Webinar: Microsampling in toxicology – Maximising the scientific, business and 3Rs advantages

In collaboration with the British Toxicology Society (BTS), the NC3Rs is hosting a webinar on 15 September 2022. The session will be chaired by Dr David Jones, independent consultant (previously senior reviewer at Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency). This is a ‘re-run’ of a session presented during the 2022 BTS congress, to allow global participation and further discussion.

A microsample is typically defined as a sample of blood that is ≤50 μl. Adoption of this technique can reduce or avoid the use of satellite animals for toxicokinetics or other purposes and also provides refinements applicable for both rodents and larger animals. Microsampling can increase the scientific value of data obtained from rodent studies during drug and chemical discovery and development, enabling multiple endpoints to be investigated and compared in the same animal.

Since 2011, the NC3Rs has promoted the 3Rs, scientific and business benefits to microsampling, guided by an expert working group. Investigations were recently initiated to understand the current use of microsampling in toxicology studies across pharmaceutical, agrochemical and academia sectors, with the aim of identifying the specific studies in which microsampling is employed and the barriers to wider uptake.

The webinar aims to raise awareness of the microsampling technique and encourage wider adoption across both discovery and regulatory toxicology studies.  

Key objectives are to:

• Showcase how microsampling is currently being used within pharmaceutical and agrochemical safety assessment toxicology studies, within different species and study types.

• Highlight the current barriers and concerns that if addressed could encourage the adoption of microsampling for more studies, providing reduction and refinements in animal use.

• Provide real-life examples of how companies are successfully using microsampling, and future directions.

This webinar will be relevant for all academic, regulatory and industry scientists interested in applying the 3Rs in rodent and non-rodent studies. There will be a panel discussion at the end, with an opportunity for audience members to ask questions.

The draft agenda for the webinar is below: