Juliėtte Legler (Professor of Toxicology) and her team have received a NWO grant of approximately ¤1 million for the project "Animal testing for endocrine disruption - from science to regulatory acceptance". She is working with experts from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Geosciences, REBO and the RIVM, as well as various stakeholders from industry, regulation and NGOs.
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are harmful to humans and animals. The European Commission has created legislation for the identification of EDCs, but animal tests are still needed to determine these substances. Apart from the ethical concerns, the relevance of these animal tests to humans is questionable and tests are not available for all EDC-related effects. Current testing strategies are therefore not suitable for identifying all EDCs.
Several innovative, non-animal testing models for testing EDCs have been developed, although these are not always accepted by science, regulatory authorities and society at large. The main question remains: how do we achieve legal and societal acceptance of non-animal models?
Over the next five years, they will bridge the gap between science and regulation with the main goal: the implementation and acceptance of existing non-animal test research, to ensure it is covered by legislation. The results of this project will serve as input for ongoing projects such as the NWA-ORC Virtual Human Platform for Safety Assessment and the European EURION projects like GOLIAT H. Read more about the content of the project here: https://www.nwo.nl/nieuws
