A BREAKTHROUGH in testing new drugs could see a dramatic reduction in the need for animal experiments.

Scientists at three universities, including Newcastle, have developed techniques for using human cells instead of live animals for examining the effects of different treatments.

Work has so far concentrated on drugs to combat diabetes and obesity, but researchers are confident this could be extended to other areas and provide a viable alternative for a range of animal experiments.

Professor Steve Yeaman, of Newcastle University, who set up a biotech company with colleagues at University College, London, and Barcelona University to pursue the research, said their main objective was to provide more effective tests for new drugs.

He said the team worked on extracting muscle cells from human donors and showed how the effects of different drugs could be monitored.

Researchers then genetically modified the cells to keep them alive almost indefinitely, to overcome the problem of a shortage of donors.

Prof Yeaman said: "What we did was develop the use of human cells and then the technology to make them immortal."

He said the use of human muscle cells would be more effective in the study of diseases including diabetes than traditional tests on animals.

"It won't completely replace animal testing but it should reduce the need to use animals."

He said the company, Xcellsyz, has already had contact with drug companies over developing the work on a commercial basis.