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Animal research, primarily on mice, is being replaced by computer research on "virtual human beings" and tests conducted on banks of living cells, Kelly Berube, a cell biologist from Cardiff University told The Times of London in a story published Friday.

"These models have the ability to be far more accurate", Berube said. "I sometimes think it is just tradition -- that feeling that if it's safe in an animal it's safe in a human -- which means so many animal tests are still carried out."

One innovation, Berube said, involves the creation of "micro-lungs" -- lung cells taken from transplant tissue and then grown in a laboratory culture -- to test toxicants, such as those found in cosmetics.

"By recreating tissue environments, we will improve understanding of many aspects of cell behavior, including wound healing and responses to therapeutic drugs without the use of animal models", Berube said.

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