Fraunhofer ITEM develops chemical safety testing without animal experiments
Fraunhofer ITEM is advancing the risk assessment of chemicals through non-animal methods. The new ASPA workflow supports the EU's goal to reduce animal testing.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM) is making significant progress in transforming chemical risk assessment by reducing reliance on animal testing.
The European Commission has introduced a new roadmap outlining a phased approach to phase out animal testing in chemical safety evaluations. Fraunhofer ITEM is actively contributing to this shift, notably through the development of the ASPA workflow (Alternative Safety Profiling Algorithm) within the EU project RISK-HUNT3R.
ASPA serves as a key component of the Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) framework. NGRA integrates in vitro methods, computational models, and other New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to scientifically evaluate the safety of chemicals and pharmaceuticals while progressively reducing animal use.
"The ASPA workflow is a transparent, reproducible, and modular approach for non-animal chemical risk assessment. It allows us to evaluate chemical risks using in silico and in vitro methods that do not involve animal testing," stated Dr. Sylvia Escher, a researcher at Fraunhofer ITEM. This method consolidates data on human exposure and toxicological mechanisms, enabling regulatory agencies to conduct comprehensible and scientifically sound safety assessments without animal data.
The development of the ASPA workflow aligns with the EU's long-term commitment to the 3Rs principle: Replace, Reduce, and Refine animal testing. The workflow provides a structured strategy for risk analysis, encompassing approximately 55 evaluation elements.