News from EURL ECVAM

EURL ECVAM initiated PRO-MaP (Promoting Reusable and Open Methods and Protocols) to bring together a broad cross-section of the life science community, including policy makers and publishers, to join forces and define means to increase and improve the open reporting of methods and reusable protocols, in support of the EU’s Open Science and Knowledge Valorisation policies. Recommendations set out in a newly published report outline actions that key stakeholder groups can take to achieve Pro-Map goals.

The success of the EURL ECVAM JRC Summer School on Non-animal Approaches in Science 2023, which received the European Commission Sustainable Events Award for the second time, highlights the school's commitment to environmentally conscious event planning and its ability to promote innovative non-animal methods in science while remaining impactful. Since its inception, four Summer Schools have trained over 400 post-graduate students worldwide. To gauge its impact, EURL ECVAM conducted a survey among alumni. The results can be found in a newly published report. Post-graduate students and early-career scientists can now look forward to the fifth edition of the Summer School, scheduled for 19-23 May 2025.

As follow-up of the EURL ECVAM validation study of methods relevant for thyroid hormone system disruption, an OECD expert group for thyroid disruption methods evaluated several methods as being sensitive, specific, and reproducible and recommended their further validation, needed for regulatory use of the method. The French public-private platform for the pre-validation of endocrine disruptors characterization methods (PEPPER) has included two methods for the inhibition of thyroid hormone deiodination (DIO1-SK method, TM 2019-10) and the inhibition of thyroid hormone transport (FITC/T4-TTR method, TM 2019-09) onto its work programme to confirm transferability and between laboratory reproducibility. There is currently an open invitation for laboratories to participate in the FITC/T4-TTR method validation study. For further information, interested laboratories are invited to consult the call on the website https://ed-pepper.eu or to contact PEPPER at contact@ed-pepper.eu. Deadline for application: 31 July 2024

On May 16th, ECVAM had the pleasure of hosting 26 brilliant Toxicology Master Students from Karolinska Institutet! They pitched their innovative projects and explored the EURL ECVAM lab, plus, they gave us some useful ideas on how to promote alternatives to animal testing and the 3Rs in University education!

On May 21st Genie Chin, Director-General of the National Laboratory Animal Center of NARLabs and Director of the Taiwan 3R Initiative Program, provided interesting insights into the Taiwan 3R Initiative! This initiative, launched in October 2021, represents a collaborative effort among government agencies to enhance the adoption and integration of alternative test strategies, accelerate biomedical research innovations and promote animal welfare in Taiwan. We look forward to continued collaboration with our Taiwanese colleagues on advancing these important goals, particularly in the area of Organ-on-Chip methods!

The Brazilian Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods (BraCVAM) visited EURL ECVAM on 22-23 May to strengthen international partnerships and collaboration. Linked to the Vice-Presidency for Research and Biological Collections (VPPCB) at FIOCRUZ, BraCVAM focuses on developing and validating alternative methods to animal testing in research and education. By promoting the principles of the Three Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement), both BraCVAM and EURL ECVAM aim to advance scientific research and innovation while ensuring ethical standards and enhance animal welfare.

EURL ECVAM made a splash at the EUROoCS Annual Meeting 2024 recently! The conference came to a close on July 5th, and our team participated in several activities focused on Organ-on-Chip (OoC) standardisation, qualification, and regulatory uptake.