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PARC established the first four official synergies
To further support its mission, PARC has established SYNnet, a network designed to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing with other initiatives, projects, organisations. Since its inception, SYNnet has made substantial progress in fostering synergies and collaborations. An agreement was signed with the Joint Research Centre ↗ (JRC), and the process to establish another one with the NORMAN Association ↗ is ongoing.
PARC has also successfully established synergies with three European projects and one international organisation. All of them will work closely with partners from the ‘Innovation in regulatory risk assessment’ field of expertise in PARC, and specifically with Sciensano ↗ and the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research ↗. The project RISK-HUNT3R ↗, which focuses on assessing risks using human centric next generation testing strategies that follow the principles of the 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine animal testing), will collaborate on the PARC research project “Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA) for Systemic Target Organ Toxicity”. This collaboration will primarily focus on sharing data and knowledge to improve regulatory science, which involves developing and refining methods for evaluating the safety of chemicals.
The same partners will also collaborate with the project GOLIATH ↗, which aims to develop new, integrated and internationally harmonised approaches for testing chemicals that disrupt metabolism. This collaboration will take place as part of the PARC project “Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA) for Endocrine Disruption”. It addresses the urgent need for IATAs to identify endocrine disrupting compounds in both human and environmental health contexts, focusing on thyroid hormone system disruption and anti-androgenic adverse effects.
Additionally, the new Horizon Europe project INSIGHT ↗, which aims to provide decision maps as a part of its integrated framework to guide users through the decision-making process, aiding them in evaluating the social, economic, health and environmental impacts of chemicals/materials in a more efficient and comprehensive manner, has established a synergy with PARC. INSIGHT is developing an in silico Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA) for chemicals and materials, with three case studies focussing on PFAS, advanced materials, and antimicrobial coatings. In line with PARC, INSIGHT will collate and organise data as well as develop standards for documenting this data.
The Health and Environmental Sciences Institute ↗ (HESI) is a non-profit institution that aims to identify and address global health and environmental challenges. within collaboration with PARC, they will engage in data and knowledge exchange to support regulatory science. This partnership will focus on developing methodologies and conducting applied research as part of the PARC project “Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA) for Genotoxicity”, which is a a priority in the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.
“So far we have received 25 expressions of interest from external projects, and we are still working with PARC project and task leaders to proceed with synergies with specific objectives, timeline and outputs”, explains Sónia Namorado from the National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge ↗ who is co-leading the task on synergies “At the moment, we are also looking at ways of collaborating with ATHENA, ERGO ↗, EPAA ↗, Biodiversa+ ↗, ASPIS ↗ and EURION Cluster ↗” adds Namorado.
"These collaborative efforts mark a significant step forward in advancing scientific research and regulatory practices in the fields of toxicology and chemical assessment. By fostering synergies and promoting knowledge exchange, these initiatives pave the way for more effective and efficient methods of evaluating chemical safety and mitigating environmental and health risks” highlights Nikiforos Alygizakis, from the University of Athens ↗ and also co-leader on that task. “As we move forward, the collective efforts of PARC and its collaborators will undoubtedly contribute to the development of safer and more sustainable chemical practices for the benefit of society as a whole.”
The organization of the 1st SYNnet Forum alongside the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting ↗ in May 2024 and the workshop at the PARC Consortium Meeting in Innsbruck demonstrated strong potential for establishing further collaborations. Future activities, including the 2<sup>nd</sup> SYNnet Forum in September in Rovinj, Croatia, as a special session of the European Environmental Mutagenesis & Genomics Society (EEMGS) congress, are expected to enhance PARC's visibility within the toxicological scientific community.
SYNnet remains dedicated to enhancing collaborations and creating impactful efforts towards the development of next generation risk assessment of chemicals for the benefit of human health and the environment.
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Further information on PARC research projects here.