprise operations, intensify its AI safety research, and accelerate international growth of its Claude platform. Amazon, already a stakeholder, may deploy the funding to expand its cloud infrastructure support for Anthropic, particularly through AWS Project Rainier. Analysts note this could meaningfully boost Anthropic’s spending on cloud services, with projections suggesting an uptick to as much as US $5 billion by 2026.

Amid this whirlwind of funding and growth, some experts caution about the long-term sustainability of such capital-intensive AI ventures. Infrastructure demands for large language model development can rival those of tech giants like Google, Microsoft, or Meta.

Google sealed its acquisition of DeepMind in January 2014 for between $400 million and $500 million, securing a standout team of AI researchers and laying the foundation for its leadership in artificial intelligence. Right from the outset, Google’s purchase endowed it with access to DeepMind’s exceptional talent pool and pioneering work in reinforcement learning—especially its neural Turing machines and early breakthroughs in gameplay AI. This strategic move […]

Dubai Chambers, together with the International Chamber of Commerce and its World Chambers Federation, introduced a new digital platform designed to elevate the performance of chambers of commerce worldwide. Unveiled at the 14th World Chambers Congress in Melbourne, the Chamber Benchmarking Tool offers structured data analysis, best-practice comparisons and a repository of global insights to help chambers advance operational standards.

The launch was witnessed by over 1,200 chamber officials representing more than 100 countries, reaffirming the tool’s role as a global platform for strategic exchange.

The Chamber Benchmarking Tool evaluates performance across seven principal functions of chamber institutions—spanning economic research and business intelligence, advocacy and policy representation, trade and investment facilitation, workforce training and support, networking, advisory services and legal or dispute resolution. These are assessed alongside eight dimensions of operational excellence, including strategic alignment, innovation, governance and financial impact.

Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, described the initiative as emblematic of the emirate’s ambition to lead in institutional innovation, enabling chambers to elevate their value to business communities through streamlined services and resilient strategies. John W. H. Denton AO, Secretary‑General of the ICC, hailed the tool as a “milestone,” praising Dubai Chambers for their leadership in bringing the platform to fruition.

Built from research examining 19 diverse chambers, the tool rests on a foundation of empirical insight. It offers a data-driven framework of self-assessment, enabling chambers to compare their metrics against anonymised regional and global averages and receive tailored strategic guidance drawn from global case studies.

Developed in confidence under ICC‑WCF’s secure, cloud‑based infrastructure, the platform ensures high standards of data confidentiality. Only aggregated benchmarking results are shared publicly, with each chamber’s data kept private unless explicit consent is granted.

The tool assigns two access roles: the ‘chamber steward’, who leads data submission, assessment completion and case‑study creation; and ‘chamber staff’, who receive view‑only access to performance dashboards, insights and the best‑practice library.

Participation remains voluntary and open to all types of chambers—whether national, regional, thematic or international—particularly those connected to the ICC‑WCF network. Non‑members may apply for membership to gain access.

Chambers that perform well in given categories become eligible to develop case studies, using an integrated creator to document initiative details, global trends addressed, outcomes and lessons learned. Authors may enrich submissions with supporting documents, media, and contact details. Approved case studies are added to the global repository, fostering peer learning and strategic inspiration.

With an emphasis on continuous improvement, the platform allows chambers to refresh their assessments annually—or after major organisational shifts—and to update roles and responsibilities over time, ensuring the tool remains current with evolving strategic priorities.

Beyond benchmarking, the platform is a strategic intelligence system. Chambers gain access to emerging trends, visibility into gaps and growth opportunities, and direction for innovation and future readiness. It fosters cross‑border collaboration, data‑led decision‑making and collective excellence across the global chamber ecosystem.

BruteForceAI accelerates credential testing by automating form discovery and attack workflows with human‑like finesse. Security teams and penetration testers now gain a powerful tool that merges AI‑driven analysis and ethical safeguards, promising deeper insights into authentication weaknesses across web applications. BruteForceAI enables swift parsing of HTML to pinpoint login fields with near‑precise CSS selector generation— reportedly accurate in approximately 95 per cent of real‑world scenarios. Once fields are mapped, […]

Speculative decoding accelerates large language model generation by allowing multiple tokens to be drafted swiftly by a lightweight model before being verified by a larger, more powerful one. This method markedly reduces inference latency while preserving the precision and output quality of traditional autoregressive decoding — a significant breakthrough for real-time applications like conversational agents and code assistants. At the heart of speculative decoding lies a two‑model […]

Pharmaceutical developers are making headway with artificial intelligence tools to model drug absorption, distribution, and toxicity in human-relevant systems. This shift supports the U. S. Food and Drug Administration’s initiative to make animal testing an exception rather than a rule, particularly in pre‑clinical safety assessments for monoclonal antibody therapies and other drugs.

Regulatory authorities expect New Approach Methodologies—including AI-driven computational models, human-cell‑based systems like organs‑on‑chips, and organoids—to halve both development time and costs within the next three to five years. Recursion Pharmaceuticals recently advanced a cancer drug candidate to clinical trials in just 18 months, markedly faster than the 42‑month industry average.

The FDA’s April roadmap encourages drug developers to submit safety data from NAMs in Investigational New Drug applications. Firms providing robust NAM evidence may receive streamlined review processes—a concrete incentive to adopt these modern methods. A pilot programme allows select monoclonal antibody developers to use primarily non‑animal testing strategies, with results shaping future guidance.

Industry leaders at Charles River, Certara, Schrodinger, Recursion and InSphero are investing heavily in these emerging tools. Charles River’s NAM portfolio now generates roughly US $200 million annually. Certara’s president, Patrick Smith, stated the company is reaching a point where animal testing may no longer be necessary. Schrodinger utilises physics‑based simulations with AI to predict potential toxicity, while InSphero tests safety and efficacy using 3D liver microtissue models.

This transition builds on milestones such as the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, which removed the default requirement for animal data in drug development and formally recognised in vitro, in silico, and organ‑based methods as valid non‑clinical evidence. The Act is part of a broader regulatory overhaul that began with the ISTAND programme—for qualifying organ-on-chip tools—and continued with acceptance of the first liver‑chip into that pathway in 2024. Additional momentum comes from shifts in funding and policy: the NIH now prioritises human‑based models and no longer supports animal‑only proposals; the U. S. Navy has ended cat and dog experiments; and a federal push is underway to align academic and industry research with NAMs adoption.

Beyond regulation, academic research underscores the promise of computational approaches. A June 2025 study highlights AI and deep learning as enablers of predictive frameworks for vaccine and immunotherapeutic design—pointing toward a future where animal testing is replaced by computational models that refine vaccine targets and immune response predictions.

In parallel, the FDA is advancing its broader modernisation agenda through pilot programmes aimed at accelerating drug review timelines. Commissioner Marty Makary has proposed a split‑submission process that allows early review of key data during clinical trials. Coupled with AI tools such as Elsa—used daily within the FDA to expedite data review—this approach is projected to compress approval times from 10–12 months to as little as one to two months in eligible cases.

Ethically, these developments carry weight. Animal testing has repeatedly fallen short in predicting human outcomes—about 90 per cent of drugs deemed safe in animals fail in humans. New methods rooted in human biology promise not just faster, cost‑efficient drug pipelines, but also greater relevance and reliability in safety assessments, while reducing ethical concerns.

Though a complete end to animal testing is not expected immediately, experts anticipate a hybrid landscape in the short term, with animal studies still used where necessary but significantly reduced in favour of AI and human‑based alternatives.

VISHNU RAJA
RYO YAMADA
HITORI GOTOH
IKUYO KITA