Alternatives to animal testing

There is widespread agreement that a reduction in the number of animals used and the refinement of testing to reduce suffering should be important goals for the industries involved.

Another alternative is microdosing, in which the basic behaviour of drugs is assessed using human volunteers receiving doses well below those expected to produce whole-body effects.

For example, cultured cells have been developed to create monoclonal antibodies; prior to this, production required animals to undergo a procedure likely to cause pain and distress.

[8] The testing of cosmetic products directly onto an animal can be minimized or eliminated by the use of in vitro cell growth and development.

[13] In August 2010, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the Test Guideline 439 which describes the new procedure for in vitro hazard identification of irritant chemicals.

The 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake (NRU) Phototoxicity Test, approved by the OECD, detects the viability of 3T3 cells after exposure to a chemical in the presence or absence of light.

These organoids are grown in vitro and mimic the structure and function of different organs such as the brain, liver, lung, kidney, and intestine.

A skinpatch test has been designed and is used in Canada to measure development of rashes, inflammation, swelling or abnormal tissue growth on human volunteers.

[26] Pyrogens are most often pharmaceutical products or intravenous drugs that may cause inflammation or fever when they interact with immune system cells.

[28] Examples of computer simulations available include models of asthma,[29] though potential new medicines identified using these techniques are currently still required to be verified in animal and human tests before licensing.

[33] Although this was an advance in science, its representative power as a model was limited and the researchers were quoted as saying that "although the simulation shared some similarities with a mouse's mental make-up in terms of nerves and connections it lacked the structures seen in real mice brains.

Microfluidic chips, which are just 2 cm (0.79 in) wide, can be engraved into a series of small chambers, each containing a sample of tissue from a different part of the body.

However, due to lack of facilities for mass production and drug clearance issue, the use of PDMS is still being speculated, even though it has great properties as microfluidic chip.

[37] To address the poor cell adherence of PDMS membranes, coatings with natural polymers like fibronectin are commonly applied.

Recently, Doryab and colleagues introduced a hybrid ultrathin PCL/gelatin membrane, termed BETA (Biphasic Elastic Thin for Air-liquid culture conditions), which exhibits lung-like properties, including a Young's modulus of less than 10 kPa, a thickness of less than 1 μm, excellent biocompatibility, and angiogenic potential.

[41] This combines microfabrication techniques with modern tissue engineering and mimics the complicated mechanical and biochemical behaviours of a human lung.

The system relies on the use of a 40+year-old patchwork of animal tests that are expensive (costing more than $3B per year), time-consuming, low-throughput and often provide results of limited predictive value for human health effects.

SEURAT-1 was developed through the Framework Programme 7 (FP7) research initiative and was created through a call for proposals by the European Commission (EC) that was published in June 2009.

The Cosmetics Europe industry offered to match the EC's funds to make a total of EUR 50 million available to try to fill current gaps in scientific knowledge and accelerate the development of non-animal test methods.

Research into alternatives to replace these species is often neglected, although fish are the third most widely used laboratory animal used for scientific purposes in the EU.

To provide a gathering point for all stakeholders involved in the development, validation, regulatory acceptance and final use of alternative ecotoxicity testing strategies.

AXLR8 is a coordination action funded by the European Commission Directorate General for Research & Innovation under the 7 Framework Programme 7 (FP7) Health Theme.

[55] In July 2013, the commission announced the creation of NETVAL[56] (European Union Network of Laboratories for the Validation of Alternative Methods).

EU-NETVAL's primary role is to provide support for EURL ECVAM validation projects, including aspects of training and dissemination, and the identification of methods that have a potential to reduce, refine or replace animals used for scientific purposes.

[57] Currently there are thirteen test facilities in nine member states: Germany (3), the Netherlands (2), Spain (2), Belgium (1), Czech Republic (1), Finland (1), France (1), Italy (1) and Sweden (1).

[59] The aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances.

In parallel to the adoption of REACH, the EC published standardised and accepted methods for testing hazardous properties of chemicals.

As part of the approval process, the EC will require full disclosure of study data, safety issues, and toxicological findings for all such additives.

[62] The European Society for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EUSAAT)[63] organises an annual conference in Linz (Austria) for The European Society of Toxicology in Vitro (ESTIV) focuses on New Non-animal Approaches(NAMs) in Toxicology, including in vitro, in silico, and in chemico technologies and promotes science based on the AOPs knowledge.

It organises bi-annual conferences in Europe and an annual ESTIV Applied in Toxicology Course, recognised by EUROTOX for obtaining ERT certification.