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The ILSI-HESI Project on Animal Alternative Needs in Environmental Risk Assessment
Citation:
EMBRY, M., S. E. BELANGER, T. BRAUNBECK, M. HALDER, M. HINTON, M. LEONARD, A. LILLICRAP, T. NORBERG-KING, AND G. WHALE. The ILSI-HESI Project on Animal Alternative Needs in Environmental Risk Assessment. Presented at Seventh World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, Rome, ITALY, August 30 - September 03, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
The project intends to provide a forum for discussion and action plans to resolve pressing needs regarding animal alternatives for environmental toxicology.
Description:
The ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) established a project in 2009 on Animal Alternatives in Environmental Risk Assessment (AA-ERA) following a successful two-year emerging issues assessment of the topic. The early stages of this work included the execution of an international workshop on the fish embryo test as a potential alternative to the standard OECD 203 fish acute toxicity test. The workshop, held in 2008, involved 41 participants from academia, government, and industry representing 10 countries. A successful foundation for international and cross-sector collaboration emerged and led to the formal establishment of this HESI project. The project intends to provide a forum for discussion and action plans to resolve pressing needs regarding animal alternatives for environmental toxicology. The intial scope of work will be presented in this poster along with the workshop conclusions. Due to the success of previously established efforts to address acute fish toxicity alternatives, the AA-ERA project has expanded to identify future needs and posssible avenues to address extrapolation of in vitro to in vivo, chronic fish toxicity, and consideration of in vivo alternatives for detection of endocrine-disrupting compounds. Sub-teams have been established to define work portfolios and a kick-off workshop is being discussed to facilitate awareness, planning, and commitments from participants and organizations. Additional participants are sought and interested individuals are encouraged to contact the authors.