PARC

The European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks posed by Chemicals (PARC) aims to develop next-generation chemical risk assessment to protect human health and the environment. It supports the European Union's Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and the European Green Deal's “Zero emissions” ambition with new data, knowledge, methods and tools, expertise and networks. The PARC programme has three main objectives:

• Develop the scientific skills needed to address current and future challenges in chemical safety.
• Provide new data, methods and innovative tools to those responsible for assessing and managing the risks of chemical exposure.
• Strengthen the networks which bring together actors specialised in the different scientific fields contributing to risk assessment.

Within PARC, specifically regarding endocrine disruption, RIVM is developing, together with international collaborators, an Integrated Approach to Testing and Assessment (IATA) for thyroid hormone system disruption.

VHP4Safety

The VHP4Safety (Virtual Human Platform for Safety Assessment) project is a Dutch research initiative that focuses on developing innovative, animal-free testing methods to assess the safety of chemicals and medicines. Instead of relying on animal experiments, the project combines computer models (in silico), cell culture techniques (in vitro), and human data to better predict the effects of substances on humans.

There are three case studies within the VHP4Safety project, one of which is related to endocrine disrupting chemicals. This case, led by RIVM, investigates how certain chemicals may disrupt thyroid hormone function, which is crucial for normal brain development, especially in unborn and young children. By integrating various methods, the project aims to understand the potential risks of chemicals that could affect thyroid hormone levels and, consequently, brain development, without using animal testing.

SURPASS

The SURPASS (Safe-, sUstainable- and Recyclable-by design Polymeric systems. A guidance towardS next generation of plasticS) project is a Research and Innovation initiative funded by Horizon Europe, aiming to lead the transition towards Safe, Sustainable, and Recyclable by Design (SSRbD) polymeric materials. Its main goal is to support European small and medium-sized enterprises in developing advanced polymers by providing a digital platform that offers knowledge, assessment, and guidance on SSRbD.

To achieve this, the project gathers and analyses existing resources to identify knowledge gaps, such as those related to additives and toxicology, and integrates new knowledge from three case studies. The case studies focus on new SSRbD polymers in 1) the building sector, 2) the transport sector and 3) the packaging sector. This hands-on approach ensures that the digital tool is continuously updated and validated with real-world data, enabling companies to make informed decisions regarding environmental impact, safety, and innovation.

RIVM is mainly involved in the hazard assessment performed for the substances and materials of the three case studies. Specifically, RIVM has performed experiments to assess thyroid disruption. RIVM also played a leading role in the development of a scoring strategy to incorporate the results in an open-access SSRbD tool.

MERLON

The MERLON (Merging scientific Evidence with Regulatory practices and Leveraging identification Of endocrine disruptors using New approach methodologies) project investigates the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on sexual development, using human and (animal-free) New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). The knowledge gained by these methods will form the input for a roadmap for the identification of endocrine disrupting chemicals based on NAMs.

The consortium brings European partners together with world-leading experts in endocrinology, chemical safety assessment, developmental and molecular biology, epidemiology, toxicogenomics, toxicokinetic modelling, regulatory toxicology, psychology, psychiatry and research ethics.
The RIVM is involved in developing a human induced pluripotent stem cell-based brain model to study effects on the thyroid-brain axis. Furthermore, it is investigated how NAMs, including zebrafish embryo-based assays, can be integrated into testing strategies.

In addition, RIVM evaluates the use of these models for regulatory toxicity testing. In this way, RIVM helps bridge the gap between scientific insights and policy, aiming to improve the identification of endocrine disrupting chemicals.

AFARA

The AFARA (Animal-Free Assays for endocrine disruption – from science to Regulatory Acceptance) project investigates the acceptance and implementation of animal-free models in the human risk assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Traditionally, risk assessment relies on animal testing, but this approach faces criticism due to ethical concerns and scientific limitations in translating animal data to humans. AFARA aims to facilitate the regulatory acceptance of animal-free, human-relevant models for identification of endocrine disrupting chemicals, focusing on thyroid and metabolism disrupting chemicals.

The project analyses challenges and opportunities within European regulatory frameworks and develop pathways to accelerate the adoption of animal-free methods. Within the project, cooperation partners including a consortium of academic, public sector, industry, NGO, and regulatory partners are involved in improving citizen protection and reducing animal testing. 
Within the AFARA project, RIVM contributes its expertise in developing human-relevant, animal-free testing strategies for endocrine disrupting chemicals. By actively collaborating with consortium partners and stakeholders, RIVM supports the implementation and evaluation of innovative, animal-free approaches in safety and risk assessment.

PINPOINT

The project PINPOINT (predicting and prioritizing possible endocrine-disrupting chemicals) aims to develop new computer models (in silico) that can help identify potential endocrine disrupting chemicals. These models will generate predictions that serve as a foundation for further evaluation through established assessment frameworks and Safe and Sustainable by Design processes.

This initiative was prompted by growing concerns about the harmful effects of endocrine disruptors, especially since experimental data on many substances is currently lacking. By using computer-generated predictions, the available information can be expanded to support the early detection of possible endocrine-disrupting chemicals. To accomplish this, the project will create and combine two different methods: a Ligand-based approach that uses the ‘functional’ data of substances, and a structure-based approach that examines interactions between substances and proteins. Combining these methods aims to generate reliable and robust predictions.

RIVM is works closely together with Leiden University in this project.