IC-3Rs News

A new manuscript about the RE-Place project has just been published in the Research topic ‘3Rs - Strategies for Reduction and Refinement of Animal Studies’ in Predictive Toxicology. This manuscript describes the evolution of the project, the development of the online tool to collect specific information on the use of NAMs in a fast and consistent manner and the current status of the open access database in Belgium.

The RE-Place project is collecting all available expertise on the use of alternative methods to animal testing in Belgium. The project is funded by the Flemish and Brussels government and aims to provide a reliable overview of the different NAMs that are currently used in the life sciences. It also provides the contact details of experts and research centres where these techniques can be learned. Submit your expertise now via the RE-Place website

The aim of this prize is to highlight the versatility and superiority of animal-free antibodies and encourage their acceptance and use for research and therapeutic purposes.

This is the 15th collaborative Training School which is aimed at postgraduate level or above. The programme is structured to lead participants from simple experimental design and statistical ideas, through more complex methods and analysis to effective presentation of findings.  

Vera Rogiers, Emeritus Professor of Toxicology and Chair of the Innovation Centre – 3Rs at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, explains the creation and actions of the Centre to promote the implementation of the 3Rs in scientific research by using new technology and new approach methodologies (NAMs). She describes the peculiar situation of Belgium, a federal state, when it comes to promoting NAMs and also discusses the upcoming revision of the REACH Regulation and what can be expected from the EU Green Deal.

If scientists could stop animal testing, they would do it immediately. But is it feasible? How far is science today?

One alternative to the use of rabbits for pyrogen test is the blood of horseshoe crab or Limulus, a 500-million-year-old invertebrate which is released in the ocean after blood collection.​ An estimated 10% of horseshoe crabs unfortunately die when bled and this alternative was not enough to impact the number of rabbits used in pyrogen tests.​  (Source: ”Pyrogen Testing Revisited on Occasion of  the 25th Anniversary of the Whole Blood Monocyte” by Thomas Hartung, in Altex January 2021​.

The American Society for Cellular and Computational Toxicology (ASCCT) recently organized its 10th annual meeting themed “Practical applications of new tools in toxicology” from the 12th to the 14th of October.
During the meeting, Anouck Thienpont from Sciensano and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel received the Ray Tice Tox21 Student Award for her presentation ‘Development of a novel #genotoxicity prediction model based on #biomarker genes in human HepaRGTM cells’. This prediction model allows to predict the genotoxic potential of chemicals based on the changes in the expression of 84 carefully selected genes. The work is part of a joint PhD project between VUB and Sciensano, funded by the FWO and the Chair Mireille Aerens. Congratulations Anouck!