Research group Innovative Testing in Life Sciences & Chemistry
The Research group Innovative Testing in Life Sciences & Chemistry develops and applies methods to determine the effects of substances present in our environment, food and medicines, without the use of animal testing.
Lines of research within the research group
Virtual Human Platform 4 Safety Assessment
Imagine a world in which we perform precision safety testing of chemicals and pharmaceuticals without using laboratory animals. Imagine that this safety can be assessed for vulnerable groups.
ONTOX: predicting toxicity with artificial intelligence
ONTOX aims to deliver a generic strategy for using artificial intelligence (AI) that can be applied to predict toxicity in humans of any chemical at any dose. With the use of big data, novel predictive algorithms will be used to effectively indicate whether a compound of interest provides a risk for human health.
Publications
- Beyond Animal Testing Index: Benchmarking Tool for a World beyond Animal Testing
- Report of the First ONTOX Stakeholder Network Meeting: Digging Under the Surface of ONTOX Together With the Stakeholders
- The application of natural language processing for the extraction of mechanistic information in toxicology
Education
In our research we strive to apply advanced analytical chemical and biological techniques to enable innovations in the health and nutrition domain. We investigate both beneficial and potentially harmful effects of natural substances, particularly on the intestines and the immune system. Collaborations with our partners (start-ups and established companies, other knowledge institutes) are focused on themes such as food safety, protein transition, and the development of innovative production methods for medicines.
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Collaboration
The research group formed the basis of the Innovation Lab (iLab) Life Sciences & Chemistry in Utrecht, which provides the space for collaboration with professionals who are active in professional practice. We also work closely with other research institutes, as well as with partners from the (international) business community.