link to outreach pagelink to education pageLink to contact pageLink to outreach pageLink to education pageLink to science pagelink to home pageLink to home pagelink to science page

Volume 12, Issue 1    

Brian Jones joins IIVS

IIVS is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Brian Jones as Director, Education and Outreach Programs. Dr. Jones has extensive knowledge of the development and use of non-animal methods for assessing the toxicity and sensitization potential of cosmetic ingredients and formulations. One of Dr. Jones' primary activities will be to organize and lead IIVS' International Outreach Program in countries such as China, Brazil and Russia. Information on these activities can be found in the articles below.  
 
   
SCIENCE

In Vitro
Assays as a Pre-screen for Clinical Testing   

 

EpiDerm
 EpiDerm™SkiPatch testn Model


                  Clinical Patch Test


Clinical testing is typically a requirement for personal care companies to adequately assess the safety and efficacy of ingredients and formulations. But, how does a company or clinician get to the point of human testing while still maintaining ethical and, in some cases, legal acceptability? The answer may include the use of in vitro methods which provide the toxicologist and clinician valuable information to protect their subject panels while providing a greater potential for a "favorable outcome".
Read more

    

   

   

     

   

 

EDUCATION
 
IIVS Practical Workshop for Alternative Methods in Brazil
November 16 -18, 2011
 

Goi�nia, Universidade Federal de Goi�s    

  

   

Brazil Opening ceremony
Prof. M. Bozinis, Federal Univ. of Goi�s  and R. Curren, IIVS at Opening Ceremony 
IIVS continued its international in vitro methods training programs with the first "Practical Methods" workshop held in Goi�nia, Brazil, 16 - 18 November, 2011. The Workshop Internacional Pr�tico sobre M�todos Alternativos was co-organized by Dr. Chantra Eskes of SeCam and
hosted by the Goi�s School of Pharmacy. The purpose of this workshop was to assist in the adoption of non-animal testing methods by Brazilian regulatory authorities by familiarizing both regulatory and industrial scientists with the technical aspects of the in vitro methodologies. Surveys completed by the participants indicated that the workshop readily met its objectives and set the stage for continued interactions that hopefully will lead to adoption of non-animal safety testing methods in Brazil.

lab demo Goiania
Demonstrations by Nathan Wilt and Allison Hilberer, IIVS; Chantra Eskes, SeCAM
 

The program for the first day consisted of regulatory updates and introductory lectures, and was attended by approximately 50 people. Invited speakers included the head of ANVISA's (similar to FDA) cosmetics division, a representative from the Ministry of Health responsible for monitoring the implementation of alternative methods for scientific purposes in Brazil, and a major promoter of the newly formed Brazilian Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (BraCVAM). Rodger Curren and Chantra Eskes (formerly of ECVAM, now SeCAM) opened the workshop with presentations on the regulatory status and acceptance of alternative methods throughout the world. The choice of the city of Goi�nia for the workshop - due to its proximity to Brasilia, the headquarters of many regulators - was validated by the presence of a significant number of individuals from the regulatory community at the workshop. In addition, an outstanding laboratory facility was available locally at the University of Goi�s.

  

The second and third days consisted of technical lectures and laboratory demonstrations of non-animal safety testing methods by IIVS staff. The laboratory sessions were attended by 24 individuals from industry and regulatory authorities. The Brazilian members of the organizing committee were especially impressed that ANVISA funded three of their staff to attend the practical workshop given their high workload which has in the past limited ANVISA's participation in meetings and workshops.

  

The response from all the attendees to this meeting was extremely positive with 95% of the respondents indicating the workshop either met or exceeded their goals. A second workshop - probably located closer to the major population center of S�o Paulo - was strongly endorsed by the participants, as well as additional training sessions which would highlight advancements in the methodologies.

  

A significant factor in the success of the workshop was financial support from several organizations. We sincerely thank all of the sponsors for their contributions which are helping advance non-animal testing methods throughout the world.

 

OUTREACH
    

XVI International Scientific and Practical Conference

Cosmetic Industry: Looking into the Future

Moscow, Russia, October 25, 2011

 
BCJ Moscow 2011  
Natalya Deich, Colgate; Brian Jones, IIVS; Tatiana Puchkova, Chairman of the Board Perfumery & Cosmetic Assoc. of Russia; Khalidya Khamidulina, Dir. Russian Register of Potentially Hazardous Chemical and Biological Substances 
 

This International Scientific and Practical Conference has been organized by the Russian Association of Perfumery & Cosmetics since 1996. With participation of more than 350 people, the conference has become a significant venue for manufacturers, suppliers, registration/certification bodies and testing laboratories in Eastern Europe. The 16th meeting contained a separate day dedicated to the topic of non-animal Alternatives as tools for the safety and efficacy assessment of cosmetics.


Dr. Dan Bagley, Vice President of Colgate-Palmolive, asked if IIVS - as part of its International Outreach Program - would be interested in participating in this meeting. In response, Dr. Brian Jones presented on the routine use of non-animal methods by personal care product manufacturers in the US, with special emphasis on the use of 3-D tissue models for assessing potential gingival irritation from oral personal care products. Other presentations addressed the use of alternatives in the EU (Unilever SEAC), Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and China.     

 

 

International Outreach Program:  China

In November 2011, Drs. R. Curren and B. Jones traveled to China to participate in meetings with the Chinese CDC, sFDA and various universities to further IIVS' International Outreach Program. A workshop focused on the Qualification of the 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Phototoxicity Test was held in Guangzhou, China and was sponsored by the Guangdong (GD) CDC with direction from the China sFDA. Dr. Yang China Mtg Nov 2011Ying, from the GD CDC, organized the workshop. Also in attendance from the CDC was Dr. Yang Xingfen (Dep. Director, GD CDC) and Dr. Xiong Xihun (Director Toxicology GD CDC). Invited experts attending included Drs. Rodger Curren and Brian Jones (IIVS), Dr. Hajime Kojima (JaCVAM), Dr. John Harbell (Mary Kay), Drs. Alice Cai and Robert Zhao (L'Oreal) and Dr. Jiao Hong (Inspection and Quarantine Technology Center; IQTC). Invited presentations were given by Yang Ying, Rodger, Hajime and Alice. One of the meeting outcomes was that IIVS would be train a number of Chinese laboratories in the 3T3 phototoxicity assay before their participation in the program.

 

Dr. Shujun Cheng, Associate Professor - GD IQTC, invited Rodger and Brian to speak at RC China Talk 2011the Guangdong (GD) Laboratory Animal Association's "Education and Scientific Symposium on Animal Alternatives" held at the Sun Yat-sen University. Presentations by Rodger and Brian covered the current global status of alternatives, the 8th World Congress on Alternatives, use of the Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability assay, and non-animal methods for assessing dermal sensitization. As most of the attendees were from animal testing laboratories, questions and concerns of replacement of animals were the primary issues raised. Overall, there was a feeling within the audience that animal assays would be necessary for some time in the future in China, but alternatives would be able to be used in place of many of the current animal studies.

 

Brian also attended the "Seminar on Ingredient Management and Development" sponsored by the Chinese Association of Fragrance, Flavor and Cosmetic Industry (CAFFCI), European Federation for Cosmetic Ingredients (EFfCI), Association of 

BCJ and Tong Min Nov 2011
Director, Tong Min with Brian Jones 

International Chemical Manufacturers (IACM) and the sFDA. Overall, the meeting highlighted the

challenges associated with bringing new ingredients and formulations to market in China. Both Chinese scientists and regulators stressed the need for themselves and their colleagues to gain technical expertise in the most current concepts in toxicology, risk assessment and alternatives. Director Tong Min strongly supported the current review process for new ingredients; however, he did highlight the need for Western experts to work with China to understand possible alternative approaches. He stated he would be working with trade associations from US, Japan, EU and Korea to establish an expert panel in these areas. Brian met with Director Tong and spoke about the efforts of training activities of IIVS and their work with the GD CDC. Director Tong was very appreciative of the efforts and looked forward to continued activities between IIVS and sFDA.

 

  

News & Upcoming Events

John Sheasgreen
, President of MatTek Corporation, passes away

Patric Amcoff
joins the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) as the  Operational Manager of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternative Methods to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM).

Kate Willett
joins HSUS as Director, Regulatory Toxicology, Risk Assessment and Alternatives 

Vaccine Testing Workshop Report Now Available

International Workshop on Alternative Methods to Reduce, Refine, and Replace the Use of Animals in Vaccine Potency & Safety Testing: State of the Science & Future Directions. The report is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/1877282X   

 

Symposium: Metabolomics in Toxicology and Preclinical Research:
State-of-the art and Potential Applications

February 13, 2012, Novotel-Berlin-Mitte, Germany

Sponsored by CAAT-Europe and BASF, this symposium will bring together scientists from academia, industry and regulatory bodies to present the current status of this technology and its applicability in toxicology, particularly for safety assessment of compounds. For more information please contact [email protected]   

 

Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting and ToxExpo

March 11-15, 2012, San Francisco CA

For program information or to register please visit the SOT website 

 

23rd Annual Meeting of the American Contact Dermatitis Society

March 15, 2012, San Diego, CA

Dr. Kimberly Norman of IIVS will present: Screening Skin Sensitizers Using the Novel In Vitro Skin Sensitization Assay, KeratinoSens

For program information or to register please visit the society website 

 

FDA Workshop: Reproductive and Development Toxicology Testing: 

From In Vivo to In Vitro 

April 16, 2012,  FDA White Oak Campus, Silver Spring, Maryland 

Registration is free but space is limited.  To register, please send your name, affiliation, and email to [email protected]      


Save the Date: In Vitro Testing Industrial Platform (IVTIP) Meeting 

April 19, 2012, Bilbao, Spain
The meeting will be open (non IVTIP members invited to attend) and will focus on nanotoxicology.  Please visit the IVTIP website in the coming weeks for more details.     

  

15th International Workshop on Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR2012) in Environmental and Health Sciences 

June 18 - 22, 2012, Tallinn, Estonia 

This workshops brings together experimentalists and modelers from industry, academia, and regulators. It is a place to share information and viewpoints on emerging research results and tools relating to SARs, QSAR-s/QSPR-s, and data analysis for chemicals and pharmaceuticals. To submit an abstract or to register please visit the workshop website

  

 

 

 

 
Visit us at the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting and ToxExpo
March 11-15, 2012
San Francisco, CA

Booth #1031

     

Would you like to learn more about IIVS' technical capabilities or training opportunities? Send us an email or visit our web-site at www.iivs.org

 (301) 947-6523 
 
Support the Development and Validation of In Vitro Methods with a donation to IIVS

Contribute Today!
Hand shake 2
 
Connect with us!
Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook View our profile on LinkedIn    




NIH, EPA, and FDA Collaborate to Move Science Forward

      

US Tox21 to Begin Screening 10,000 Chemicals

 

A high-speed robotic screening system, aimed at protecting human health by improving how chemicals are tested in the United States, began testing 10,000 compounds for potential toxicity. The compounds cover a wide variety of classifications, and include consumer products, food additives, chemicals found in industrial processes, and human and veterinary drugs. 

Read more 



IFER logo

 

 



ECVAM logo
Agendas and Minutes of ESAC Meetings now updated and available at the ECVAM website  


Other available information includes:


 

 



Axlr8 logo

AXLR8 2011 Progress Report Now Available

  

Achievements of EU FP6/7-funded health research, contributions by EU Member States and international teams, and recommendations from the independent AXLR8 Scientific Panel for the forthcoming 'Horizon 2020' funding programme are detailed in this new report.

AXLR8 Scientific Panel recommendations for future research and innovation funding    

  

To download a copy of the report please visit  

www.axlr8.eu  



American Society for Cellular and

Computational Toxicology

 

ASCCT Banner

 

 Member Webinar  

Evidence-Based Toxicology, presented by Dr. Martin Stephens, the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing at Johns Hopkins University  

 

Visit our booth at the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting! 

Booth 136 

 

 


  

 Would you like to join ASCCT or renew your dues?

Please visit 

www.ascctox.org