EU Funded 3Rs Research

	© Institute for In Vitro Sciences

Over the last 20 years, the European Framework Programmes for Research and Technology Development have contributed more than 200 million € toward the development of non-animal models for drug development, chemical toxicity and ecotoxicology and product safety assessment. Earlier this year, an additional 50 million € in funding has been provided under the EU/COLIPA Joint Research Initiative aimed at developing replacement approaches for repeated dose toxicity. The following are specific EU-funded projects with the potential to lay the ground for a shift toward a new, innovative approach in toxicology.

ACuteTox Optimisation and pre-validation of an in vitro test strategy for predicting human acute toxicity

ARTEMIS In vitro neural tissue system for replacement of transgenic animals with memory/learning deficiencies

BioSim Network of excellence on biological, pathological and pharmacological processes

CADASTER Case studies on the development and application of in silico techniques for environmental hazard and risk assessment

CarcinoGENOMICS Development of high throughput genomics-based tests for assessing genotoxic and carcinogenic properties of chemical compounds in vitro

COACH Coordination of projects on alternative approaches to assess repeated dose toxicity of cosmetics and chemicals

COMICS Comet assay and cell array for fast and efficient genotoxicity testing

COSMOS Integrated in silico models for the prediction of human repeated dose toxicity of cosmetics to optimise safety

DETECTIVE Detection of endpoints and biomarkers for repeated dose toxicity

ESNATS Embryonic stem cell-based novel alternative testing strategies

EXERA Development of 3D in vitro models of estrogen-reporter mouse tissues for the pharmaco-toxicological analysis of nuclear receptor-interacting compounds

HeMiBio Hepatic microfluidic bioreactor

INVITROHEART Reducing animal experimentation in drug testing by human cardiomyocyte in vitro models derived from embryonic stem cells

LIINTOP Optimisation of liver and intesting in vitro models for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies

MEMTRANS Membrane transporters: in vitro models for the study of their role in drug fate

NanoTEST Development of methodology for alternative testing strategies for the assessment of the toxicological profile of nanoparticles used in medical diagnostics

NOTOX Predicting long-term toxic effects using computer models based on systems characterisation of organotypic cultures

OpenTox Promotion, development, acceptance and implementation of QSARs for toxicology

OSIRIS Optimized Strategies for Risk Assessment of Industrial Chemicals through Integration of Non-Test and Test Information

PREDICT-IV Profiling the toxicity of new drugs: a non-animal-based approach integrating toxicodynamics and biokinetics

Predictomics Short-term in vitro assays for long-term toxicity

ReproTect Development of a novel approach in hazard and risk assessment of reproductive toxicity by a combination and application of in vitro, tissue and sensor technologies

SCR&Tox Stem cells for relevant, efficient, extended, and normalised toxicology

Sens-it-iv Novel testing strategies for in vitro assessment of allergens 

 SEURAT-1 Towards the replacement of in vivo repeated dose systemic toxicity testing

ToxBank Supporting integrated data analysis and servicing of alternative test methods in toxicology

TOXDROP Innovative ‘cell-on-chip’ technology to screen chemicals for toxicity, using cultured cells with tiny ‘nanodrops’ of culture fluid

Virtual Physiological Human EU network of excellence to support progress in biomedical modelling and simulation of the human body

VITROCELLOMICS Reducing animal experimentation in preclinical predictive drug testing by human hepatic in vitro models derived from embryonic stem cells