Mette Terp Høybye has been awarded a 2.5 million DKK grant from the AUFF NOVA program for the project "The Power of the Model – Designing Ethically Acceptable Futures of Human-Based Models in Translational Science."

The new project investigates the shift from animal-based to human-derived biomedical research models, focusing on chronic kidney disease. By combining ethnographic fieldwork and public engagement, the research explores the ethical and societal dimensions of these new experimental approaches, including the perspectives of tissue donors and patients.

The project brings together an interdisciplinary team of collaborators, including Professor Rikke Nørregaard (Aarhus University), Professor Gavin Welsh (University of Bristol), Professor Henri Leuvenink (University Medical Center Groningen), and the Steno Science Museum. A key element will be a public workshop at the museum, fostering dialogue with primary and secondary education students about ethical dilemmas and societal acceptance of human-based models.