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News

VEGAHUB Training

Building expertise in in silico modelling and read-across: Highlights from the PARC training

On 23-24 October 2025, PARC held its second online training course on in silico models and read-across using VEGAHUB, coordinated by the Istituto Mario Negri (IRFMN), Italy. This follow-up course attracted 42 participants from 21 countries across Europe and beyond, eager to build their practical skills. Unlike the first VEGAHUB...

Meet the Chemical Leaders - Iseult Lynch

Iseult Lynch, professor and researcher at the University of Birmingham, has devoted her career to understanding the interactions between nanomaterials and biological systems. Initially focused on nanomaterials in medical devices, Lynch has expanded her research to explore their broader impact on human health, investigating how nanoparticles interact with proteins, cells...

Training course - NAMs

Highlights from the new approach methodologies and chemical hazard assessment course

What does the future of chemical safety look like? For 38 researchers, regulators, and scientists from around the world, the answer became clearer earlier this month in Brno, Czech Republic. Gathered for an intensive three-day training on new approach methodologies (NAMs) and hazard assessment, they explored cutting-edge tools that are...

Towards a future without animal testing in EU chemical safety assessment

Towards a Future Without Animal Testing in EU Chemical Safety Assessment

In the context of preparing its roadmap to phase out animal testing for chemical safety assessment - a key priority for both ethical science and modern regulatory policy - the European Commission organised a series of three workshops to gain input from stakeholders. The second workshop, held in Brussels on...

7 results

Events

3Rs Integrating 3 Worlds: Human, Animal, and Environmental Health – World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences

The World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences is a leading international event dedicated to advancing alternatives to animal testing in research and education. Bringing together scientists, researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals, the congress provides a vital platform for knowledge exchange, best practice sharing, and discussions...

Society of Toxicology - 2026 Annual Meeting

The 65 th Annual Society of Toxicology (SOT) Meeting and ToxExpo is recognised as one of the most comprehensive global gatherings in the field - offering cutting-edge science spanning molecular mechanisms, exposure science, risk assessment, emerging methodologies, and practical applications for human and environmental health protection. The SOT 2026 Meeting...

Safe and Sustainable by Design Workshop 2025

The Safe and Sustainable by Design Workshop 2025 (SSbD25), will bring together researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to exchange knowledge and best practices on implementing the European Commission’s SSbD Framework. The workshop aims to strengthen collaboration across disciplines, support the practical application of the SSbD principles, and identify strategies to...

9 results

Projects

Demonstrating the applicability of New Approach Methodologies for regulatory use

Key messages The current regulatory uptake of New Approach Methodologies ( NAMs) and NAM-based approaches for hazard and risk assessment of chemical substances is limited. By conducting case studies addressing specific problem formulations for certain health effects and regulatory contexts we aim to highlight both opportunities and challenges related to...

Improving testing methods for thyroid hormone disrupting chemicals

Overview The European Chemicals Agency ( ECHA) is incorporating international guidelines like the revised OECD Guidance Document 150 into its regulatory processes for evaluating biocides and pesticides for potential endocrine-disrupting effects. However, current testing methods and regulations still fall short when it comes to identifying substances that interfere with the...

Occupational biomonitoring of emerging chemicals: A new approach

Key messages Current biomonitoring methods are limited in assessing the full spectrum of chemical exposures, especially with emerging chemicals in occupational sectors. Innovative screening methods (SS/NTS) and new sampling tools (DBS, SWB) offer a promising alternative to traditional approaches, enabling more comprehensive exposure assessment. The project will demonstrate the proof...

Computational new approach methods based on machine learning and artificial intelligence

Overview Enhancing the transparency and acceptance of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques in chemical risk assessment is the focus of this initiative. With an increasing reliance on these advanced methods for predicting chemical behaviour and assessing risks, addressing the challenges posed by unclear documentation and limited access...

17 results

Publications

Cover_Pharmacophore Modeling Using Machine Learning forScreening the Blood–Brain Barrier Permeation of Xenobiotics

Pharmacophore modeling using machine learning for screening the blood–brain barrier permeation of xenobiotics

Daily exposure to xenobiotics affects human health, especially the nervous system, causing neurodegenerative diseases. The nervous system is protected by tight junctions present at the blood–brain barrier (BBB), but only molecules with desirable physicochemical properties can permeate it. This is why permeation is a decisive step in avoiding unwanted brain...

MCDA applications in chemical alternatives assessment: a narrative review

MCDA applications in chemical alternatives assessment: a narrative review

This article reviews the application of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) in chemical alternatives assessment (CAA) and presents an overview of how the methodology has been applied within CAA. The study aimed to identify research that uses MCDA to identify the most harmful or least problematic chemicals and evaluate its current...

Adverse outcomes of the newly emerging bisphenol A substitutes

Adverse outcomes of the newly emerging bisphenol A substitutes

BPA and its analogues are facing increasingly stringent regulations restricting their use due to the increasing knowledge of their harmful effects. It is therefore expected that novel BPA analogues and alternatives will replace them in plastic products, cans and thermal paper to circumvent restrictions imposed by legislation. This raises concerns...

Evaluation of THP-1 and jurkat cell lines coculture for the in vitro assessment of the effects of immunosuppressive substances

Evaluation of THP-1 and jurkat cell lines coculture for the in vitro assessment of the effects of immunosuppressive substances

The strong appeal to reduce animal testing calls for the development and validation of in vitro, in chemico and in silico models that would replace the need for in vivo testing and ex vivo materials. A category that requires such new approach methods is the assessment of immunosuppression that can...