July 2017
Upcoming Events
Aug. 20-24, 2017
Seattle, WA

Late-breaking abstracts: deadline July 31.

Aug. 20-24, 2017
Washington, DC

Sept. 10-13, 2017
Bratslava, Slovakia

Sept. 21-22
College Park, MD

In the News



Our Contributors

Altria
ARDF
Avon
BAT
Caudalie
Colgate-Palmolive
Crabtree & Evelyn
The Dial Corporation, A Henkel Company
Estée Lauder Companies
Johnson & Johnson
Kimberly-Clark 
L Brands 
MAC Cosmetics
Mary Kay 
NARS Cosmetics
PETA
PMI
Procter & Gamble
S.C. Johnson & Son
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IIVS Recipient of Device that Mimics Human Exposure to Aerosols
PETA International Science Consortium Donates VITROCELL In Vitro Inhalation Exposure System
Thanks to a generous donation by the PETA International Science Consortium, IIVS is the recipient of a VITROCELL® inhalation exposure system.

The device, which is designed to replace animals in inhalation testing, can be used to expose human lung cells to airborne test materials in an environment that mimics the human lung. IIVS will use the VITROCELL® system for testing combustible tobacco products, as well as next generation heat-not-burn and electronic cigarettes using a VITROCELL® Smoking Machine.

"We are grateful to the PETA International Science Consortium for this specialized equipment, which will allow us to assist industry and regulatory scientists in gathering crucial respiratory exposure data without using animals." said Erin Hill, IIVS president.

The VITROCELL® inhalation exposure system is designed to expose a variety of human-relevant respiratory cell cultures and tissue models to airborne substances such as gases, vapors, complex mixtures, and nanoparticles at the air-tissue interface just as the exposures occur in humans. This provides a significant improvement in exposure modeling over systems that rely upon the dilution of test chemicals into cell culture media.

"We are pleased to provide this essential equipment to IIVS for its human-relevant research that will protect humans and spare animals." said Amy Clippinger, associate director of the PETA International Science Consortium. 

Support of IIVS' new respiratory program is the latest in a long history of contributions from PETA and the PETA International Science Consortium since the inception of IIVS in 1997. The two organizations have worked collaboratively on key areas in the field of alternatives to animal testing, including validation of test methods and training to regulatory agencies in the U.S., Europe and China. In 2010, IIVS was the first recipient of PETA's Mark Twain Ethical Science Award. 

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New Respiratory Lab Open for Business
With the opening of our new respiratory toxicology laboratory, we are excited about expanding our testing services. We now offer the following capabilities: 

  • Use of conventional 2D cell lines and primary cells for screening cytotoxicity, viability, oxidative-stress responses, and inflammatory pathway activation
  • Utilization of 3D-reconstructed human airway models and precision-cut lung slices for the modeling of complex respiratory events
  • VITROCELL smoke/aerosol machine and precision, low-volume, digital dispensing exposures
     
  • Application of SAVA and Luminex multiplex technologies to evaluate acute and long-term respiratory tissue effects such as ciliary beat frequency changes, inflammation, and other tissue changes
For more information about our new laboratory and services, please contact Principal Scientist, Dr. Holger Behrsing at hbehrsing@iivs.org.

IIVS at the World Congress: Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences
August 20-24, 2017
Seattle, WA
Visit our Booth - (#202)

Oral Presentations

Collaborative Industry and Regulatory Efforts to Implement Alternative Methods in China, Erin Hill

Why Regulatory Acceptance Doesn't Necessarily Result in Industry Use of Alternatives , Erin Hill

The Practical Application of In Vitro Pulmonary Models to Assess Acute and Chronic Effects of Toxic Exposure, Rodger Curren

Industry and Regulatory Collaboration to Help Modernize the US EPA 6 Pack: Revised Prediction Model of the Skin Irritation Test, Rodger Curren

Sharing Technology and Expertise: A US Society Promotes the Use of Alternatives Through Its Membership Activities, Erin Hill


Posters

Non-animal Testing Approach to Address Biocompatibility Testing of Medical Devices Required by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA)

Quality Considerations: Redefining Test Systems from Animals to Tissues and Beyond

Validation and Application of the 3D-Human Reconstructed Skin Micronucleus Assay (RSMN) using the EpiDermTM 
Tissue to the Safety Assessment of Cosmetics Ingredients

Introducing the 3R Concepts into Pre-college Classrooms

Recording and Slides Available for IIVS Webinar on Skin Tone Modulation
The recording and slides are available for our recent webinar: Skin Tone Modulation: In Vitro Pre-clinical and Clinical Efficacy Testing Strategies and Innovative Solutions in Cosmetics.

Addressing uneven skin tone, often associated with photo-aging, is a key area of interest in the cosmetic industry. The design of novel, safe, and efficacious actives and ingredients capable of inducing subtle changes in skin tone can be accomplished using modern, relevant and reliable pre-clinical testing strategies. 

During this one-hour webinar, IIVS Study Director, Dr. Gertrude-Emilia Costin, and Dr. Manpreet Randhawa, Principal Scientist at Johnson & Johnson, will discuss optimized in vitro testing platforms using pigmented tissue models that assess the capacity of ingredients and formulations that impact skin tone.

Registration Open for ASCCT Annual Meeting
Registration is open for the 6th Annual ASCCT meeting to be held Sept. 21-22 at IIVS in Gaithersburg, MD. 

This year's meeting will focus on two key areas: 

Day 1
Alternatives to Acute Systemic Toxicity Testing

Speaker: Anna Lowit, US EPA OPP & Dan Wilson, Dow Chemical Company

Day 2
Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act (LCSA) implementation

Speaker: Louis "Gino" Scarano, US EPA OPPT

The meeting will also include a poster session, mentoring and networking opportunities, and a reception and awards ceremony. 

Learn more and register at www.ascctox.com

IIVS Scientists to Present at 254th ACS Meeting

IIVS scientists will present at the 254th American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting, August 20-24, 2017 in Washington, DC. 

Advanced In Vitro Test Systems Provide Human-Relevant Results to Support Regulatory Decision-making, Holger Behrsing.

Changes in TSCA Drive New Strategies for Eye Irritation Hazard Assessments, Hans Raabe

Relevance of the Test System: When 21st Century Tools Can't Ensure Test Method Acceptance
Quanshun Zhang

In Vitro Methods Available for Chemical Risk Assessment under Amended TSCA for Skin Sensitization Evaluation, Tinashe Ruwona

For more information about the ACS meeting, visit www.acs.org.


Congratulations to the 2017 Recipients of the ARDF Grants
ARDF has announced the recipients of the 2017 Alternatives Research Grant Program. The prorgram has awarded $194,000 to scientists developing alternative methods in biomedical research and testing.  The list of winners can be viewed here

IIVS is pleased to have supported the review process and offers its congratulations to the awardees.

Read the Latest Publications of Interest
Navigating the Claim Substantiation Maze in the Cosmetic Industry, by Dr. Gertrude-Emilia Costin and Asha Shravanthi Pidathala 
Eurocosmetics, June 2017

Advances in  Science: Next Generation of Lab Tools, Models and Testing Platforms Used in Predictive Toxicology , by  Dr. Gertrude-Emilia Costin
Molecular Life, July 2017