The Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) has worked with scientists, since 1981, to find new methods to replace the use of laboratory animals in experiments, reduce the number of animals tested, and refine necessary tests to eliminate pain and distress (the Three Rs as described in Russell and Burch's Principles of Humane Experimental Technique).

[1] CAAT is an academic, science-based center affiliated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

[2] CAAT promotes humane science by supporting the creation, development, validation, and use of alternatives to animals in research, product safety testing, and education.

[3] Starting in 2013, CAAT has co-sponsored an annual symposium with the Animal Welfare Information Center (National Agricultural Library, USDA) and the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (NIH) on the Three Rs.

[4] The most recent symposium, "7th Annual 3Rs Symposium: Practical Solutions and Success Stories," occurred virtually on June 4-5, 2020 and addressed topics throughout the spectrum of the Three Rs, including using brain organoids to study infectious diseases such as COVID-19 or Zika, using Grimace Scales to access animal pain, positive reinforcement training of lab animals, and using guidelines such as ARRIVE and PREPARE to design experiments that use fewer animals.