 Welcome to the latest news roundup from Understanding Animal Research, where we will be running through some of the recently published scientific studies and news articles that involve animal research. As usual, you can find more detail on each of these stories on our website and links are provided in the caption below. Our first story is from Swansea University, where researchers have discovered that a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes may also be suitable for treating autoimmune disorders. The drug canagliflasin, also known as invocana, could be used to treat autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis because it is able to target T cells, which form an essential component of the immune system. In the past, canagliflasin was tested on mice, rats, dogs and humans during its development as a drug to treat diabetes. Next up, scientists at Imperial College and the Rosalyn Institute have created the world's first flu-resistant chickens through gene editing, marking a breakthrough in the fight against avian influenza. By altering the ANP32A gene in chickens, researchers made the birds highly resistant to avian flu, with 9 out of 10 birds showing no signs of infection when exposed to the virus. However, the researchers cautioned that infections were not completely blocked, which must be achieved before introducing gene-edited chickens to farms in order to prevent the virus evolving to become more dangerous to humans. The results suggest that editing three genes rather than one is more likely to achieve total resistance. In a breakthrough study, researchers at the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL have uncovered a crucial mechanism in Alzheimer's disease. Necroptosis is the programmed cell death in the body and it is triggered in neurons when they are exposed to amyloid plaques and towel tangles, the hallmark proteins of Alzheimer's disease. The team demonstrated that by reducing an RNA gene called MEG3 and preventing necroptosis, neuron death can be prevented. To better understand Alzheimer's, they implanted both human and mouse neurons into mouse models. Surprisingly, only the human neurons and not their rodent counterparts displayed features of Alzheimer's disease, which is also seen in the brains of patients. This human-specific aspect of Alzheimer's may offer new insights into potential therapies for the condition. In August, news outlets reported that the first womb transplant had taken place in the UK. The operation carried out at the Oxford University Hospital's Transplant Centre took over nine hours to perform and was made possible thanks to the woman's sister, who donated her womb. Since the early 2000s, scientists have been perfecting womb transplantation through animal research in order to increase our understanding of this complex organ. First experiments were carried out on rats and mice and following on from this, womb transplantations were carried out on larger animals, including sheep, pigs and rabbits. Most recently, monkeys have been used to perfect the surgery before moving into human trials. New research at King's College London has successfully reversed hearing loss in mice. Researchers used mice with a defective SPNS2 gene. The mice were given a special enzyme at differing ages, which was able to activate the defective gene, resulting in improved hearing abilities. The scientists found that hearing improved most in the mice that were given the enzyme at a young age, with the effects of the therapy becoming less potent in older mice. Our final story focuses on a technique to replace, refine and reduce the use of animals in scientific research with a new model to study COVID-19. Using a combination of brain cells and a 3D model of the blood-brain barrier, scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have discovered the different variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, affect the blood-brain barrier and damage cells in different ways.