In a large (€30 Million) H2020-supported collaborative project, academia joins forces with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large industry, contract research organisations (CROs) and regulatory bodies to achieve a paradigm shift in toxicology towards a more efficient and animal-free chemical safety assessment.
An international team of scientists and industrial partners sets out to develop efficient, animal-free methods to test new chemicals for toxicity. Professor Catherine Verfaillie from the Department of Development and Regeneration will coordinate the development of alternative methods that involve human cells.
Possible alternatives for laboratory animals include computer simulations and cultured human cells. However, methods that rely on these alternatives to test chemicals for toxicity are still underdeveloped. The EU-ToxRisk project aims to fine-tune these methods to meet industrial needs – in accordance with existing regulatory frameworks.
Professor Catherine Verfaillie from the KU Leuven Department of Development and Regeneration will coordinate the development of human cell systems. On the basis of stem cells, her team will culture mature cells with sensors that can measure potential damage from chemicals. Once the method is effective and efficient, it will drastically reduce the need for animal testing.Click here for the original press release.
More information about the EU-ToxRisk project is available here.
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