EURL ECVAM issue Status Report on Alternative Methods

The European Union Joint Research Centre for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM) has issued its 2021 “Status Report on the Development, Validation and Regulatory Acceptance of Alternative Methods and Approaches.” The report is available at https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC127780. A news article announcing availability of the report is posted at https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news/jrc-supporting-alternatives-animal-testing-2022-04-07_en.

The report describes research, development, and validation activities, as well as initiatives that promote the regulatory and international adoption and use of alternative approaches and their dissemination. Activities described in the report include:

• Development of NAMs to identify chemicals with potential endocrine activity.
• Exploration of approaches to replace, reduce, or refine animal use for batch testing of vaccines.
• Evaluation of methods to identify potential genotoxins and sensitizers.

EURL ECVAM, which is part of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, coordinates research and validation studies on alternatives to animal testing within the European Union. EURL ECVAM also shares knowledge about and promotes use of alternative methods.