Tox News: Issue 16, March 2024

Listen from 2:49:00 to hear more from our Head of Toxicology about the CRACK IT Virtual Second Species project which aims to replace the use of the dog in chronic toxicity tests.

On Monday 19 February there was a debate in the UK Parliament in response to two e-petitions. The first calls for a ban on the use of dogs in research and testing and the second an end to the use of animals in toxicity testing by its replacement with non-animal methods. Our Chief Executive Dr Vicky Robinson describes some of the NC3Rs work that addresses the concerns raised.

In collaboration with the British Toxicology Society and toxicologists from industry and academia we have developed a vision for world-leading chemicals safety testing in the UK that embraces the latest scientific developments and 3Rs opportunities.  

We aim to catalyse the commitment and investment required to develop a modern, sustainable approach to UK chemicals regulation that reduces reliance on animal-based testing methods and delivers scientific, business and societal benefits for the UK. This paper was prepared following a workshop we held in collaboration with Unilever in 2023 on Opportunities for the UK to develop world-leading chemicals regulation.

As part of an ECETOC task force, we have co-authored a new paper that makes recommendations for dose selection in developmental and reproductive toxicity studies to avoid unnecessary animal suffering, reduce animal use and maintain the highest standards of human health protection.

The NC3Rs is launching a new data-sharing project to review the use of two species in regulatory toxicology studies for molecules following ICH M3(R2). If your company is working with molecules following ICH M3(R2) and you would like to be involved, please get in touch with us!

Tuesday 30 April, 9.30 – 17.00
London, UK

Explore the landscape of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in academia and industry at the NAMs Network launch event. Talks will cover taking NAMs from development to application, accelerating their adoption, changing the way we think about safety assessment and how CRACK IT Challenges are accelerating NAMs development and uptake.

• Abstract deadline: Friday 29 March.
• Registration deadline: Friday 12 April.

We have awarded the first funding for the SensOoChip and CrossDART Challenges, sponsored by 11 organisations to accelerate the development and uptake of new approach methodologies (NAMs). Six teams, from across the academic, not-for-profit research and Small to Medium Enterprise sectors based in the UK and internationally, will receive up to £100k each to deliver proof-of-concept studies focusing on advancing the utility and reproducibility of organ-on-chip technologies and developing improved in vitro assays for developmental toxicity.

Find out more about our collaborative projects aiming to advance the use of NAMs and increase the robustness of aquatic in vivo tests conducted as part of endocrine disruptor assessment. This includes recent work published in two peer-reviewed articles exploring challenges and opportunities for improving in fish vitellogenin assessment.

10 – 14 March 2024
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

If you are attending the 2024 SOT annual meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah (US) this month, please come and say hello to Natalie and Fiona at our booth in the exhibition hall – #1710.

Natalie will be presenting a poster (3919/P430) on Control Performance of Medaka Extended One Generation Test Designs on Tuesday 12 March, 14.15 – 16.15 in the Endocrine Toxicology session.

15 – 17 April 2024 
Liverpool, UK

If you are attending the 2024 BTS annual congress in Liverpool in April this month, please come and say hello to Natalie and Fiona at our booth in the exhibition space.

Natalie will be presenting a poster on Control Performance of Medaka Extended One Generation Test Designs. Our 2023 Tox Team intern Hannah Coghlan, University of Liverpool will also be presenting her proiect work a poster titled Are in vivo studies still being performed for biosimilars? A review of EMA and FDA submissions up to 2023.

Natalie will be presenting on Accelerating the development and impact of new approach methodologies (NAMs) in chemical safety assessment in Symposium 1: In silico paths to chemical safety assessment taking place 15.00 – 17.00 on Monday 15 April.

She will also be co-chairing Symposium 5: Advances in Persistence and Bioaccumulation Assessment on behalf of the BTS Ecotoxicology Specialty Section, 11.30 – 13.00 on Tuesday 16 April. This symposium will feature speakers from Ricardo, the UK Environment Agency, and the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute in the US (HESI).

There will also be a meeting of the BTS Ecotoxicology Specialty Section 17.00 – 17.45 on Tuesday 16 April, open to anyone with an interest in environmental safety assessment.

Have you published a paper in the past three years with major 3Rs impacts? Wherever you are in the world, apply for the International 3Rs Prize.

This prestigious annual award, sponsored by GSK, consists of a £2k personal award and a £28k prize grant to further the 3Rs impact of the winning research. A £20k contribution is provided by GSK with all remaining funds, including the personal award made by the NC3Rs.

Scientists in any field of academia or industry are eligible, whether the 3Rs were the primary focus of your work or a secondary benefit.

Application deadline: Wednesday 1 May.

We are looking for researchers preparing a manuscript that includes in vitro models to participate in user testing of the RIVER (Reporting In Vitro Experiments Responsibly) recommendations. RIVER aims to improve the reliability and reproducibility of in vitro studies to minimise wastage of animal-derived reagents, avoid animal experiments based on flawed data and build confidence in alternative models.

Participants will receive expert feedback on their manuscript, improve the transparency of their work and its chances of successful publication and receive a £50 (Euro/USD equivalent) voucher.

Our latest research round-up explores the work we have funded to refine the use of fish in research. A decade of NC3Rs-funded work in this area has built the evidence base for refinements including automated behaviour assessment and non-invasive welfare markers and supported the development of innovative tools and techniques to minimise the pain, suffering and distress of fish in research.

Tuesday 9 – Thursday 11 April 2024
Exeter, UK

A workshop to address the latest developments in the field of zebrafish husbandry and care, including the effects of water chemistry on reproducibility and welfare supported by the NC3Rs and the RSPCA Animals in Science Department. There is an open call for abstracts for short talks and poster presentations related to any aspect of welfare and reproducibility in zebrafish research.

• Abstract deadline: Friday 19 January 2024.
• Registration deadline: Friday 22 March 2024.

Five new expert members sought for the Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC)

All candidates must be a recognised expert with a track record of national or international achievement in one or more of the following specialties:

• Epidemiology – in particular relating to chemical or environmental exposures.
• Cancer biology or toxicology.
• Risk assessment of chemicals for potential carcinogenicity.
• A specific area of expertise – including exposure assessment, in silico approaches and data integration.

Application deadline: 12.00, Tuesday 19 March 2024.  

Lewis RW, Andrus AK, Arroyo J, Brescia S, Botham PA, Corvaro M, Daston GP, Hofmann T, Rodriguez C, Sewell F, van Ravenzwaay B, Wiench K, Marty S (2024). Considerations for the Development of Guidance on Dose Level Selection for Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity Studies.  Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 146:105585 doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2024.105585

Sewell F, Ragan I, Horgan G, Andrew D, Holmes T, Manou I, Müller BP, Rowan T, Schmitt BG, Corvaro M (2024). New supporting data to guide the use of evident toxicity in acute oral toxicity studies (OECD TG 420).  Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 146:105517. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2023.105517

Burden N, Brown RJ, Holmes B, Panter GH, Salinas ER, Sewell F, Weltje L, Wheeler JR, Wolf Y, Lagadic L. (2023). An international cross-laboratory survey on fish vitellogenin analysis: Methodological challenges and opportunities for best practice. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 145: 105501. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2023.105501

Brown RJ, Panter GH, Burden N, Salinas ER, Weltje L, Wheeler JR, Wolf Y, Lagadic L (2023). Are changes in vitellogenin concentrations in fish reliable indicators of chemical-induced endocrine activity? Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 266: 115563. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115563

A list of all NC3Rs publications in Toxicology and Regulatory Sciences can be found in our bibliography.