Cel-Sci Corporation

Cel-Sci Corporation is a biotechnology company whose core research and development activities involve animal testing. The company’s primary clinical-stage asset, Multikine, is an immunotherapy for head and neck cancer, and its development has historically relied on animal models for preclinical research. This places the company’s operations within the scope of commercial animal exploitation.

In 2016, Cel-Sci’s contracted animal research facility, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, agreed to pay a record $3.5 million penalty to settle allegations of animal welfare violations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The settlement addressed charges that the facility had failed to provide adequate veterinary care and had caused unnecessary pain and distress to animals, including goats and rabbits. While Cel-Sci itself was not the direct subject of the enforcement action, its reliance on external facilities for animal research implicates its supply chain in systemic animal welfare failures.

The company’s public statements emphasize a commitment to animal welfare and the ethical use of animals in research. However, its ongoing engagement in animal-based research for drug development, without a publicly available policy committing to the replacement of animal models with non-animal alternatives, aligns its operations with the commercial exploitation of animals.