Germany: Court Upholds Ban on Parabiosis Experiment on Mice

On 26 August 2026, the Administrative Court of Cologne (Verwaltungsgericht Köln) upheld the withdrawal of an authorisation for parabiosis experiments on mice in North Rhine-Westphalia. The proposed experiments involved surgically joining pairs of living mice so that their circulatory systems would become connected. After eight weeks, the animals were to be separated and dissected. The experiments were intended to contribute to research on a malaria vaccine. While the plaintiff had classified the experiments as causing only moderate harm to the animals, the Court found that they would impose at least severe harm. Furthermore, the plaintiff had not submitted documentation capable of justifying experiments involving this level of harm. The Court therefore held that the original authorisation had been manifestly unlawful. It further found that the authorisation suffered from a procedural defect because the competent animal welfare commission had not been involved. The judgment is not yet final: the parties may apply for leave to appeal to the Higher Administrative Court in Münster.