Biomedical Research Awareness Day Date in the current year: April 17, 2025

Biomedical research, also known as health research and medical research, is the scientific study of biological processes and diseases with the goal of developing new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat health conditions in humans and animals.

Animal experimentation, also known as in vivo experimentation, plays an important role in biomedical research and the advancement of medical knowledge. Animals are used to study diseases, test potential treatments, and evaluate the safety and efficacy of new drugs or medical procedures before they are used in humans.

Animal experimentation has been used since ancient times and has been central to most of the achievements of modern medicine, including the eradication or near eradication of several infectious diseases and the development of organ transplantation. However, it is not without its ethical challenges: many animal rights activists consider in vivo testing to be cruel and unnecessary.

The truth is that it is impossible to avoid animal testing altogether, at least at the current level of scientific knowledge. What is possible is to make it as humane as possible. Since the 1950s, biomedical researchers in most parts of the world have adopted the Three Rs as guiding principles for more ethical use of animals in biomedical research:

• Replacement: using alternatives to animal research whenever possible
• Reduction: minimizing the number of animals needed for research
• Refinement: using procedures that cause the least distress and harm to the animals, and providing appropriate housing and enrichment

Biomedical Research Awareness Day (BRAD) was launched in 2016 by Americans for Medical Research (AMP), a nonprofit advocacy group that supports the use of animal testing in biomedical research in accordance with the Tree Rs. The primary goals of the observance are to highlight the vital role of animals in biomedical research, to advocate for the humane use of animals, and to demonstrate the commitment of research institutions to providing excellent animal care.

BRAD is observed on the third Thursday of April by research institutions, medical schools, veterinary schools, hospitals, associations, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders around the world. They organize educational events for the general public, classroom activities, community lectures, seminars and webinars, trivia nights, interactive activities such as games and scavenger hunts, tours of research facilities, social media campaigns, and other events and activities.

Biomedical Research Awareness Day should not be confused with International Biomedical Laboratory Science Day (BLS Day), which is celebrated on April 15 and sometimes coincides with BRAD. BLS Day was created by the International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science to celebrate biomedical laboratory professionals and their role in diagnosis, treatment, and research and development in healthcare systems around the world.