SACATM meeting focuses on key issues in replacing animal testing

At its September 5-6 meeting, members of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods (SACATM) and other experts advised U.S. government scientists on issues to be addressed to replace animal use for safety testing. About 60 participants met at NIEHS for the annual advisory committee meeting. Participants discussed actions needed to advance goals outlined in a strategic roadmap for new approaches to evaluating the safety of chemicals and medical products.
At the meeting, industry representatives indicated a need for regulators to clearly communicate both their information requirements and willingness to accept data from new approach methodologies to fulfill those requirements. Participants also discussed the need for high-quality reference data from past animal tests to evaluate the performance of new methods, and considered issues involved in sharing and using those data.
SACATM, the advisory committee for ICCVAM, is a panel of experts drawn from industry, academia, and animal welfare organizations. SACATM meets annually to advise ICCVAM, NICEATM, and the NIEHS director on activities related to ICCVAM’s mission.
Materials from the SACATM meeting are available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/events/past/index.html?type=SACATM, and a longer summary is available in an article in the October issue of the NIEHS Environmental Factor newsletter at https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2018/10/science-highlights/toxicity_testing/index.htm.