BOSTON — Animal rights activists and scientific labs came together at the State House Tuesday to advocate and educate about animal testing. Legislators explore the innovative way local companies say they can save animals and money without sacrificing advancement. 

What You Need To Know

  • Mattek is a company in Ashland that creates lab grown skin to use for cosmetic testing.

  • They can recreate human skin of all different ethnicities, colors and ages, and can put anti-aging serums to the test in real practice. 

  • Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis (D-7th Middlesex) has once again filed legislation that would limit animal testing in Massachusetts. 

  • Its not likely to pass this session but it has 70 co-sponsors

“We can take a piece of skin that is this big and make enough skin models to cover several football fields," says Mattek scientist Jen Molignano. "One piece of skin this large will last us for multiple years. And as Margo said, we estimate that we spare 100,000 animals with one year of products."

Mattek is a company in Ashland which hires a number of Worcester Polytech Grads like Jen. They create lab grown skin to use for cosmetic testing. They can recreate human skin of all different ethnicities, colors and ages, and can put anti-aging serums to the test in real practice. 

“By being able to model that in the lab, we're not testing those things on animals. It's not just safety, it's also efficacy. Does this work? Is this successful? And that's not something that we would be able to test in an animal model,” said Molignano. 

A bill introduced to the House this session says when an alternative option exists, there would be no animal testing allowed in the state. Massachusetts would join 10 other states who have passed similar legislation in recent years. 

”The scientific advancements have caught up. Other states have showed us the way and companies are ready to do this right here in Massachusetts,” says sponsor of the bill, Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis (D- 7th Middlesex). 

This is a bill Lewis has introduced the last four sessions. We are just weeks away from it not passing again this session. For him, it’s about progress. Every year it gets more attention, and goes further in the process. 

“We’re continuing to refine it and I remain as hopeful as ever that this might be the year that it's signed into law,” said Lewis.

Right now the bill remains in the House Ways and Means Committee and is a long shot to pass this session, but with 70 co-sponsors across the aisle, Lewis hopes that momentum can continue.