Be kind to animals, and save money
Chemicals can be found in products all around us, such as detergents, paint, makeup and food. The EU-funded project 'Computer-assisted evaluation of industrial chemical substances according to regulations' (Caesar) sought out ways to shift to alternative testing methods and decrease animal testing. This comes in light of the new European Community regulation on chemicals and their safe use under the 'Registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemical substances' (REACH) regulation. the project team studied in vitro and in silico methods to replace expensive and ethically questionable animal testing for predicting biological reactions. It produced models for many testing issues such as skin sensitisation, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, toxicity and bioconcentration. caesar also built extensive databases of high-quality experimental data in the domain to facilitate and encourage the use of in silico modelling, a practice that was previously not widely accepted. In parallel, the project team conducted in-depth analyses and calculations to develop practical easy-to-use tools that were made available online. the new methods and technology proved to be as good as existing technology and often better, although only in the case of carcinogenicity it remained difficult to produce definitive results. Nonetheless, the new technology was very beneficial in achieving alternative testing, which led the project team to encourage cooperation among experts in the field. project results were disseminated through the web, scientific journals, workshops and conferences. Caesar was considered successful in meeting the requirements of REACH, an accomplishment which is set to discourage animal testing and reduce research costs of chemical testing. The winners are human health, environment and the animal kingdom.
