More scientists are using female animals in their studies

A growing number of scientists are using female animals in their research — but new research suggests the people who review grant applications aren't always taking inclusion into account. The NIH put a new policy in place in 2016 that's supposed to make sure scientists are including both male and female animals and cells in their preclinical studies. To see how that policy is playing out in the funding process, researchers polled NIH grant reviewers. The majority said they consider sex inclusion an important variable, but some said they didn't usually consider it when scoring a grant application. The authors say that points to a need for more awareness about the role sex plays in health and disease.