A longtime supporter of the Institute and its mission, Dan now joins its board of directors to have an even greater impact on the future directions of the company. Representing Colgate-Palmolive, Dan was an inaugural member of the IIVS Science Advisory Panel (SAP) and of the IIVS Industry Council for the Advancement of Regulatory Acceptance of Alternatives (ICARAA). Through these groups he has helped shape the technical and educational programs at IIVS for the last 25 years.

Dan is known widely for his role as Vice President of Global Product Safety at Colgate, where he managed programs and initiatives in the field of alternatives to animal testing.  Early research programs he was involved in have led to the development of alternative test models for eye and skin irritation and for phototoxicity.  He also contributed as a member of several industry coalitions which advanced the development, validation, and regulatory acceptance of animal alternatives, as well as serving on several external trade associations committees for the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and Cosmetics Europe (CE). 

After 37 years as a corporate toxicology and R&D executive, Dan recently retired from Colgate and now serves as President of Vista Toxicology, a consulting company that serves the consumer products industries to provide safety guidance on consumer products and ingredients. (vistatox.com)

Erin Hill, president of IIVS, was recently recognized for her career-long contributions to the field of non-animal testing. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicines (PCRM) honors the life and career of Henry J. Heimlich, M.D., with an Award for Innovative Medicine in his name. Dr. Heimlich is best known for saving countless lives by developing the Heimlich Maneuver - used to save choking victims. However it was Dr. Heimlich’s unwavering compassion, and his steadfast refusal to support animal experiments, which consistently impressed his colleagues. 

Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, President of PCRM, with Erin Hill

The award recognizes the ability to see innovative and creative solutions to scientific and medical issues. Throughout the entirety of her career, Erin has advocated for the use of high-quality, humane, non-animal test methods —  specifically those based on human cells and tissues. It is an honor for IIVS that Erin has received this award associated with such an innovative and creative scientist as Dr. Heimlich.

PETA Science Consortium International e.V. is sponsoring two scientists to visit the Institute for In Vitro Sciences for four days of hands-on training on in vitro test methods in Gaithersburg, Maryland from January 30 – February 2, 2023. The training will be led by members of the IIVS team and will cover a variety of toxicological endpoints. The application deadline is October 21, 2022

IIVS is pleased to announce the co-publication of two articles covering the characterization and recommendations for non-animal techniques used to model mucociliary clearance in human-derived test systems and the dosimetry of tobacco products for in vitro testing:

Key Challenges for In Vitro Testing of Tobacco Products for Regulatory applications: Recommendations for Dosimetry

Ciliary Beat Frequency: Proceedings and Recommendations from a Multi-laboratory Ring Trial Using 3-D Reconstituted Human Airway Epithelium to Model Mucociliary Clearance

IIVS Toxicologist Dr. Argel Islas-Robles participated last week as speaker on the “In Vitro Science Webinars Series” focusing on the topic of non-Animal Methods for dermal and ocular testing on personal care and cosmetics (presentation in Spanish). This was first in a series of events designed to highlight New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for human and environmental safety without the use of animal experimentation in Latin America.

Argel will also be participating as a mentor in the National Institute of Health (NIH) funded Toxicology Mentoring and Skills Development Training Program (ToxMSDT). The program seeks to provide career development opportunities for STEM undergraduates from diverse, underserved backgrounds.

In July, Dr. Gertrude-Emilia Costin, Director of Laboratory Operations, presented on the utility of reconstructed tissue models to address population variability and susceptibility to compounds intended to modulate skin pigmentation. This webinar was organized by the NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM). The full webinar is available online and Emilia’s section begins at approximately the 50 minute mark.

On Sept 22nd at 11:00, Dr. Holger Behrsing, Director of Respiratory Toxicology, will present a webinar entitled: 21st Century Respiratory Toxicology: Complex 3-dimensional Test Systems Provide Human-relevant Data and will Benefit from Standardization Efforts. This event is organized by ScitoVation and registration is free of charge.

Are you interested reducing the use of animal testing in food safety and nutrition?

An expert group of the Alternatives to Animal Testing Task Force of ILSI Europe is currently working on identifying the relevance and challenges in the use of viable human material for food and beverage research. 

If you wish to support their work, fill in the short survey and provide insight into your experience and expectations about this topic.

If you wish to know more or contribute in other ways, please contact Mr Torben Koenig and Mrs Belinda Antonio.

IIVS will be taking part in the following meetings/ conferences. Registration and Program information can be found by clicking on a banner and please email [email protected] if you are interested in meeting with our personnel at any of these events!