3Rs Quarterly 29 June 2021 |
| RIVM report: New Approach Methodologies in the safety assessment of consumer products and food | RIVM made an overview on the use of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in the safety assessment of consumer products and food. The main conclusion of this report is that all organisations involved in the safety assessment of chemicals need to collaborate internationally in the development and implementation of NAMs. Safety assessment of chemicals in consumer products and food still predominantly relies on animal testing. Currently, there are not yet enough suitable NAMs to properly assess safety. There are, however, promising developments with animal-free innovations that in the future may reduce or fully replace laboratory animals, for example VHP4Safety and the EFSA NAM roadmap. Bureau Risicobeoordeling & onderzoek (BuRO) of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) commissioned this investigation. | Publication of the air-liquid interface bronchial epithelial model protocol in JoVE, the scientific video journal | RIVM published a video in the peer reviewed scientific video journal JoVE for culturing and exposing human bronchial epithelial cells at the air-liquid interface (ALI) that mimics realistic, repeated inhalation exposure conditions used for toxicity testing. Characteristics of both the model and of the exposure system are presented in detail. These are essential for achieving a realistic inhalation exposure model that can be used for toxicity testing of repeated exposures to airborne particles. | | | Feasibility study of Dutch consortium for animal-free innovations offered to minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality | ZonMw and NCad have explored the feasibility and willingness among stakeholders for a Dutch consortium to accelerate the transition towards animal-free research. The main recommendation written in the final report is to focus on establishing a programme for research and innovation rather than just a single consortium. A result-driven approach, including an intensified network creation and coordination are marked-up as key aspects to focus on in the follow-up trajectory. | | | PhD thesis ‘On the right brain cell track: stem cell differentiation assays for animal-free developmental neurotoxicity assessment’ | The research for this PhD thesis was performed by Victoria de Leeuw of RIVM and Utrecht University, and was funded by Stichting Proefdiervrij and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Her thesis describes two stem-cell based tests to assess compound-induced developmental neurotoxicity. These models were sensitive to compound exposure in line with in vivo data. More research is needed to better understand these assays and to combine them with other animal-free methods. | | | VHP4Safety official kick-off | On June 1st, the VHP4Safety project officially started. The Virtual Human Platform addresses the emerging societal challenge of the transition to animal-free safety assessment. To this end, VHP4Safety integrates various scientific disciplines and works with all stakeholders towards implementation and societal acceptance of an approach to chemical safety assessment that is based on human data rather than animal data. The VHP4Safety website to follow-up on events and press attention can be found here: | Kick-off EFSA roadmap on new approach methodologies in risk assessment | By 2027 EFSA’s aim is that the large majority of their requests for additional data will be based on new approach methodologies. To achieve this goal, EFSA has put out the question to develop a roadmap that define EFSA’s priorities to increase the use of new approach methodologies in food and feed risk assessment. RIVM, together with Frauenhofer (lead), Danish Technical University, Vrije Universiteit and Eura AG, is involved in building this roadmap. The roadmap will be presented to EFSA in the beginning of next year. | | | Launch of the Horizon2020 project RISK-HUNT3R | The RISK-HUNT3R consortium, led by Prof. Bob van de Water (Leiden University) and consisting of 37 partners, received 23 million euros from the European Commission to develop a novel and modular framework for animal-free next generation risk assessment. RIVM is leading the workpackage “Integrative Strategies for Next Generation Risk Assessment” and provides significant contributions to other workpackages. Ultimately, RISK-HUNT3R aims to prove via case studies that citizens can be protected against hazardous chemicals using non-animal methods. | | | Kick-off ONTOX project: ontology-driven and artificial intelligence-based toxicity testing | The ONTOX consortium aims to provide a sustainable solution for advancing human risk assessment of chemicals without animal use in line with the principles of 21st century toxicity testing and next generation risk assessment. Starting from establishing ontologies of human physiology, comprehensive adverse outcome pathway networks will be derived for six specified disease cases, based on which test batteries and computational models will be generated for hazard assessment of chemical exposures. UU/RIVM focusses on neural tube closure. | | | ZonMw Create2Solve Challenge: determining toxicity of difficult-to-test compounds | Two Dutch research groups will work together with industry on animal-free innovations. In one of the projects, researchers from the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) and RIVM will collaborate with Vivaltes and Toxys to create in vitro test systems for compounds that are challenging to assess like volatile, instable and lipophilic compounds. The project will develop a decision tree to help toxicologists decide how best to dose and control the exposure of their test chemical in their particular in vitro assay. | | | Five million euros for research into human measurement models | NWO has funded six Dutch research projects that will develop human measurement models for research into the treatment and/or prevention of diseases. Researchers and the partners involved will work on innovative measurement methods to better understand and treat for example heart, brain and eye diseases. A total of 11 research institutions, 19 companies and 8 not-for-profit organisations are involved in the projects. | | | ALURES: EU database on the use of animals for scientific purposes under directive 2010/63/EU | The European Union has launched the ALURES statistical database that provides numbers of animals and which species have been used in research and testing, routine production and education and training in the EU. The database allows for selecting for application, country of origin, genetic status, severity of procedures, and much more. | | | Working towards animal-free research strategies is an effort crossing international and interdisciplinary borders. TPI.tv is designed to facilitate this transition through connecting people and ideas via video messages. On TPI.tv, short video messages (‘pitches’) provide the medium for researchers to display their findings and request input if needed. | |